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Vista Installation Error

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by jdlunt191

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I'm trying to install Vista Home Premium on my PC, but every time it finishes, it suddenly restarts (not like a crash-type restart, but like a normal restart). Once it tries to start up, it will say during BIOS

"Booting 'Windows Vista'

Vista Loader 2.1.2"

Can anyone explain the cause so that I can get Vista to run

29 replies

by older mycroft

Are you saying that the auto restart doesn't work?

Or is something else happening?

by jdlunt191

It's not during install... that works fine. It's when the actual desktop loads after install when it shuts down and tries to restart where I get the problem.

by older mycroft

Every install I've ever done of XP, Vista or Windows 7 has an automatic restart when the install has "finished".

I'm trying to ascertain whether your problem happened after the install had already made an auto-restart - or are you describing the auto-restart itself?

by jdlunt191

It's on the auto-restart.
Although, I've never had any auto-restarts happen unless I had to install drivers.

by jdlunt191

I'm not sure... I'm guessing it's the bootmgr or boot loader. Also, I've never had this issue before.

by jdlunt191

Actually, that auto-restart has happened. I get to the part where it checks my PC's performance, and to where it finishes "Preparing Your Desktop" just fine, but when the desktop loads and I see the "Getting Started with Vista" Window, it shuts down and tries to restart, but can't. that's when I see the screen saying

"Booting 'Windows Vista'

vista loader 2.1.2"

by older mycroft

If you do, I suggest you run this by Microsoft.

If you don't, I suggest you follow your nose through Google the way I did, until you find detailed instructions on how to use this WGA bypassing software.

It's sounding more and more like a cracked install of Vista to me.

by jdlunt191

It may be. I downloaded the Image through Torrent Software. I have a valid Key, though. It came with my ACER system

by jdlunt191

Thinking about it, I would agree with the possibility of my disk being cracked. If that's the case, where would you suggest I go for an image? I'm too tight on money to afford one from microsoft.

by older mycroft

Installing Vista from a torrented ISO.
Claiming install problems without mentioning the torrent.
Repeating that you've never seen this 'problem' before.
Hoping some TR peer will help your pirate install.
[i]Job Role:[/i] [b]Department Head / Director[/b]
[i]"Thinking about it, I would agree with the possibility of my disk being cracked. If that's the case, where would you suggest I go for an image?"[/i]

What planet are you on kid? 'Thinking about it.. possibility of.. being cracked.' YOU'VE DOWNLOADED AND BURNED A TORRENT ISO TO DISC - but you think there's a possibility that it's cracked??!!

About the only thing I can say you are any good at is breathing the same air as me! :^0

by jdlunt191

Right, Sorry for not mentioning the torrent issue. I tried that approach because I don't have the money to buy a replacement from Microsoft or ACER.

by older mycroft

Maybe you're not aware of that (maybe you are) but since you've already bought an OEM machine from ACER, and effectively paid for your OEM Licenced install discs - they will usually only charge you a token price to cover administration, packing and shipping.

They've already made their money out of you with the initial purchase. :)

by jdlunt191

I just looked at the ACER site... At a first glance, I couldn't find where to get the disk

by older mycroft

That seems a bit puzzling to me.

Being ACER, there should be a Recovery Partition hidden on the hard drive. :D

by jdlunt191

It did, but I deleted it when I had installed Ubuntu. So unless it fits in the space between the 298.1 GB that I usually get to use, and the rest of the 320 GB that I don't get to use, I don't have that partition.

by older mycroft

Are you noticing a pattern developing here?

You masquerade as some Company Director type, but you've got no money.

You have install problems but forget to mention you're using a cracked ISO you downloaded from a torrent.

You had a perfectly good recovery partition but deleted it.

Unless you physically marked the Recovery Partition for deletion [b]OR IF YOU FORMATTED THE ENTIRE HARD DRIVE[/b] there is a possibility that it may still be there.

Under normal viewing techniques, the Recovery Partition is hidden from the system.

