Troubleshooting Stop error messages that may occur when you try to install Windows Vista

You may receive any of the following Stop error messages when you install Windows Vista.

Note If the Stop error message is not listed, and you can start the computer, run the Microsoft System Diagnostics Tool (MSDT) to collect the Stop error message information.

Stop: 0x0000007B

A "Stop: 0x0000007B" error message indicates that Windows Vista or Windows Vista Setup cannot access the hard disk that contains the Windows Vista startup files. Typically, this Stop error occurs when Windows Vista cannot locate a compatible driver for the disk controller device. For example, this Stop error can occur if Windows Vista cannot locate a compatible driver for a RAID controller.

You may also receive this error message if one or more of the following conditions are true:

• The hard disk is faulty.
• The hard disk cabling is faulty, or the hard disk cabling is not connected correctly.
• The computer is infected with a boot sector virus.
• The computer BIOS or the disk controller firmware are incompatible with Windows Vista.
• Another program is using the master boot record.

If you receive this Stop error message during a clean install of Windows Vista, it typically means that Windows Vista does not include a compatible driver for the disk controller device. To resolve this issue, you must provide a compatible driver during the installation of Windows Vista. To do this, follow these steps:

1. On another computer or in a dual-boot configuration, download a compatible driver for the disk controller device.
2. Save the driver that you downloaded to an optical disk or to a removable USB drive.
   
   Note If you are running a dual-boot configuration, you can also save the driver to a local hard disk.
3. Start the Windows Vista Setup from the Windows Vista DVD.
4. When you are prompted to select the disk on which to install Window Vista, select the Load Driver option.
5. Follow the prompts on the screen to complete the installation.

If you receive this Stop error message when you try to upgrade to Windows Vista, it also typically means that Windows Vista does not include a compatible driver for the disk controller device. However, it also means that the driver that was used in the previous operating system is incompatible with Windows Vista. Therefore, the driver cannot be reassembled and migrated for use in Windows Vista.

If you receive this Stop error message when Windows Vista tries to restart during Windows Vista Setup, follow these steps:

1. Restart the computer.
2. Roll back the installation to the previous operating system.
3. Check with the disk controller manufacturer for information about the issue. If no additional information is available, download and install the most recent driver that is available.
4. Try to upgrade to Windows Vista again.
   
   Note If the issue persists, perform a clean installation of Windows Vista, and use the Load Driver option that is described earlier in this section.

Stop: 0x000000A5

A "Stop: 0x000000A5" error message typically indicates that the computer BIOS is incompatible with the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) standard that is supported in Windows Vista. However, this error can also occur because the computer hardware, the peripherals, or the drivers for those devices are incompatible with Windows Vista.

If you receive this error message when you install Windows Vista, follow these steps:

1. Restart the computer.
2. Roll back the installation to the previous operating system.
3. Contact the computer manufacturer for information about how to obtain and to install a BIOS update.
4. Disconnect any external hardware devices that are connected to the computer. Additionally, remove or disconnect any hardware that the computer manufacturer does not support.
5. Try to upgrade to Windows Vista again. If you receive a "Stop: 0x0000007B" error message during the upgrade process, contact the computer manufacturer. If you can upgrade to Windows Vista, the problem was likely related to hardware or to software that was installed in the previous operating system.

Stop: 0x0000000A or Stop: 0x000000D1

When you try to install Windows Vista, you may receive one of the following Stop error messages:Warning This workaround may make a computer or a network more vulnerable to attack by malicious users or by malicious software such as viruses. We do not recommend this workaround but are providing this information so that you can implement this workaround at your own discretion. Use this workaround at your own risk.

If you receive a "Stop: 0x0000000A" error message or a "Stop: 0x000000D1" error message when you try to upgrade to Windows Vista, follow these steps:

1. Restart the computer.
2. Roll back the installation to the previous operating system.
3. Use the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor to check for known issues.
4. Disconnect any external hardware devices that are connected to the computer. Additionally, remove or disconnect any hardware that the computer manufacturer does not support. Also, remove any hardware that you recently installed.
5. If you receive either of these error messages during the first phase of the upgrade installation, follow these additional steps:
   1. In the previous operating system, update any installed antivirus and antispyware programs, and then scan the computer for problems.
      
      Note If you find any problems, we recommend that you perform a clean installation of Windows Vista.
   2. After you scan the computer for viruses and for spyware in the previous operating system, uninstall any antivirus and antispyware software.
   3. Contact the computer manufacturer for information about any known Windows Vista compatibility issues and about how to obtain and to install a BIOS update.
6. Try to upgrade to Windows Vista again.

If you receive either of these error messages during Windows Vista Setup, after the computer has restarted, drivers in the previous operating system that were migrated to Windows Vista may be causing the problem. To troubleshoot this issue, use one of the following methods, as appropriate for your situation.

