So, the other night my computer crashed and I thought the harddrive was the problem, so I used a boot and nuke to clear it out and then reinstall windows 7. Well, when I get to the install window it gets stuck at "setup is starting" and doesn't do anything. I'm not sure what else to do or what might cause this. Yes, I am using the original install dvd.

Danzar, your hard drive may still be the problem, or your hardware system. Do you have another hard disk laying around? if so drop it in the system, and tryin and install, if it appears to work, then you have isolated the issue, if it still hangs up, you could have a larger hardware issue. If your afraid your original install disk is scratched/marred and not working, try the disk being read on another system and see if it can read and list the contents of the disk correctly.-- :P Advice offered, If you need more help it is advised to seek the council and advice of paid professionals. The answer is always 42, or reboot.

I do have another computer, the one I'm using now. Although, I'm not sure I would know how to transfer harddrives, or if it would be compatible? This is an older computer, Dell Dimension 8200 and the computer I'm having issues with is a Dell Studio XPS (desktop, 9000 or 9001 I believe). I do know the basics of the inside of a computer, so with good instructions I'm sure I could transfer harddrives.

You don't want to xfer the hard drives, just slave it to your free ide connection on the other working pc, if your uncomfortable with working on your hardware, you may want to find a local pc repair, it's not a hard process to do. That Dell model is new, Call up Dell and get thier support folks to look and see if you can run the dell diagnostics, and cover the work under warrenty.-- :P Advice offered, If you need more help it is advised to seek the council and advice of paid professionals. The answer is always 42, or reboot.

connect the HDD as slave to your second PC run chkdsk (/F even) and see if you got any errors Did you try disabling devices in BIOS to see if it gets past the 'setup is starting'? Jason could be right about hardware Regards George www.supportweblog.com

Hi, beside the issue from HDD, It may also the problem of your DVD devices, some Old DVD devices are not supported by Windows 7 Installation Disk, Can you try to use a Install-able USB? just download and perform it via : http://download.cnet.com/3001-18513_4-10972600.html?spi=75ad4817eaf35ddbcc3b4e5f85cba6b6 If still stuck, can you post you computer specs out? Hopes HelpBest Regards, Nova C. Altesse, BBA, Bsc, ABA, MCTS, MPN, MCNPS, MCVSS, MCSS, MBS

Contact your computer manufacture to inquire about an updated Basic Input/Output System (BIOS). Modify your computer's BIOS the following ways: Change the Plug and Play settings. For example, if Plug and Play functionality is currently being controlled by the BIOS, change it so it is controlled by the operating system. Enable or disable Universal Serial Bus (USB) support. Disable power management support. Disable infrared support. Disable all serial ports. Remove non-essential hardware devices one at a time. This includes a second video adapter, Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) adapters, modems, sound cards, network adapters, and other non-essential Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) adapters, Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) adapters, and PC Cards. Disconnect non-essential external devices and cables, such as backup devices, external hard disk drives, printers, and scanners. If you are using a notebook computer, verify that it is not currently in a docking station. Specify a different computer type when you start your computer. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/217073