I've been having an issue as of very recently, which is that no matter which version of Windows I try to install, the setup simply wont finish after the initial reboot. It always BSODs, with either "bugcode_usbdriver" or "an attempt was made to execute to non-executable memory". Or it will hang on the 7/8.1 boot logo and never go further. Thusfar I have tried Server 2008 R2 x64, 7 Enterprise x64, and 8.1 Enterprise x64. All are uncracked, original volume licensing Microsoft ISOs, obtained from various sources, md5 and sha1 hashes checked against what Microsoft provides. If/when the bugcode_USB BSOD occurs, no USB device is plugged in. Strangely enough, various Linuxes install fine.
I opted to install in UEFI mode, with imagex, and bcdboot to install boot files. I cant use the regular Windows GUI setup, because I have 1 EFI on each of my laptop's internal drive, which confuses the setup, with error "We couldnt create a new partition or locate an existing one". Both drives are pre-partitioned with GParted:
imagex /apply Z:\sources\install.wim 1 C:
and
bcdboot C:\Windows /l en-US /s A: /f ALL
C is Windows destination partition, A: is EFI. The /f ALL variable was only used with 8.1, it isnt a valid parameter for 7 and 2008 R2. I used GetWAIKTools to obtain the needed files, using the appropriate version of imagex and bcdboot as per the desired OS. Install files and tools were placed on a FAT32 partition (1st partition) on an external USB HDD. I booted the installer with UEFI DUET, since my UEFI BIOS seems to be unable to boot from any partition on a USB in UEFI mode. It only seems to boot in native UEFI (no DUET) if the boot files are on the 1st partition (unsure about this) of my laptop's primary drive in the master slot. I recently installed an optical drive caddy, containing a Seagate 2TB drive. UEFI booting from anywhere on that drive seems impossible (directly, without chainloading), it simply isnt an available boot option in my BIOS.
After installing via DUET completes, I power off and natively UEFI boot without DUET, Windows logo appears to complete install, and BAM, shortly thereafter, the BSOD or hang almost always occurs (finally managed to install 8.1today without crashing, but it took several tries, following my above steps, which I know to be correct). I believe this is a deeper symptom of a hardware issue, but need help determining which component(s) is fail(ing). Possibles:
1. Modded BIOS ( I cant boot in native UEFI mode with any other flashed BIOS, except via DUET, everything has been reset to defaults in BIOS, except that UEFI and "UEFI boot first" has been selected)
2. Bad RAM (need to run extended tests with MemTest86+, planning to replace my current 6GB with 16GB soon)
3. Bad drive in primary master slot (tests indicate that is has several hundred bad sectors thusfar, but it still boots and *seems* fine for now.
4. Bad HDD in optical caddy (unlikely since the drive was just bought and installed last week), I'm not booting from it anyway.
5. Both drives may be causing a power surge that is too much for my laptop's power supply/brick to handle (150 watts rated), therefore not supplying enough power. See my question on superuser.com regarding a similar issue with a previous laptop, current PC doesnt seem to have said issue:
http://superuser.com/questions/862980/secondary-internal-hdd-vanishes-reappears-randomly-in-windows-8-1
6. Bad USB ports (unlikely, all seem to work fine with my devices, in both 2.0 and 3.0 modes)
7. Bad battery (testing indicates my battery is failing, it doesnt hold much of a charge even when not gaming, and drains somewhat fast).
8. Installing in UEFI/GPT mode instead of BIOS/MBR mode.
This isnt technically related to booting, and I know reboot.pro isnt a general tech support forum, but I'd appreciate some help with this nonetheless. None of this wasnt occuring as of several days ago.
Thanks in advance!
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