Method 1: Upgrading from Microsoft Windows XP to Windows Vista

1. Click Start, click Run, type Cmd, and then click OK.
2. At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
   cd \windows\inf
3. At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
   Ren oem*.inf oem*.old
4. At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
   exit
5. Disconnect any external hardware devices that are connected to the computer. Additionally, remove or disconnect any hardware that the computer manufacturer does not support. Also, remove any hardware that you recently installed.
6. Try to upgrade to Windows Vista again.

Method 2: Upgrading to a different version of Windows Vista

1. Right-click the taskbar, and then click Task Manager.
2. Click File, click New Task (Run), type Msinfo32, and then click OK.
3. Double-click Software Environment, and then double-click Signed Drivers.
4. Click INF Name.
5. Note each device that has an INF Name that begins with "oem." These devices use drivers that are not included with Windows Vista.
6. Right-click the taskbar, and then click Task Manager.
7. Click File, click New Task (Run), type Devmgmt.msc, and then click OK.
   
   NoteIf you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the password, or click
   Continue.
8. Click View, and then click Show Hidden Devices.
9. Right-click each device that you noted in step 5, click Uninstall, click to select the Delete the driver software for this device check box, and then click OK.
   
   Note Do not disable a device. When you disable a device, the driver for that device is migrated during the installation of Windows Vista.
10. Try to upgrade to Windows Vista again.

Stop: 0x0000000A or Stop: 0x000000D1

If you receive a "Stop: 0x0000000A" error message or a "Stop: 0x000000D1" error message during a clean install of Windows Vista, follow these steps:

1. Disconnect any external hardware devices that are connected to the computer. Additionally, remove or disconnect any hardware that the computer manufacturer does not support. Also, remove any hardware that you recently installed.
2. Contact the computer manufacturer for information about any known Windows Vista compatibility issues and about how to obtain and to install a BIOS update.
3. Check for related issues on the Internet. Also, check the Microsoft Knowledge Base.
4. Run a memory diagnostics test.

Stop: 0x0000007E or Stop: 0x0000008E

When you try to install Windows Vista, you may receive one of the following Stop error messages:A "Stop: 0x0000007E" error message or a "Stop: 0x0000008E" error message typically means that a kernel mode component, such as a driver, encountered an error that could not be handled by the built-in Windows error handler.

Warning This workaround may make a computer or a network more vulnerable to attack by malicious users or by malicious software such as viruses. We do not recommend this workaround but are providing this information so that you can implement this workaround at your own discretion. Use this workaround at your own risk.

To troubleshoot either of these error messages, follow these steps:

1. Restart the computer
2. Roll back the installation to the previous operating system.
3. Use the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor to check for known issues.
4. Disconnect any external hardware devices that are connected to the computer. Additionally, remove or disconnect any hardware that the computer manufacturer does not support. Also, remove any hardware that you recently installed.
5. If you receive either of these error messages during the first phase of the upgrade installation, follow these additional steps:
   1. In the previous operating system, update any installed antivirus and antispyware programs, and then scan the computer for problems.
      
      Note If you find any problems, we recommend that you perform a clean installation of Windows Vista.
   2. After you scan the computer for viruses and spyware In the previous operating system, uninstall any antivirus and antispyware programs.
   3. Contact the computer manufacturer for information about any known Windows Vista compatibility issues and about how to obtain and to install a BIOS update.
6. Try to upgrade to Windows Vista again.

If you receive either of these error messages during Windows Vista Setup, after the computer has restarted, drivers in the previous operating system that were migrated to Windows Vista may be causing the problem. To troubleshoot this issue, use one of the following methods, as appropriate for your situation.

Method 1: Upgrading from Windows XP to Windows Vista

1. Click Start, click Run, type Cmd, and then click OK.
2. At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
   cd \windows\inf
3. At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
   Ren oem*.inf oem*.old
4. At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
   exit
5. Disconnect any external hardware devices that are connected to the computer. Additionally, remove or disconnect any hardware that the computer manufacturer does not support. Also, remove any hardware that you recently installed.
6. Try to upgrade to Windows Vista again.

Method 2: Upgrading to a different version of Windows Vista

1. Right-click the taskbar, and then click Task Manager.
2. Click File, click New Task (Run), type Msinfo32, and then click OK.
3. Double-click Software Environment, and then double-click Signed Drivers.
4. Click INF Name.
5. Note each device that has an INF Name that begins with "oem." These devices use drivers that are not included with Windows Vista.
6. Right-click the taskbar, and then click Task Manager.
7. Click File, click New Task (Run), type Devmgmt.msc, and then click OK.
   
   NoteIf you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the password, or click
   Continue.
8. Click View, and then click Show Hidden Devices.
9. Right-click each device that you noted in step 5, click Uninstall, click to select the Delete the driver software for this device check box, and then click OK.
   
   Note Do not disable a device. When you disable a device, the driver for that device is migrated during the installation of Windows Vista.
10. Try to upgrade to Windows Vista again.

