Cannot install an OS on bargain Inspiron 537s and cannot understand why....

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perplexedinparadise

Commendable
Feb 11, 2017
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Purchased from a thrift store, handwritten label stated "Win XP, Parts only". COA sticker was for "Vista Business". Upon boot up the XP logo did in fact appear but froze shortly after. I ran diagnostics, swapped hardware, tried an Ubuntu disc, I doubt I missed a trick. This box runs DOS programs just fine (memtest, Dell diagnostics, had it on the better part of 3 days trying to Spinrite a drive and it works perfectly for that.) But when trying to install an operating system, be it XP, Vista, Seven, (even Win 8), it boots to the animated windows logo and after about 3 seconds the screen freezes, the hdd light on the case goes dark, the keyboard light goes out and the box is frozen solid and only a hard shutdown can be done. The optical drive, however, stays running and the power remains on. Trying Ubuntu, the lights go off the same way and the screen shows only a rapidly blinking cursor. I most recently attempted to try it with a brand new PCI graphics card (it has onboard video) and this failed also. Of possible note, one attempt to get it to install Win 8 threw up a screen announcing "machine_check_exception" but that might have been because I grabbed a 64 bit disk instead if a 32 bit one but that should have not given that kind of an error, I don't think....

Please try to answer the question regarding why a graphical user interface such as Windows cannot get out of DOS mode (it freezes) and install a working OS instead of asking "did you try....?". Believe me, I tried everything EXCEPT replace the memory. I don't have anything that will fit it and, although I did not run memtest to completion, no errors were found in what DID run so I saw no reason to pour good money after bad and try different memory. I swapped out everything else, replaced the CMOS battery, looked for an updated BIOS to flash (there is none), even removed the board from the case and looked to see if the board is warped (does not look like it), reseated the CPU and added a bit more thermal paste, changed all the cables and as a last resort, burned a bit of sage over it and aligned all the parts to face true north during the full moon whilst turning around 3 times and clicking my heels as I hit the power switch with my fingers crossed behind my back. No joy. And I also ran CPU torture tests (mersenne prime) till I got bored and there were no problems with that.

I am by no means a computer expert but I cannot for the life of me understand why this box should not work. It must have been running XP at some point in its lifetime because I had removed the HDD, slaved (via USB) it to a working computer and explored the drive. There were user files and win XP files and program files and a directory structure visible. I've wiped and reformatted and tried a different disk too.

I am resigned to having a door stop but I'd like to know WHY it won't work.

Thank you very much in advance for your earnest consideration of this unusual problem. And please advise if another category might be more appropriate. I have no idea where this really fits.
 
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Yes I did try to install linux, it would neither install nor run without an install (demo mode).

I know Win 8 not supported but I was desperate. I even (though I knew it would not work) preinstalled XP on the drive and attempted a safe mode start. Of course that did not fly....

I tried 32 and 64 bit windows just in case the Dell specs were wrong.

How long to run memtest before you feel memory is ok? I went 10 minutes but I can set it to run all night if need be. Heck, maybe it will fry and be put out of its misery..... though when running it all night doing Spinrite I had a fan blowing over the drive.

Trying a different CPU means buying one and why bother? If this is the accepted wisdom that it's the CPU causing this well I am not going to throw more money at a box this old just to ease my mind.... if that turns out to be the final answer though, I'll have to let it remain unconfirmed (unless the CPU fairy leaves a new chip under my pillow one of these nights....)

Thanks for thoughtfully considering my problem.
 
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That's what I thought too. Like I noted above, it ran for 3 days straight doing Spinrite data recovery, that's a bit of work for the CPU I think. Memory too I would think....

My dearly departed dad was an Army Air Force, WWII, B-24 navigator, USAFRet. I even got to fly in one myself during a Collings Foundation stop in SW Florida years ago. Thrill of my life.

Had I had this box back then I might have thrown it out the (what do you call it, window? the opening in the fuselage where we could look out during flight, but not lean out of) to see if it could fly....

My ebay seller is taking back the graphics card, thank goodness. It runs DOS graphics just fine but that means nothing, or does it?
 
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I just thought of something that never occurred to me till just now. The discrepancy between the COA sticker and what was initially installed on the drive when I brought it home and turned it on....

Could Vista have crashed and the user tried using a disk from another computer that had XP on it instead? Maybe XP NEVER ran on this box, maybe they tried to do a swap but did not know modern computers don't work that way (they used to tho, was it in the W98 days?) and just decided to junk it without trying a real fix.

So there could really be some flaw in the hardware somewhere, I just have not isolated it. I'd have to know if the date code on the Hitachi drive is actually older than the era when Vista Business would have been installed. I understand from searching that VB is not purchasable so they may have tried a drive swap as a last ditch effort. I wish I would have looked at the dates on the original files, but I thought there might have been a virus on it so I wiped it.
 
