XP installation stuck in restart loop!

[visa tapani]

So, I've been trying to reinstall XP with my newly created SP3-slipstreamed and junk-reduced installation disc. Installation goes normally so far that I've partitioned my hard drives, chosen where to install XP and system has copied the installation files to HD. Then installation enters the stage with light-blue background, mouse cursor appears and *boom* computer restarts. After a while I get a message like "Continuing Windows XP installation.....", mouse cursor appears and the same happens. Again and again. Usually it doesn't give an error message before it happens, but sometimes a message flashes quickly on the screen before the reboot: "Insufficient System Resources Exist to Complete the API".

I'm doing this installation on an Asus M6VA laptop. Because the computer itself comes only with recovery discs, I've used this method to activate a retail hologram XP Pro CD with my product key. I've used the exact same method before and it has worked without any problems. Then the cd has gone through semi-heavy nLiting: I've slipstreamed SP3 and post-sp3 hotfixes and done a lot of removing and tweaking. See the attached .ini file for exact details, quoting it here would make this thread unreadable.

I then tried installing XP from my recovery discs. This worked without any troubles, so it's unlikely that this would be a hardware issue.

I'm only moderately Windows and nLite literate so I have no idea what could cause this problem. Any help is greatly appreciated!

Last_Session___FINAL.ini

Edited September 1, 2008 by visa tapani

[untermensch]

Im having the same problems, not sure what is causing it.

[visa tapani]

Hmm that's interesting. Are you having the exact same problem, with the restart happening at the same stage of the installation and with the same error message?

What kind of things have you done with nLite? Do you have any suspicion what settings could cause this? Actually, could you post your nLite session .ini file, so that I can compare the similarities between our settings?

By the way, are you installing on a laptop or a desktop?

In any case I guess it's reasonable safe to conclude that since we are both bumping into this problem, it's something we've done in nLite, rather than a hardware/BIOS/whatever issue. However, since at least in my case the installation get's stuck so early (the actual installation just barely starting), I think most nLite settings shouldn't have an effect so early on...

At least I'd assume that the component/service removals wouldn't have an effect so early on, do you agree with me? Similarly the tweaks and patches seem like something that are applied at the last stage of the installation... So maybe it's something in the 'unattended' -page?

[johnhc]

visa tapani,

Have you tried a virtual install - e.g. VirtualPC, VirtualBox or VMware Server? Have you tried just the SP and hot fixes and no more nLite changes? Do you have an AMD processor? There is a problem with SP3 for AMD CPUs that causes a restart loop when SP3 is installed. I don't know how this effects an install but you might look at the Hotfix: Non-Intel. You might also try to hit F8 during restart and see if you can get into Safe Node. If you can, turn off the auto restart (My Computer-Properties-Advanced-Startup and Recovery-Settings) and see what the Stop code is.

Good luck, John.

[untermensch]

Ok I just tried installing on a virtual machine, and had the same result, reboot loop after first reboot durring install.

so I tried to see if the problem is reproducable by reusing the same last sesion.ini on a new run with nlite.

EVERYTHING the same as before. this time I got a working install.

also I have gotten corupted files in the ISO's in the past with this version of nlite. but agin I cant

reproduce the problem.

[visa tapani]

Thanks for the comments.

I hadn't tried a virtual install before, but now I installed MS Virtual PC 2007 and the problem was fully reproducible there. However I did like untermensch and redid the ISO with almost no changes. And this time it works! Or works until it comes to the point where it asks a serial, because apparently it doesn't accept my OEM serial for Virtual PC.

But I guess I'm now confident in trying this ISO on my laptop as a real installation. Maybe this was a nLite bug?

I have to take this virtual installation thing as a habit before installing for real, will save some time and headaches for sure. Which one of those three you mentioned - VirtualPC, VirtualBox or VMware Server - is recommended? Would any of them allow installing an OEM XP?

Thanks!

[johnhc]

visa tapani,

I'm using VMware Server because I am building XP x64 ISOs and it is the only free one that will will run x64 guests. I have not used the other two but I understand they are both much much smaller than VMware Server. I would suggest sticking with VirtualPC and getting used to it. All should run OEM copies of XP. I am running an OEM x64 with no problems. I put the CD key in at the Unattended stage of nLite. I suspect you have not found an nLite bug. The biggest problem most people seem to have is nLiteing the same source more than once. It is best to always start with a clean fresh copy of the original CD. I copied the CD into a folder and then make a copy of that before I start nLite.

Good luck, John.

[visa tapani]

I suspect you have not found an nLite bug. The biggest problem most people seem to have is nLiteing the same source more than once.

This is actually quite possibly the reason for my initial problem. Anyway, after a few trials and errors I finally got the installation to work & properly activated, and now I'm working on my newly nLited XP.

Thanks for the help!

[gymka]

I had the same problem, after long research in google i found that you cannot integrate WindowsXP-WindowsMedia-KBxxxxxx-x86-ENU.exe updates in your setup and after that i noticed that IE updates too is causing problems. Finally after not integrating WindowsXP-WindowsMedia-KBxxxxxx-x86-ENU.exe and IE8-WindowsXP-KBxxxxxx-x86-ENU.exe my setup is working good:)

EDIT: it's bug of windows update center, because it says that i need critical updates for IE and WMP, but that updates which is offered is for IEv8 and WMPv9.5+ while in my system is IEv6 and WMPv9.0. nobody knows why WSUS sugests such updates...

Edited August 18, 2010 by gymka