Newbie to your forums here! I have Windows Vista Bld 5600 RC1. I am installing a dual-boot config. Installation for Vista goes very smoothly. After installation Vista begins the system performance check and then boots into desktop, and this is where the problem begins. Vista will automatically start the Windows update service and then everything locks up, freezes (I cannot say for sure this issue is due to windows update). This occurs at every instant that I boot into the Vista desktop after a system restart. However, if I launch Vista in Safe Mode (with networking), it works perfectly fine. After checking with Vista's help and support, it indicated that If Vista is functioning properly in safe mode, it is safe to eliminate drivers as the problem. Anyone out there have this problem? Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated and Thanks in advance!

Yeah I've had the exact same problem but I have no idea why it happens...? I'm using dual boot too.

the same thing happens to me me but im not running a dual boot

Having the exact same problem. I also have a dual boot configuration. The thing is, I had already installed vista once and the drive failed. When I got a new drive I re-installed again and long story short had activation issues with vista. now, The whole time vista was running on the new drive, I had absolutely no issues. After dealing with MS the solution was to re-install again with a new product key. Now I'm having this issue. So I'm at a loss as to what the difference was between the second install and the last one. Anyway, I'd appreciate any advice on this.

Ok. I found a solution that worked for me. I don't know why, or if it will work for anyone else. All I know is that I've had vista running since last night and, although a little laggy, since it is a resource hog, it's still going strong.

What I did was boot to my xp boot, then start the installation from there. I chose clean install onto my newly formatted vista partition. I also unchecked the box that said let windows intall updates automatically during set up.
The other thing I did different than the first two times I installed was, the first time I did a clean install booting from the cd. I was able to do this because my product key wasn't working so it gave me the option to install without a key. I had a validation issue, long story. Anyway, because of this issue I had to install again but the second time I installed xp first then did an upgrade from the same boot I was installing to because microsoft tech support said I had to do an upgrade in order for the new product key they gave me to work. It was this upgrade installation that gave me the freezing issue.Now, what I'm seeing in this process is that the two times I was able to do a clean install, I had no freeaing issue, but the one time I upgraded from XP, I couldn't work for 5 minutes without my system just freezing. I don't know if you guys upgraded or did a clean install, but if you upgraded, you might want to try this. Like I said, my system isn't freeaing anymore and so I'm happy. If anyghing changes, I'll update.

I've tried a fresh installation and an upgrade but still the same problem for me. I got vista ultimate working on my laptop a while ago but i don't think i've ever got it working on my PC even though its higher spec. I'm sure its a hardware issue such as one of the chipsets. For me the green loading bar always moves but the system does not seem to be doing anything.

Hi, could you please list specs of hardware..

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AMD X2 BLACK EDITION 3.2GHz SAMURAI COOLER::GA-MA790X-DS4 MOBO WITH NOCTUA NC-U6 HEATPIPE COOLING::3GB XMS2 PC6400 RAM:: POWERCOLOR 4870 512MB GDDR5 RAM::160GB BARRACUDA RAID 0::SOUNDBLASTER AUDIGY::SAMSUNG WRITEMASTER DVD-RW/PIONEER DVD::HIPER MODULAR 530W PSU::THERMALTAKE ARMOUR Jr CASE::RAZER COPPERHEAD MOUSE::VISTA HOME PREMIUM SP1

I was wondering the same thing...I've never had "that" issue b-4 and was wondering what the problem was. Have You tried removing everything from your PC but the essentials? I've heard of people having to do that to get it to install correctly. But sounds like a hardware issue to me..... Just my 2 cents

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FATBOY

Hi!! There it is in a nutshell: to set up a dual-boot machine, you should install the older Windows (Windows XP) OS before installing Windows Vista. Also, note that the edition of Windows Vista is irrelevant when you're setting up a dual-boot environment. Explanation: When you install an earlier version of Windows XP, after installing Vista first. In this case, you'll find that Vista no longer starts. Only the earlier version of the Windows system starts. When you install a second instance of Windows XP on a computer where you have already configured a Windows XP-Windows Vista dual-boot configuration. If this is the case, you may receive a "Disk read error has occurred" message. Why would you run into either of these issues ? It's all about the new way that Windows Vista uses Boot Configuration Data (BCD) to boot up rather than a boot.ini file, as was the case with Windows XP. In other words, the new boot-up procedure is incompatible with the old. When you install Windows XP onto a computer that's already running Vista, the XP setup procedure overwrites everything from the existing Master Boot Record (MBR), boot sector, and the boot files. What's the big deal? The big deal is that this old boot configuration method is unable to locate or load anything related to Windows Vista. It's as if the original Windows Vista is gone. Celestra

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Celestra