JFL92 problems need advice

I just got the JFL92 and I'm having a lot of software issues.

I started by installing Windows Vista Business 32-bit. During the install it kept on blue screening during the expading of files. Finally on about the 5th or 6th attempt it went all the way through but then blue screened while preparing the desktop. I just inserted the CD and started the install. Is this the correct way to do it or am I supposed to do something else?

Even though it bluescreened after the install it boots up ok, so I decided to install the drivers. Before I could do that the machine kept on bluescreening. It happened about 5 times, each time it restarted or shut down the computer. I finally was able to install the chipset drivers and after that the frequency of bluescreens seems to have gone down. When I installed the video driver it blue screened again and then again after the install.

When installing other drivers it sometimes bluescreened. In addition installs keep on freezing and windows reports App Crash or blue screen. It actually froze while installing the WLAN drivers but somehow my WLAN works.... but it only goes at G speed when it's suppose to go at N.

I'm actually typing this on the machine now and haven't had a blue screen for a while.

I'm looking for advice. Is this normal? I've installed Vista on alot of computers and laptops and while I've seen a couple of bluescreens I've never had this kind of problems before. What could cause this? Each blue screen is a different message as well. Alot of them seem to do with Windows system files but they are all different.

 

What's you BIOS version.
What type of CPU you have.

Have you contacted you vendor, when receiving so many BSOD I would return the notebook the the vendor for repair or a replacement.

 

I heard people getting BSOD's as a result of ACHI - disabling it might make it work, not exactly sure what it does, but i remember hearing something about this somewhere else...

 

I don't get this issue with AHCI.
I left AHCI enabled in the BIOS installed Vista from cd without any extra settings, default setup works fine for me.

 

The blue screen you are talking about is normal the very first times of installation, this is not what we call BSOD (Blue Screen Of Death). However the freezing part is definitely not normal, this means that your system doesn't know what to do, like a human coma demeanor.

I would suggest to start the whole process one more time, from the very begining, Windows will go back and forth with those blue screens, but that should be it.

 

My BIOS is 1.16 and I have a T8300 processor.

I read about ACHI too so I tried disabling it, but it didn't seem to make a difference.

Getting the bluescreen is normal during install? I had to install many times before it went through and even the last time it bluescreened at the very end.

I will try to re-install again and see what happens.

 

Are you talking about the BSOD? This a screen saying that the system halt because an error and usually tells you the error number. The normal blue screen I referred to is the installation window with a blue background, not the BOSD, this screen is definitely not normal and not good.

The AHCI allows the communication with the Serial ATA (SATA) devices (e.g. HDD, Optical drive). So, since you have already installed fully or partially Windows Vista, then enabling AHCI in a system BIOS will result in a BSOD if SATA has been running in IDE mode during Vista's installation. So, before enabling AHCI in the BIOS try to follow the instructions found at Microsoft Knowledge Base article 922976.

Also, enabling AHCI in a system BIOS on installations of Windows Vista will cause SATA Optical drives to disappear, then for that you can use the hotfix for Windows Vista: "SATA optical drives are not available after you start a Windows Vista-based computer." And since you are loading all your drivers from the CD drive (which doesn't work properly) so this might be very well the problem.

 

Yes, BSOD. The one that says something like "Windows encountered an error and shut down your computer to avoid damage". The error was always different. When I'm in Vista it usually did a memory dump and restart, but during install it just stopped and I have to turn of the machine.

I didn't play too much with the BIOS and AHCI. What I did was:

Initially tried to install Vista without touching anything so AHCI was enabled. I kept getting blue screens.

Then I remembered someone mentioned disabling AHCI might work so I did that and still got a blue screen. So I enabled it again.

Then I installed a few more times and on my last try it sort of went through ok and installed Windows but bluescreened in the end.

Should I try to install with AHCI disabled and then enable it later using the Microsoft KB article?

