Vista - Clean Install with a Full Version of Vista

Yeah but I think Im supposed to do a clean install, and should I start over since I kinda messed up on step 10 by not clicking the advance. which is probably why it did the C:\windows.old.

Also Step 2 number 7 doesnt exsist for me I think its because I have a laptop, you should or maybe I will put a little mini tutorial on how to change BIOS, its really easy except you have to be fast on the trigger for the F2. Some people may not know though how to do it. Also It skipped numbers 5-7 (under step 1) on me.

If you do not have a network device or connection, then it may skip those steps.

It's up to you if you want to start over and do a clean install instead, but I would try out this one since you already have it install to see how it works for you. You can always use Disk Cleanup to remove all of the old left over files (ex: windows.old) if it works fine for you.

I thought about a BIOS tutorial, but every motherboard has different settings and locations with each motherboard and BIOS version. It was just to specific per motherboard.

Okay how long would it take to notice problems afterwards? With the install I did do I need to activate Vista still? Im not noticing anything that would say I do.

That's hard to say. You usually only notice them when they happen. Could be soon or could be later. If you plan on keeping this install to use, then you will need to activate it before the 30 day trial period is up. I would play around on it for a few days first to see if any problems pop-up or not.

Hope it runs smoothly for you.

Thought it would at least take a day to notice something......So I decided one of the first things I would do would be run a sfc /scannow. The first time I ran it I got 98% done and there was an error that could not be repaired by windows resource protection.

Then I ran a chkdsk /f, and just because I dont know the difference between them I did a chkdsk /r. Those both worked fine (which was the problem that originated all of this), and afterwards I did another sfc /scannow and this time there was no problems found by windows resource protection, but it only went up to 98%.

Is this already a sign of problems?

I can attach part of the CBS log from the first series of [SR]'s if you'd like. Personal I wouldnt want to read through it so I doubt you would.

Btw my computer was already activated so I dont need to do that, and I cant find the C:\windows.old under disk cleanup unless its called previous windows installation(s) 16.3GB.

Hi MarryPoppins,

If it is running fine and you do not develop any other problems, then I would not worry about only getting to 98%. There really isn't any easy way to fix, if possible, what may be in the CBS log anyway, so there would be no point. Did it also have a message that it could not fix the problem until the next restart?

The previous windows installation(s) 16.3GB in Disc Cleanup would include the C:\windows.old folder.

It did not say that, but it does say that its good now, it just goes to 98%, which I think is wierd. under disk clean up would I also want to clean up the system archive window error reporting.

Im going to see how things go for the next few days, running a dskchk and sfc scan occasionaly. Last time I did a repair install and that worked fine for a while, and this time I think I did a similar thing. The problem came back, so I'll see if all goes well this time.

You may not have gotten rid of me yet

So should I clean up the previous windows installation(s) then?

Check this tutorial first before cleaning the system archive window error reporting options. If they are huge GB files, then do not do it until you do the tutorial below.

Disk Cleanup Windows Error Reporting Bug Fix

Yes, I would go ahead and clean it out since it did not work properly anyway.

Hey Brink,

I experienced the same problem that Amplid had, first let me give you some background info. I have a newly built pc with no previous OS and these are my specs:
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 Quad-Core 2.83GHz
Fan Cooler Master Hyper TX X2
Motherboard ASUS P5N-T Deluxe NVIDIA 780i
Memory Corsair XMS2 Dominator 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 1066MHz
Storage Seagate 1TB (2x500GB) SATA 32MB cache
Graphics 2 x NVIDIA GeForce 9800GTX+ 512MB (SLI)
Audio Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium
Optical Plextor PX-820SA 20X DVD-writer SATA
Chassis Cooler Master Cosmos 1000
Power Supply PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750W Quad.
Alright so I have the full retail version of Windows vista ultimate 64bit. I first booted up my computer and it recognized and automaticlly installed the 4 gigs of RAM. Then, I set my cd/dvd drive to boot first through BIOS, popped in the windows vista CD and then restarted the computer, although I did not get a black screen stating "press any key to boot from cd" my screen was in DOS I think, and on the bottom said press F1 to continue or press DEL to enter setup and so I did (pressed F1) and then the windows loading files screen appeared. After it is finished loading I can see the windows vista background but the install menu does not appear, so I just waited for a while (approximately 10 minutes) then it came up. I clicked on install windows followed all the instructions, during the installation however, my computer restarts but so does the installation requiring me to enter my product key all over again and so on. Also when I was choosing where to install I can see that the previous attempt to finish the installation ,vista has taken up some space on one of my hard drives. It is my understanding that I must format that drive to avoid having a windows.old file being created, is it safe to do that on a newly built system with no previous OS? Can too much RAM be a cause of the interruption of the installation? Also, are there any other BIOS related functions I must do, other than prompting my dvd drive to boot first, before executing a clean install?

Vista 64 can't handle 4 GB of ram to install so remove a stick and install again.