Stop: 0x00000024

A "Stop: 0x00000024" error message occurs when Windows Vista encounters an unrecoverable error when it tries to access an NTFS partition or a volume on the hard disk. Typically, you receive a "Stop: 0x00000024" error message during Windows Vista Setup when one or more of the following conditions are true:

• The file system or partition structure is corrupted.
• A driver compatibility issue exists. For example, the file system driver for an antivirus program or for other utility can cause this issue.

To troubleshoot a "Stop: 0x00000024" error message when you try to upgrade to Windows Vista, use one or more of the following methods, as appropriate for your situation.

Caution We recommend that you perform a full backup before you implement any of the following methods.

Method 1: Run the CHKDSK program

To run the CHKDSK (Chkdsk.exe) program, follow these steps:

1. Use the Windows Vista DVD to start the computer in Windows Recovery (WinRE). For more information about how to start Windows Recovery, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
   http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-us/Help/f768809f-ed90-415f-a83f-89b42108b3551033.mspx
2. In WinRE, open a command prompt. To do this, follow these steps:
   1. On the Install Windows screen, select the appropriate Language to install, Time and currency format, and Keyboard or input method options, and then click Next.
   2. Click Repair your computer.
   3. Click the Vista installation that you want to repair, and then click Next.
      
      Note Click Load Drivers only if you have to load a driver to access a hard disk.
   4. Click Command Prompt.
3. At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
   chkdsk drive: /r
   Note In this command, drive is the hard disk where you want to install Windows Vista.
4. If Chkdsk.exe does not find and does not repair any errors on the hard disk where you want to install Windows, run Chkdsk.exe on any other NTFS hard disks on the computer. To verify the partitions that are configured on the computer, follow these steps:
   1. At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
      Diskpart
   2. At the DISKPART prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
      List vol
      Note the hard disk information that is returned.
   3. At the DISKPART prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
      exit
   4. At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
      exit

Method 2: Check for driver issues

Warning This workaround may make a computer or a network more vulnerable to attack by malicious users or by malicious software such as viruses. We do not recommend this workaround but are providing this information so that you can implement this workaround at your own discretion. Use this workaround at your own risk.

If you are upgrading to Windows Vista, follow these steps:

1. Install updated disk controller drivers.
2. Uninstall any antivirus, any antispyware, or any backup programs that monitor the file system for changes.
3. Try to upgrade to Windows Vista again.

Method 3: Perform a clean installation of Windows Vista

If you still cannot upgrade to Windows Vista, you may have to perform a clean installation of Windows Vista. To perform a clean installation of Windows Vista, insert the Windows Vista DVD into the DVD drive and then restart the computer. When you are prompted, start the computer by using the Windows Vista DVD.

When you perform a clean installation of Windows Vista, you can decide to install windows Vista to the current active Windows partition as a test. If the installation is successful, drivers that were installed in the previous installation likely caused the problem. If you decide to install Windows Vista to the current active Windows partition, you can migrate files from the Windows.old folder and then use the existing installation. However, you have to reinstall any programs that were installed in the previous installation of Windows.

You can also decide to repartition and to format the hard disk, and then install Windows Vista. To repartition and then to format the hard disk, follow these steps.

Caution We recommend that you perform a full backup before you start. These steps will remove all files from all partitions.

1. Disconnect any external hard disks.
2. Use the Windows Vista DVD to start the computer in Windows Recovery (WinRE). For more information about how to start Windows Recovery, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
   http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-us/Help/f768809f-ed90-415f-a83f-89b42108b3551033.mspx
3. In WinRE, open a command prompt. To do this, follow these steps:
   1. On the Install Windows screen, select the appropriate Language to install, Time and currency format, and Keyboard or input method options, and then click Next.
   2. Click Repair your computer.
   3. Click the Vista installation that you want to repair, and then click Next.
      
      Note Click Load Drivers only if you have to load a driver to access a hard disk.
   4. Click Command Prompt.
4. At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
   diskpart
5. At the DISKPART prompt, type the following command,, and then press ENTER:
   list disk
   Note each hard disk in the list.
6. At the DISKPART prompt, type the following command to select the first hard disk, and then press ENTER:
   sel disk 0
7. At the DISKPART prompt, type the following command to view the details of each disk, and then press ENTER:
   det disk
   Note the volumes on each disk.
8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 for each disk in the list that was returned in step 5.
9. At the DISKPART prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
   exit
10. Use the dir command to verify the volume that contains the existing Windows installation. To do this, follow these steps for each volume in the list that was returned in steps 5 through 8:
    1. At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
       drive
       Note In this command, drive is the volume that you want to verify. For example, type C:
    2. At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
       dir
11. At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
    diskpart
12. At the DISKPART prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
    sel disk number
    Note In this command, number is the number of the volume that you want to repartition.
13. At the DISKPART prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
    clean
14. At the DISKPART prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
    create partition primary
15. At the DISKPART prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
    active
16. At the DISKPART prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
    format
17. At the DISKPART prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
    exit