 

Check and apply the Microsoft Knowledge Base article 922976 and the hotfix for Windows Vista: "SATA optical drives are not available after you start a Windows Vista-based computer."

Let me know if the problem persist.

 

NO NO I think the notebook is some what giving HW errors.
This could be caused because the mainboard is not correctly detecting connected devices like the Intel Turbo module, Wifi card, TV-Tuner, BT, Fingerprint reader, ODD and or the HDD.
I say return the notebook.

 

Thank you for all the responses. I'll try again tonight with what Wirelessman suggests. Someone also said that maybe I should try to install HDD drivers before installation. I'm not sure if that is possible here, but I'll try that too.

If that doesn't work I think I will look into returning it I don't really want to do a repair since it's a new machine.

 

BSOD when installing Windows ? Your story sounds like you have defective memory modules or memory controlers or motherboard issue. It is NOT software related problem for sure. I will advise you to return your laptop

 

I think the best is to return this to the vendor, it must be tested before delivery.
In this case is broken during packing or transport.
It doesn't matter what the price is, you take it out of the box and your try to install Windows and this doesn't go correct for say 4 times then I say DOA.
Dead On Arrival.

 

I tried turning off AHCI in the bios again and doing a clean install. This time it bluescreened twice, but on the third attempt the installs seems to have gone through without any problems. I didn't see any bluescreen and I no longer get app crashes. Everything I've installed so far works as expected. I think the app crashes were because Vista didn't install correctly.

The only thing is that on my 3rd attempt I wiped all partitions and just have 1 big drive. I don't know if that has anything to do with it. I'm going to try to do another clean install to see if my current install was just a fluke or if disabling AHCI resolved the bluescreen problem.

I thought the problem could be RAM too. I did a memtest. It took 6 hours but didn't find any errors.

Do you think that if I am able to do another successful clean install it means the machine is ok? Or should I still consider a return?

 

It cannot be the memory. When the memory is not good the system will give you a beep, there is actually a truth table for the type of beeps so you can know what is wrong, the BIOS, memory, keyboard, etc.

With regards the HDD partition, Vista take care of that when it formated it, is not like in the old HDD and systems where you had to have different partition because system limitations and speed requirements.

If the system is working stable now, I would leave it the way it is, but if you are still in doubt about the installation, I suggest that you do a repair installation instead of another clean install.

 

Memory can still give errors, it doesn't always have to give beeps.
Beeps are more there to notifu you that something isn't installed, not inserted correct, broken or other failure.

But then again I still would send the notebook back, when getting more BSOD in the first say 8 hours when starting the notebook I know for sure something is wrong.

 

I want to partition my drive into 2 drives so I plan a clean install.

Also I'll probably do a clean install sometime in the future and want to make sure there's no problem with the machine. I'm still within the return period so I hope I can figure out if the machine is ok or not now.

I'm the kind of guy who washes his hands after washing his hands. I just keep on worrying if something is wrong or not

 

You are not the only one, this operation will just cost you more time and more soap

 

By the way RePaRaQu and Wirelessman, do you have Intel Turbo memory (Robson) on your machines? And are you using 64bit Vista Wirelessman?

I ask because my vendor said since I don't have Turbo memory I could disable AHCI and that might resolve the issue.

 

Yes I do have Robson and I'm using Vista Business 32 bits.

Robson should not affect your system at all, the Intel Turbo Memory uses a PCI express port bus, and the HDD uses an ATA port, both connected on the same Southbridge Intel 82801 GBM/GHM though.

Once again, that AHCI is the Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI) and is a hardware mechanism that allows software to communicate with Serial ATA (SATA) devices like your HDD, not your Robson.

 

Yes I got the Intel Turbo Memory module.

 

if its under warranty still then you're fine, some people panic at the first sign of a crash or BSOD and then send it back, and maybe pay extra charages if the vendor finds nothing wrong or pay a surplus on delivery charges, it seems your laptop is fine now, so use it as normal and if it does become more frequent - and is not "user error" or you're contemplating it to be a hardware fault then ring the vendor and ask for advice, or possibly then request a pick up or delivery - if they offer this.

