SSD Windows 7 install Hanging

[piras]

Hi, I have a X201t and bought a 256GB Samsung SSD. When trying to install Windows 7, it hangs at Starting Windows when booting off the install disk. In the Bios the SATA Controller is set to AHCI. Anyone can help me. Thanks.

[piras]

Would love to get some help on this!!

[EOMtp]

In the Bios the SATA Controller is set to AHCI.

Welcome to the forum!
Have you tried the "Compatibility" SATA mode?

[piras]

Yes, I have tried, neither work.

[ScottyBoy]

Yes, I have tried, neither work.

Have you tried out the SSD on another computer or accessing it via USB enclosure?

Have you also tried using a new downloaded copy of Windows 7, to rule out the media your using?

EDIT: Here's a link to the download options for Windows 7 SP1 ISO Images via NBR Forum.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/windows ... ost7822528

[piras]

The SSD works, have it on another machine.

Windows disk is perfect, am Microsoft Technet subscriber.

[EOMtp]

Do you know for a fact that the install proceeds normally using any other drive in this machine, and it is only the SSD which causes the problem?

[piras]

Yes, I know for a fact. I put in a WD 5400 RPM SATA drive yesterday in the Thinkpad and had no issues installing Windows 7 with the same disk.

[piras]

My bios is up to date...don't see what is not going right.

[EOMtp]

Yes, I know for a fact. I put in a WD 5400 RPM SATA drive yesterday in the Thinkpad and had no issues installing Windows 7 with the same disk.

Okay, there may well be some installation pathology unknown to us, which disappears once Windows is installed. Why not install on the WD drive you say works, and then clone that drive onto the SSD?!

If that works, and you are still motivated, then you can investigate later why installing directly onto that SSD drive fails.

[piras]

Thanks EOMtp, best free program to clone a hard drive?

[ScottyBoy]

Thanks EOMtp, best free program to clone a hard drive?

I would say Clonezilla IMHO - have you tried doing a pre-install of W7 onto the SSD on another computer (1st stage) and then popping it back over into the ThinkPad to complete the install?

Appreciate your using an MSDN account but would still suggest trying different install media.

[atomictoyguy]

I was having this exact same issue with the very same laptop.

I also happened to be upgrading my RAM at the same time, Crucial Memory 8GB kit.

What I found after an entire afternoon of troubleshooting was that I had bad memory modules, as after installing a Kingston memory kit it started working.

So if you happen to be upgrading your RAM as well, try swapping the modules for known good modules.