So - what type of ACER do you have - full model name and model number?

by jdlunt191

I'm not at my machine right now, but it's an Aspire M3100. About my Job Position: I own a Movie Production Company, and I tried to mark the position as accurately as possible. If it's better, then I'll remove the employment Information. By the way, thanks for your patience. I understand I'm not as capable as most IT's that are on here, if as capable as any at all.

by older mycroft

At power-on, and I mean right after you press the power button ~[u]preferably BEFORE the ACER Splash Screen appears[/u]~ press [b]Alt+F10[/b] then sit and wait.

Give it about a minute, see if anything happens. If it does, just follow the prompts.

If it doesn't, power down and try again.

This time, same thing but press [b]Alt+F9[/b] and see if anything happens. That's about the thick and thin of it. One of 'em should work if the Recovery Partition still exists.

If it does, the Recovery Partition will reinstall the system to factory default settings within about 10-20 minutes or so. Maybe slightly longer for Vista.

BTW - leave your Job Designation the way it is - [i]I've just never known a company director/owner that was short of cash! Plenty of employees but never the directors.[/i] ;)

by jdlunt191

Thank you for your help. I will try those kb shortcuts, and if they don't work, then I'll use the shortcut that another user gave me. It should give me the order page for the Recovery disk.

Thanks again for your help.

by older mycroft

[u]I meant to mention:[/u]

Sometimes ACER disables the Recovery Partition for safety's sake, in case some little kid invokes it by mistake.

You might do well to get into the BIOS and see if the [b][u][i]e[/i]Recovery[/b][/u] option is active or not. If it is inactive, activate it then SAVE and EXIT :)

by jdlunt191

I can look again, but I had never seen that option in BIOS whenever I went in there.

by jdlunt191

This probably won't matter, but it sometimes doesn't hurt to ask:

Will my having a 30gb drive for backup and installing a new graphics card affect the recovery?

by jdlunt191

Thank you for that site. I don't have the info needed to continue, but that's because I'm not by my PC.

Will this get me the OS as well as drivers? I'm actually not too worried about the drivers, but I am in great need of the Vista OS.

by netman1958

I've never personally worked on an Acer so I can't say for sure, but in general the recovery software for the major brands does a customized and scripted install that installs all the drivers for the hardware that existed in the computer when it came from the factory.

by older mycroft

Firstly, I just fired up my ACER laptop and you may well be right about never having seen [b][i]e[/i]Recovery[/b] in the BIOS.

In my laptop's BIOS it appears at the bottom of the 'MAIN' screen and it's called [b][u]D2D[/b][/u] (presumably 'Disk to Disk').

If your BIOS doesn't have an entry pertinent to or suggesting anything like a Recovery function then maybe ACER laptops are the only ones with Recovery Partitions but that just makes no sense to me. For all the space they take up, all ACER systems should have it.

Your backup HD will not be visible to the Recovery mechanism as it is already mapped as to where to install to.

Since you don't have a valid working OS at present, yet still have a visible screen image, then NO I don't think your new graphics card will have much effect.

But it might be an idea to have the graphics drivers ready just in case. You can always boot into Safe Mode (giving you basic VGA Graphics) so you can install the bespoke drivers for your graphics card from there.

by djfrankn

Ok. First let me be as kind as possible. Here is not the best place to post a question related to pirated software. Piracy, believe it, kills the industry. For everyone, starting from the software developer to the IT technician. Enough for the lecture.
Secondly, if as you claim "my disk have been hacked" you should google it or try a torrent forum. It just goes against most of the people's conceptions here to answer some question like that.
Finally, keep in mind that any program you download from a torrent site may contain some sort of security vulnerability. NOBODY POSTS A HACKED OPERATIVE SYSTEM JUST FOR THE FUN OF IT. Hope this helps. Best of luck.

by jdlunt191

Right now I actually have Windows 7 RC on it. I have the Graphics divers ready, and I'll look in the BIOS for anything like a D2D or whatever would look like a recovery option. Also, my parents are getting this computer, and they want XP. I have an XP Pro disk that I had modified with nLite (had to so that XP would support my SATA drive), but is still genuine. It has a valid key as well that I will use. So perhaps this is easier. I found the cost of the recovery disk. It's $19.95 without shipping cost if I go with a basic plan. My parents don't want Vista, but it might be good to have that system as a backup. Thanks for your help and support TR. I will definitely be coming here if I have any other questions.

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