Solved will not boot from vista installation CD

lizmike · Dec 28, 2010

CD drive works normally for reading and playing. Bios has been set to CD rom first and Hard Drive second. Still not booting from disc.

theog · Dec 28, 2010

Do you have a DVD drive, as vista installation disk is a DVD.

lizmike · Dec 28, 2010

Sorry, it is a CD/DVD drive

Lorien · Dec 28, 2010

Hi lizmike,

Welcome to Vista Forums!

When you changed the BIOS, are you absolutely certain you saved the changes before you exited? I've made that mistake before and spent hours trying to figure out what was merely me pushing the exit button instead of the Save and Exit button. Please recheck the BIOS to be certain the boot sequence continues to be what you believe it was set to.

Do you get the press any key to boot to the DVD... prompt during bootup? When you do so, does anything happen? Just before that, does the DVD spinup (you should hear it) - it typically does so when it is bootable? Does the DVD make any noise at all or do you just boot to the hard drive and it makes no sounds whatsoever? Have you tried to browse the Vista DVD to make sure the system can read it (as opposed to other disks which you say can be read and played) - if not, please do so to verify it can be read.

Do you have any other bootable CDs or DVDs to try (to see if it's the drive or the Vista DVD)?

If not, make a bootable Knoppix Linux Boot Disk http://www.knopper.net/knoppix/index-en.html with a good ISO copier like: http://isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/isorecorder.htm along with a blank CD. Make sure it is made bootable. Then see if the system boots to this CD. If so, then the issue is either the fact that Vista is a DVD (and the drive can't boot to a DVD) or a problem with the Vista DVD itself.

If you can (depending on the capabilities of your drive), make another copy of the above but use a blank DVD instead of a CD. Then try it again. If it works, then chances are good the Vista DVD is defective. If it doesn't work, there may be an issue with the drive and we'll need to look further into that.

Depending on what you learn from the above, we can decide how to proceed next.

Thanks and good luck!

richc46 · Dec 28, 2010

Have you tried several DVDs and have you tried the DVD in another computer. Just trying to be suire if its the DVD or the drive.
If this issue has already been mentioned, just consider this a confirmation that it is the correct thing to do.
Have you checked for a possible driver problem in device manager?

lizmike · Dec 28, 2010

Lorien said:
Hi lizmike,

Welcome to Vista Forums!

When you changed the BIOS, are you absolutely certain you saved the changes before you exited? I've made that mistake before and spent hours trying to figure out what was merely me pushing the exit button instead of the Save and Exit button. Please recheck the BIOS to be certain the boot sequence continues to be what you believe it was set to.

Do you get the press any key to boot to the DVD... prompt during bootup? When you do so, does anything happen? Just before that, does the DVD spinup (you should hear it) - it typically does so when it is bootable? Does the DVD make any noise at all or do you just boot to the hard drive and it makes no sounds whatsoever? Have you tried to browse the Vista DVD to make sure the system can read it (as opposed to other disks which you say can be read and played) - if not, please do so to verify it can be read.

Do you have any other bootable CDs or DVDs to try (to see if it's the drive or the Vista DVD)?

If not, make a bootable Knoppix Linux Boot Disk http://www.knopper.net/knoppix/index-en.html with a good ISO copier like: http://isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/isorecorder.htm along with a blank CD. Make sure it is made bootable. Then see if the system boots to this CD. If so, then the issue is either the fact that Vista is a DVD (and the drive can't boot to a DVD) or a problem with the Vista DVD itself.

If you can (depending on the capabilities of your drive), make another copy of the above but use a blank DVD instead of a CD. Then try it again. If it works, then chances are good the Vista DVD is defective. If it doesn't work, there may be an issue with the drive and we'll need to look further into that.

Depending on what you learn from the above, we can decide how to proceed next.

Thanks and good luck!