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3+ hrs running memtest, I think I can safely say it is not a memory problem, here's a link to the running screen before I shut it off (it is in Dropbox, just dismiss the nag screen trying to get you to sign up so you can see the link to the file):

https://www.dropbox.com/s/raonglpchorbzke/memtest%20Inspiron%20537s.png?dl=0

Would it be normal for memtest to be running with only one core? Do I need to find a way to check both cores or is that done when running mersenne prime tests?

So I have been reading other threads on the problem of "OS won't install" and none exactly match mine with a solution. I saw a suggestion to try an install with only one memory stick at a time, what would be the advantage of that if memtest found no bad memory? I don't think Vista will get out of bed with only 2GB and if it does, it is doggy. Vista needs all the memory it can get, at least until you can get SP 1 installed on it then it runs ok with 4GB (at least on the boxes I have run it on....) But I can try this with an XP disk.

If the onboard video chip requires a driver that is not on the OS install disk, I only know of XP being the OS that actually tells you when to try loading a 3rd party driver. How do you do that in Vista or 7?

Please refer to this link for the original configuration of this computer:

http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/04/product-support/servicetag/DGKSDK1/configuration?DCP=DNDTAG&os=wlh

I don't see a listing (or cannot understand it) for the make/model of the mobo so I can see the real name of the video chip. But I will look at my board and see if I can make it out.

At this link: http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/04/product-support/servicetag/DGKSDK1/drivers?DCP=DNDTAG&os=wlh

are the drivers and downloads. It is an Intel chipset and can have either an nVidia or an AMD Radeon onboard video chip. So if I can somehow figure out which one, I can try to load drivers for it for an OS install. Why in the world would I have to do this?

And my mistake, there is a listing for Vista Business OS disks available to order. I'll call Dell tomorrow and see if they are available and how much $$$. Sheesh, I have a spare Vista disk anyway, seems dumb to buy one. But mine won't install. What is so magical about Vista "Business"?

Any help from anyone?
 
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But I already tried one (though it was the wrong bittedness) last week. That is the install that threw the "machine_check_exception" screen, not the Win 8 I may have said..

But I will dl a 32 bit install of 10 and give it a try but you do know that it takes a bit of fiddling to get a free dl for 10 now.... if 10 happens to work and I want to keep it.

This machine has more than 2 GB, actually 2GB X 2.

Ok, it's downloading and of course it takes forever.
 
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The short answer is "No go". WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR blue screen appeared after I tried booting it the 2nd time, the first time only gave me a freeze.

Movies of the event will be avail in dropbox as soon as they finish uploading:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/a0jybytsmx4km7q/AACVmW9183acys72Z8gdxEFPa?dl=0

You'll see me point with my finger at the hdd light activity, the kbd light and the win10 logo on the screen when it freezes. The 2nd boot actually went a bit longer and that time the kbd light stayed lit, the WHEA blue screen popped up and THEN it froze.

The WHEA error can be suggestive of hardware malfunction but without a dump file have no way of seeing what component is erroring out.

The dropbox files may not finish uploading till sometime after 4p EST.

So give up, I think. Someone damaged this box and I can't find out where. If it is in the processor I am not fixing it. I'll just use it for Spinrite since Gibson is not updating his software, it is what I wanted anyway.

 
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Thanks Paul, I came to that conclusion too when I looked it up, when I looked up both of them. Without a dump file it's just all hot air on the screen though 🙁

What is interesting is that you have to attempt installing a modern MS OS to even GET such a hint as to the error. All other versions below 8 and also linux just freeze and keep mum.
 
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Well, no more suggestions seem to be forthcoming.....

A replacement mobo is on its way (it's gotta be that!) so stay tuned.... whether or not it works depends on the integrity of the ebay seller and the delivery service and the time and method of storage. The parts on ebay are actually cheap enough I can replace the CPU and the PSU also and still come out spending less than 100 bucks for a working box. I already have a drive and a copy of Windows and my time is free.

But I am still going to want to know how a mobo could be just 'partially' damaged in this way (if that turns out to be the problem).
 
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In case anyone is still interested (I doubt it since no one has replied to my thread for days now) the replacement board works fine.

Here's a link to some photos I took of the reverse side of the board but unfortunately the camera renders what I see as an odd sort of unevenness to the 'shine' across the board as a 'cloudiness' that looks as though someone took a green kitchen scrubbie to parts of it.

It is so very odd to me that whatever was 'not working' on the original board only impacted the advanced graphics that would be seen when an OS like Windows boots up. all other functions worked properly, though I never hook speakers up to anything till way later so maybe they would not have worked. Too late to tell now as the board is wrapped and sealed in a shipping box awaiting its final disposition at the local recyclers, unless I can find a taker......

Too bad I cannot mark this thread as solved since I solved it myself.....
 
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