my case might be a bit more complicated than the others posted here. 

i have a gateway nv53 laptop - somewhere around 2007 build with win7. a few weeks ago, something started making noises. about 5-8 clicks, then silence for 20 seconds. then repeat. eventually, my computer lost the ability to turn on. i'd get a black screen with some messages (i don't recall) and then it would shut down. everything i researched based on the error message and noise said the harddrive was shot. so, i bought a new SSD 250gb drive.

i installed the new SSD and bought a win8 install disc. tried installing it and got about 15 minutes in. then, i got the message: 

Your PC ran into a problem and needs to restart

the computer automatically restarts and gets to the error message each time within about 10 seconds of booting up. it restarts, i think, 5 times before it just shuts down and requires a manual power-on. 

so, i'm not sure if it's a hardware compatibility issue, some part of my hardware is broken, or something else. i should note that i still hear the same clicking noises that i was hearing when  the computer first died with the old harddrive. perhaps it's the fan?

one last thing: i tried the x64 version and will now try installing the x32 version. i also am unable, i think, to get a log of the file dump since i can't access anything other than the BIOS (of which i'm a rookie). 

thanks! hoping for some seriously smart people to help me out!

Hi,

Since the computer is built in 2007, I consider that the installation failure can be caused by hardware compatible issue. Please be aware that during the installation of Windows 8, fail to install compatible drivers (including motherboard, chipset and video card) will cause so many issue.

I found this link contains drivers for your computer, and it appears that it doesn't support Windows 8.

http://support.gateway.com/support/drivers/search.asp?param=nv53%20&st=kw

Please Note:  This response contains a reference to a third party World Wide Web site. Microsoft is providing this information as a convenience to you. Microsoft does not control these sites and has not tested any software or information found on these sites; therefore, Microsoft cannot make any representations regarding the quality, safety, or suitability of any software or information found there.

At this point, I suggest you try to reinstall Windows 7 for testing.

If also we fail to install Windows 7, please contact manufacturer to do the hardware testing.