Help me please! vista reinstallation!

[ljaysmith]

Right basically, im doing a clean install of windows vista on my pc and plan to format my hard drive when it gives me the option on the installation menu. I have got everything i need to do this, Cd's Cd keys i have backed up my hd etc. but the problem i am having is that my pc refuses to boot the CDROM from the bios menu. There isnt any option to do so. I have quite a new pc and i have read lots of fourms where people have had this problem on older pc's because they didnt have that option, but surely mine does?

I restarted with my disk in and nothing happened, it just booted my pc as normal, without asking me to press any button to boot from cd. So i asked sway he said get to the bios menu and do it from there, i did ( which was tab btw ) but i dont know how to navigate the menu. i have read my vista installation guide and my motherboard guide and still not understood what i have to do!

The only thing that i saw was that it came up with the menu on the desktop, but like with everything else still there. like installing a normal program, but i thought u had to do it manually from the bios menu?

please help im a noob.



here is the installation menu i saw, is this the right 1?

 

[WickedSkin]

Do the smart thing and downgrade to XP.

Reboot your PC with the disc in the drive. Choose to start from the CD. Format the HDD and install.

 

[ljaysmith]

i would if i had a cd key, but im going to stick with vista fro the moment. is this the right installer?

 

[Abedeus]

I second it.

You really shouldn't run or buy Vista, seeing as Windows 7 is much better and it's coming in a year or so.

 

[WickedSkin]

i would if i had a cd key, but im going to stick with vista fro the moment. is this the right installer?

Then pirate the living hell out of it. Just to save your soul.

 

[ljaysmith]

Choose to start from the CD.

thats what im having the problem with. how do i choose to start from the cd?

 

[WickedSkin]

You reboot your PC with the disc in the drive and at some point during the startup you should get something like "Press any key to boot from disc"

 

[ljaysmith]

i will try 1 more time.. but i am not getting that message... any suggestions to help me produce that message or any other way to do it without having that message come up?like through bios?

 

[KSarty]

To actually help you with your problem instead of ragging on Vista, you have to find your boot order in your BIOS. It could be in under power management, but its different for each motherboard manufacturer. As it stands your HD is probably first in line for boot order, you need to switch the order to have your cd-rom in front of the HD, then restart your computer and it should prompt you if you want to start from the cd.

 

[Dommyboy]

You reboot your PC with the disc in the drive and at some point during the startup you should get something like "Press any key to boot from disc"

And at that point you press the any key.

Well, I've contributed my daily assortment. Probably time I hit the old, dusty trail.

 

[BrainedbySaucepans]

Right... i Installed Linux on a dual boot a while back, and I had a bit of problem with the BIOS myself, so I know what your problem is. However, since not all BIOS' share the same frame of reference, I'd need a few more specifics to help you. If you can, reboot into the BIOS and take a picture of all the screens you can get to without changing any settings. I find just looking at all available screens can help you figure out what you need to do, and if not, just post the pics so I or another Escapee with prior experience can guide you through relatively painlessly.

 

[ljaysmith]

i changed the priority to CDrom as the first one and still nothing. the cd doesnt seem to spin when im rebooting, but it works when im logging into my account.. could this have something to do with it?

 

[ljaysmith]

im guessing a print screen will be surfactant?

 

[KSarty]

i changed the priority to CDrom as the first one and still nothing. the cd doesnt seem to spin when im rebooting, but it works when im logging into my account.. could this have something to do with it?

After you changed the boot order, did you select "save and exit" from the BIOS? Also, if you have multiple disk drives, make sure the one with the windows disk in it is the first one in the order.

 

[WickedSkin]

Yes through BIOS. Enter the BIOS and change the startup settings. Save and exit. I'd recommend you find your master drive.

 

[ljaysmith]

yes i did save and exit from bios and i only have 1 drive, so there shouldnt be added complications. i am starting to dislike vista

 

[WickedSkin]

This is pissing me off. Ok does it at some point during startup say something like "Pres insert to see load screen" or whatever? "Bootup screen"?

 

[BrainedbySaucepans]

i changed the priority to CDrom as the first one and still nothing. the cd doesnt seem to spin when im rebooting, but it works when im logging into my account.. could this have something to do with it?

hmm, in that case, I will be one of the first on this thread to admit that I don't know what's going on. I would have thought setting CD as boot priority would have solved your problem. The only thing I can think of is removing all other boot options, so if that doesn't work, I'd suggest professional tech support.

In all probability the internet will only get you responses from; a, people who read the first sentence of your post and assume they know the minutae of your problem or b, people like me who actually bother to read it, but end up just as stumped as you are. I'd say browse a few dedicated tech support forums, then if that doesn't help, call up the people who sold you your PC, they're usually happy to offer you a bit of free advice because, unless they have a dedicated premium tech support line, they don't profit by not helping you, and even if they do, you might strike it lucky with the company's token nice employee...

Sorry I can't offer anything more constructive...

 

[KSarty]

Yeah I'm pretty stumped on this one too. The only thing I can suggest is to go back into your BIOS and make sure your previous changes are actually still in place, but I don't see any reason why they wouldn't be.

This problem has nothing to do with Vista btw. You are encountering it before Windows even boots up, so it would happen no matter what version of Windows you have installed.

 

[WickedSkin]

Yeah I'm pretty stumped on this one too. The only thing I can suggest is to go back into your BIOS and make sure your previous changes are actually still in place, but I don't see any reason why they wouldn't be.

This problem has nothing to do with Vista btw. You are encountering it before Windows even boots up, so it would happen no matter what version of Windows you have installed.

If he has like a HP or DELL PC he could have some overlay that he can turn off. Remember I had one of those. To get the whole thing to work and show like it should I had to, at the very first screen that came up, press insert.