Reinstalling Windows PROBLEMS - correct installation directions

I'm not going to get into all of the errors I've gotten so far, but rather start from scratch and state the errors as I go along.

First I need to know this:

- Does it matter where the HDDs and DVD drive are hooked up on a SATA power connector (three connectors) coming from the PSU? I get confused when all of these master/slave terms are going around.

- I don't know if I should have the HDDs set RAID, AHCI, or IDE in the BIOS. I have two HDDs. One is currently blank and the other is just a data drive. Also does it matter what SATA ports these are connected to when installing Windows?

I have a Windows 7 Installation disk. I want to do a clean custom install to the blank HDD and need to know some of the correct BIOS settings for this. This all revolves around me getting some errors of which I can't remember.

From what I know:

Most HDDs and DVD drives are set to Cable Select so you dont have to fiddle with Master/Slave. If the drives are SATA, it does not matter which drive gets which port.

Alot of people like RAID but if you want a HDD for your operating syatem and a separate one for your data then I'd suggest AHCI. It camn be harder to install Windows when you use AHCI as you need special drivers for Windows to be able to see the HDD.

The best way to install Windows is to just hook up the HDD you are installing the Operating System to and leave all other HDDs disconnected. You will also need to have your DVD drive hooked up so you can install from the disk, you may need to make a BIOS setting adjustment so that your computer Boots from the DVD drive and not the blank HDD

It is best to have the OS hard drive connected to the 1st SATA port. Some manufacturers label it as Port 0, some label it Port 1. Regardless, just use the lowest Port number available.

As Draceena stated, be sure the date HDD is not connected during the install of the Windows 7 OS. Windows 7 is quirky in the fact that more than one HDD connected will cause issues.

Regarding motherboard BIOS settings, set the HDD to AHCI. This enables the SATA HD to operate at it's best and enables NCQ feature of the HD.

Set your DVD drive to be the "1st Boot Device" in the BIOS and then save that setting. Put the install DVD in the drive and reboot your computer. IF you see a prompt that states: "Press Any Key To Boot From CD/DVD", then do that within 4-5 seconds and then the install will begin.

One day my computer randomly shut off while just browsing the internet and ceased to boot to OS. It gave me "disk read error" continuously, but I wasn't sure if the disk actually had problems or if it was the OS. I was able to format the HDD a day or two ago, but no further progress.

So here's what happens:

TEST 1-

Blank HDD (OS drive) - Sata Port 0
DVD drive - SATA Port 1
Data drive - disconnected
ICH SATA control mode - AHCI
Onboard SATA ctrl/IDE mode - AHCI

Boot to CD and get message "BOOTMGR is missing"



Test 2-

ICH SATA control mode - AHCI
Onboard SATA ctrl/IDE mode - AHCI

Boot to CD and get message "The file is possibly corrupt. The file head checksum does not match the computed checksum"
I restart and try again.
New message "Status 0xc00000e9 Info: An unexpected I/O error has occurred."



Test 3-

ICH SATA Control mode - IDE
Onboard SATA/IDE Ctrl Mode - IDE

Boot to CD and get message "A disk read error occurred, Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart"



Test 4-
ICH SATA Ctrl Mode - IDE
Onboard SATA/IDE Ctrl Mode - IDE
Native IDE mode - Enabled

Boot to CD and get message "BOOTMGR is missing"



Test 5-
ICH SATA Ctrl Mode - RAID
Onboard SATA/IDE Ctrl Mode - RAID/IDE
Native IDE mode - disabled

Boot to CD and get message "Status: 0xc00000e9 Info: I/O error..."
Restart.
CD boots all the way to installation. WIndows sits on copying files for about 20 minutes then gives message "Windows could not format a partition - error: 0x80070057"


So I thought there may be problems with my SATA dvd drive not communicating with my motherboard properly (its brand new however). I continue tests below but with a different IDE connected DVD drive, not SATA.


Test 6-
Tried all modes on IDE, RAID, and AHCI. They all work and boot to Windows Installation. However during the Windows copying files on some tries I get "windoes cannot copy files required for installation. The files may be corrupt or missing. Make sure all files required for installation are available then restart. Error 0x8007001."

And during Windows expanding files on other tries I get the error "0x80070057".



This is a bad situation for me. I certainly hope this isn't a hardware problem. If anything the HDD has something wrong with it. The Windows disk was burned at 4x and I have tried two of them. I couldn't do anything lower than 4x because IMGburn will only let me write 4x, 8x, and 12x to the DVD-R I was using.

It sounds like a bad HDD to me

DerekAntos I have the same problems. The problem started when the computer was powered off when MS OFFICE OUTLOOK was non-responsive. I didn't do it.
The install gets to "Where do you want to install" I select the partition click next it was running the first install process and gets to 90% complete then shoots craps, the last attempt it shoots craps as soon as I click next.

Surely someone has had this problem and fixed it.

Help this great grand father before the great Flying Spaghetti Monster requests my presence at his flying school.

I pretty much tried everything that I could with what I had. I tried a USB install as well and that didn't even work.

The next thing I think I could do is buy another HDD, but if that doesn't work then I got a useless HDD laying around that I just wasted money around.

Any ideas?

I'm afraid not, sorry. As Draceena said it sounds like a faulty HDD. Unless ya can try the HDD in a different system or a new HDD in the current rig I don't see another option for ya.

I am now the owner of a new HDD with W7 installed working on updates and installing software.