Several users are experiencing an issue in which Windows 7 will not install, delivering the error message
“Load Driver A required CD/DVD drive device driver is missing. If you have a driver floppy disk, CD, DVD, or USB flash drive, please insert it now. Note: If the Windows installation media is in the CD/DVD drive, you can safely remove it for this step.”
This problem generally occurs right after pressing the “Install Now” button.
Fixes
Change BIOS boot order The most successful fix for this issue is to set the optical (DVD) drive as the first boot device in the BIOS. To do this, first enter BIOS mode as follows:
Enter your system’s BIOS mode. This is accomplished by pressing a specific key repeatedly as soon as your computer is turned on (or right after it is restarted). For many computers, the key is F8, but it may be F1, F2, F10, the Delete (del) key or the Escape (ESC) key. Consult your computer or motherboard’s manual or try different keys until you find the right one.
Find the screen or option for changing the boot order. Follow the instructions for changing the boot order. This is sometimes accomplished by using the + or – buttons.
Update ITE ATA driver Failing the above, try booting back into Windows Vista or XP. Launch Windows Update and install the ITE ATA driver update before attempting the upgrade. The upgrade advisor may not find this driver.
Switch from SATA to AHCI Follow the aforementioned instructions for booting into your computer’s BIOS, then check your HDD or storage settings. Turn off SATA, switching to AHCI, and reboot normally, then re-attempt installation of Windows 7.
—-
For other installation problem fixes, see our previous post “The 7 Biggest Windows 7 RC1 Problems (and Fixes)”
Filed under Windows 7 by on Aug 27th, 2009. 27 Comments. 
Windows 7 may exhibit a variety of issues when waking from sleep. One of the more recently reported issues involves the disappearance of mounted internal or external hard disks when the system is put to sleep (hibernation)–usually hybrid sleep–then woken up.
This issue will likely be resolved by a future update to Windows 7 or new Windows 7-compatible disk driver updates. In the meantime, there are two potential workarounds:
Disable hybrid sleep First, you can simply disable hybrid sleep by going to Power > Advanced > Sleep and turning off “Allow hybrid sleep.”
Turn off SATA Enter your system’s BIOS mode. This is accomplished by pressing a specific key repeatedly as soon as your computer is turned on (or right after it is restarted). For many computers, the key is F8, but it may be F1, F2, F10, the Delete (del) key or the Escape (ESC) key. Consult your computer or motherboard’s manual or try different keys until you find the right one.
Next check your HDD or storage settings. Turn off SATA and reboot normally.
Filed under Windows 7 by on Jun 8th, 2009. Comment.
[UPDATE: A Microsoft TechNet discussion thread is tracking this issue and has the latest updates on potential fixes, along with commentary from Microsoft indicating that the company is working with system manufacturers to resolve this issue.]
Several users have reported an issue in which a blue screen of death (BSOD) accompanied by the error message “Multiprocessor_Configuration_Not_Supported” appears after attempting to install either Windows Vista SP2 or Windows 7.
This error generally indicates that the system has multiple processors, but they are asymmetric in relation to one another. However, many users are receiving the message on systems with only one processor or systems with only one dual-core processors.
A reliable workaround for this issue has not yet been discovered, but, in some cases, a BIOS update may resolve the problem. Here are instructions for updating the BIOS on Intel motherboards, and here are instructions for other motherboards.
Filed under Windows 7, Windows Vista by on Jun 5th, 2009. Comment.
Several users have encountered an issue wherein they receive the error message “0xc0000034″ followed by some other information (usually specifying a corrupt file) after attempting to install the Windows Vista SP2 update. Generally, this error message is accompanied by an inability to boot the system and a black screen with the aforementioned error message.
WindowsFixUp reader Corus, for instance, writes:
“My anti-virus Bitdefender found 3 trojans named Trojan.Heur and quarantined it. After SP2 finished installing, when attempting to reboot, a black screen came up and Vista would not start up (nothing I’ve tried so far has worked).”
Fix
To fix this issue, you will need to boot from the Windows Vista DVD. Follow these steps:
- Boot from the Windows Vista DVD or the Windows Vista recovery disc that was supplied with your computer by inserting it into the drive then restarting (if you don’t have this disc or can’t find it, you can download a replacement here). (Note: if your system does not automatically boot from the Vista disc when it is inserted, you need to change the boot device in BIOS. To do this, boot from the installation disc, insert the disc, then restart, and while the computer is restarting, continually press the appropriate key [F12 on most systems, F1, F2, F10, the Delete (del) key or the Escape (ESC) key on others -- consult your user's manual or perform a Google search for your specific model] then select CD/DVD/CD-RW as the boot drive.)
- Choose your language settings and hit “Next”
- Click “Repair Your Computer” at the bottom of the screen. This will launch Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE)
- Choose the installed OS to repair, and you will see a list of recovery tools.
- Open the command prompt
- Enter the following commands, pressing enter after each, to create a Manual System Restore (as discovered by Arun Kumar on the TechNet discussion boards):
- cd windows\system32\config
- ren default default.old
- ren sam sam.old
- ren security security.old
- ren software software.old
- ren system system.old
- cd regback
- copy default c:\windows\system32\config
- copy sam c:\windows\system32\config
- copy security c:\windows\system32\config
- copy software c:\windows\system32\config
- copy system c:\windows\system32\config
- Restart your computer, this time booting from the hard disk.
If the problem recurs, repeat the process.
Filed under Windows Vista by on Jun 1st, 2009. 52 Comments.
Several users have reported an issue in which they cannot run chkdsk on their systems, as the tool reports that it cannot continue because of corrupt files.
Fix
Try inserting the Windows Vista installation or recovery disc that came with your computer and rebooting from the disc. A few screens into the installation process (or accessible as an option in another menu) you should be given the ability to run a command prompt. At the command prompt, enter the command:
- chkdsk c: /f
then press enter. Run the tool repeatedly until no errors are reported.
(Note: if your system does not automatically boot from the Vista disc, you need to change the boot device in BIOS. To do this, boot from the installation disc, insert the disc, then restart, and while the computer is restarting, continually press the appropriate key [F12 on most systems, F1, F2, F10, the Delete (del) key or the Escape (ESC) key on others -- consult your user's manual or perform a Google search for your specific model] then select CD/DVD/CD-RW as the boot drive.)
Filed under Windows Vista by on May 15th, 2009. Comment.
Some users are experiencing crashes or blue screens of death (BSODs) under Windows 7 RC1 when attempting to wake systems from sleep (hibernation). The first response to this issue is generally to disable sleep mode, but there is another fix.
Fix
Enter your system’s BIOS mode. This is accomplished by pressing a specific key repeatedly as soon as your computer is turned on (or right after it is restarted). For many computers, the key is F8, but it may be F1, F2, F10, the Delete (del) key or the Escape (ESC) key. Consult your computer or motherboard’s manual or try different keys until you find the right one.
Next check your HDD or storage settings. Turn off SATA and reboot normally.
Filed under Windows 7 by on May 5th, 2009. 4 Comments.