I assume you've done a fresh install, some people don't even go that far and just give up...

 

Yes, the machine came with no OS and I have a copy of Vista Business 32bit so I thought I'd use that. So, I've been doing fresh installs a lot. I'm glad Vista doesn't take too long to install.

Well, I'm within the return period until the end of next week. I think I will try to do another fresh install with AHCI disabled and see if it works. If it does I'll install all my stuff, use it a few days and if no problems then good.

I was reading about AHCI and read that Turbo Memory Robson needs AHCI to work. I didn't see anything about AHCI causing problems if there's no Robson though. I did read that XP below SP1 can't do AHCI and XP in general has problems with it, but I'm using Vista and couldn't find anyone with issues with Vista & AHCI unless then tried to enable it after installing Vista.

 

@webdtc: can you please post the link about Robson needing AHCI, thanks. Robson uses the PCI expres bus, AHCI is used for the ATA bus, so I don't see the relationship.

 

Here is the link I read. It's a forum thread:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/archive/index.php/t-155059.html

 

I'll read the doc later but just at a glance, I agree with the this fact, the Intel's Storage Matrix Manager deals witht ATA HDD, so he needs AHCI, but not the Robson memory. Go to the start, All programs and open the Intel's Storage Matrix Manager, there you will see the HDD description.

I guess there are all related in a certain way because you have an ATA HDD, not IDE. Let me explain. ReadyDrive from the Robson will work with the NVRAM of the HDD, so if the AHCI is not activated, then the HDD doesn't work, neither its cache called NVRAM.

Anyway, this sounds like a catch 22 situation

 

Just an update. I played around with the machine a little more and it started to become unstable (blue screen, system component App Crashes and general slow performance and freezing). So, I did a disk check. Disk check didn't find anything. Then my HDD started making a weird sound like a clicking followed by the sound of something bouncing in the machine. At that point the machine froze and just made that sound until I forced a power down. Not sure what it was but it didn't sound normal. After that I tried re-installing but had no success. It either froze during installation or bluescreened.

So, I'm thinking the HDD has some issue. Maybe it got bumped around too much in transit. I called the vendor and will set up a return

I guess this kind of thing happens. It's too bad because the machine is really nice. I'm not sure what I'll do now. I'd order this machine again in a second if I knew it would be stable. I'd even order from the same vendor because they have been great. Very personal and professional service so far. But, I kind of feel burnt having got one that's not very stable so I'll have to think about what to do for a while.

 

Next time have the vendor to install the OS, this way you don't have to deal with it.

Are you return it completely or you are having it repaired?

 

Yeah, that is what I'm thinking. But I have an used copy of Vista and never had problems installing OS before. I actually used my copy of Vista on 2 machines before this without issues. 1 desktop and 1 laptop (of course uninstalling it when I used it on a new machine).

I'm doing a complete return. I'm really picky (maybe a little sick) about stuff like this and didn't feel right about going for a repair when it's still within the return period. The machine's got to work for at least a few months before it starts having issues imo

 

In this case yo may want to upgrade your OS, like getting Vista Ultimate, is not very expensive when it comes with the machine.

 

Vista Home Premium is enough i think, Ultimate has some extras but not enough to pay the premium on it... Home Premium has media center as well...

 

I'd probably stick with Vista Business as I don't use my computer as a media center and that's the main thing Ultimate has over Business. Well, Ultimate also as data encryption, but I don't use that. I think it doesn't make sense that Ultimate has data encryption and Business does not though...

 

@webdtc: I'm glad you did your homework because I was planning to get Ultimate for myself. I have the same user profile than you (business), but I thought Ultimate would bring more performance.

 

Vista Home Premium is the best to get for private use.
Photo, Media, Games and Video editing