Bizarre behavior :mad:

This will be the third time I have reinstalled Windows in the last few days from the OS disk. Every time, after I install all the Windows updates, the scrolling Microsoft bar freezes, it blue screens instantaneously, and shuts off.

This time, I started in safe mode with the intent of doing a System Restore (last time I had optimistically shut off System Restore too early, and even the one point I thought I left disappeared ) but the logon screen was configuring updates.......so I went downstairs to download ALL the drivers from Dell, barring nothing (thinking the crash may have been a result of not having my HD related drivers installed) and when I went back upstairs, it was in the process of restarting (ostensibly as a result of updates being configured) and it was out of safe mode, so I can only assume that something fixed itself??? Before I even logged on??? BIZARRE!!!!

I haven't done to many clean reinstalls, especially with Vista, so I'm weirded out by all the driver and update trouble and mysteries (twilight zone theme ).

So does anyone know what's going on?

Btw, I'm about to head back upstairs, and I'm half expecting a BSOD to be staring me in the face.

Well, any insight would be appreciated.

 

It may not be recognizing your haarddrive....have you installed the AHCI driver properly, and by that I mean with a USB flash drive as it is the only guaranteed method to work.

Next, I have a Clean Install thread below you can follow if you need a verification of steps.

OR.... I have heardof this occurring because people have peripherals such as a flash disk plugged in at this point. If there is, unplug everything from the USBs to see if it helps.

 

I, too, had this problem, and I solved it by installing the updates in groups of 3 and then 1 by 1 after reaching this problem. I narrowed it down to updates KB929735 and KB943899. Each time I try to install them, I get a BSOD in the same manner as you mentioned. Now I have those updates hidden so I don't have that problem again.

 

Thanks for the quick replies.

|crash|, that's good to know. I probably should have done that, but I have a 5-7 page paper due tomorrow, and I've only done the first two paragraphs!

So I've got to get smoking; Windows is working right now, after installing those updates, so they must have fixed something, or fixed themselves.

Anyway, I was planning to install all the correct drivers, especially HD-related, from Dell, but there is only my Ethernet device that's missing a driver in the Device Manager, so everything else has a driver, even if it's not a good one.

As I say, I've got to do my paper now, so I can't mess with things.

Thanks for input though!

 

You're welcome.

When I had this problem, I too had a paper due the next day except I had to reinstall Vista and I ended up pulling an *almost* all-nighter. Definitely not good times. Oh well.

EDIT: Good luck on your paper!

 

Thanks.

I'm scared to restart, now.

 

How come you decided to re-install when you know you have important papers to work on? Re-installation will take time and frustration.

 

Vista wouldn't start up. I didn't really have a choice otherwise I wouldn't have reinstalled until the next day.

 

Same here. I initially reinstalled because I was working with partitions when my little brother and mom froze up the live CD, so I had to reinstall; at this point, I still had plenty of time to do my paper. The next day I got Vista all optimized, and then I installed those updates, and it crashed. I thought I had left a restore point, but it wasn't there, so I had no choice but to reinstall for a third time. Now that I got my paper done, I'll install them in groups of 3 like crash suggested.

 

A tedious way to narrow down the problem. If I didn't have to do it, I wouldn't have. Oh well.. Hopefully you figure out what's causing the problem!

 

I'll just do three a day....take it easy.

 

Vista installation doesn't take that long either, so if I was him I would of reinstalled anyways.

 

Ah, but the drivers and the updates......

!!!!!!!!!!!