Hi Lorien,
I have done clean installs three times before on this computer, the last time it was done it would not boot from the DVD so I just put the disk in the drive and did a clean install that way. When I tried to do this two days ago this message came up after the serial number was accepted.
"Windows could not determine if this computer contains a valid system volume"
Does this point to a possible fault.
Regards,
Mike.

richc46 · Dec 28, 2010

Go back to my post. Have you tested the DVD and drive?
How about drivers?
If all is Ok we can go forward.

richc46 · Dec 28, 2010

Have you tested your HD?
No valid system volume, means boot drive cannot be found.
Test Hard Drive www.carrona.org/hddiag.html or this test http://www.tacktech.com/display.cfm?ttid=287
or
It could be that the boot sector is corrupt

Do you have any bootable usb device connected?

Lorien · Dec 29, 2010

Hi lizmike,

If your hard drive is not being recognized, then perhaps there is a problem with the boot files (assuming the drive itself and the disk are OK - have you followed Richard's advice?). If the disk is OK on another computer, then we can rule that out. As far as this computer goes, if that doesn't work at all (the drive cannot be found to even run the tests), then turn off and unplug the computer and try removing the drive and remove the connecting cables and replace them securely to make sure it is making a good connection and then replace the drive and try again.

If that doesn't work, go to the computer manufacturer and see if they have an update to the BIOS applicable to your system and version of Vista. If so, download it and install the update. Then go into BIOS and re-confirm that the CD drive is first in the boot sequence, save your work if you made any changes, and exit. Then try booting to the DVD again.

Since you have a disk, the following procedure is possible and if it is a boot file problem may resolve the issue (assuming in either case it can find the hard drive to do any of the procedures including the testing ones - if not, then I would surmise there is some sort of hardware problem, most likely the hard drive but perhaps some other component - especially if you are able to boot normally but just not from the CD).

Do a Startup Repair by booting to the genuine Windows Vista Installation Disk (or one you can borrow from ANYONE) or from a Recovery Disk. Here's the procedure: http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/91467-startup-repair.html.

If that doesn't resolve the problem, try the following:

To run the Bootrec.exe tool, you must start Windows RE. To do this, follow these steps: (you need a Vista Installation Disk to do this)

1. Put the Windows Vista installation disc in the disc drive, and then start the computer.
2. Press a key when you are prompted.
3. Select a language, a time, a currency, a keyboard or an input method, and then click Next.
4. Click Repair your computer.
5. Click the operating system that you want to repair, and then click Next.
6. In the System Recovery Options dialog box, click Command Prompt.
7. Type Bootrec.exe, and then press ENTER.

Note If rebuilding the BCD does not resolve the startup issue, you can export and delete the BCD, and then run this option again. By doing this, you make sure that the BCD is completely rebuilt. To do this, type the following commands at the Windows RE command prompt:

 bcdedit /export C:\BCD_Backup
 c:
 cd boot
 attrib bcd -s -h -r
 ren c:\boot\bcd bcd.old
 bootrec /RebuildBcd

I hope this helps.

Good luck!

richc46 · Dec 29, 2010

I think that the salient points of these two posts are check the hard drive or it may be the boot files. I think that if you check these two areas, you will have the problem solved. We can only hope.

lizmike · Dec 29, 2010

Thank you both Richard & Lorien for the various suggestions to solve the problem. I am doing this to help a friend who is not very computer lliterate and I have to travel to his house to apply the different options that have been suggested. I will post all future development when I am able after my next visit to him.
Regards to you both,
Mike.

richc46 · Dec 29, 2010

Thanks for the post and information,
Mike

Lorien · Dec 29, 2010

Hi lizmike,

Thank you for the kind words - they are appreciated.

If you have a laptop and can take it with you and connect at this other location, then if you run into any problems or the suggestions didn't work and want additional recommendations, then we'll be right there with you while you're with the troubled computer and it'll be easier and faster to help. Just a suggestion if it's possible - if not, we'll talk to you when you get back and let us know how it went.

I hope one of these suggestions works to resolve the problem and no further assistance is required - but we'll be here if you still need us (though we hope you post to tell us the good news).

Good luck!

lizmike · Jan 9, 2011

Hi Lorien & richard,
Sorry for the delay in responding. After trying many of the suggestions posted with no success, my friend took the computer in to a repair centre and all is now resolved. Not sure what was done to accomplish this because the technician was not very forthcoming in the answer given.
Again thanks for the help that you gave.
Mike.

richc46 · Jan 9, 2011

The impotant thing is that its working again. Good luck

Solved will not boot from vista installation CD

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