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Gigabyte GA-EP43-DS3L and Windows 7

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Hello :)

I got a problem with this motherboard and Windows 7.
Some years ago my dad bought a Compaq Desktop PC for himself. It got an Intel Pentium E5300, 3GB RAM, a 160GB Seagate Barracuda HDD and a Nvidia Geforce 7600GT. Windows 7 was preinstalled (There were 4 CD's: HP Restore Plus, 2 disks for Win 7 and a Disk for Win XP).
Last week the motherboard broke down. From a good friend I got the Gigabyte GA-EP43-DS3L for a good price. Now, when I insert the Windows 7 CD this message appears: CDBOOT: Cannot boot from CD - Code 5
I only was able to install Windows XP.
My friend said that he was running his Windows 7 without any issues on this board and the Gigabyte website also says, that this board is compatible to Windows 7.

Does anyone had the same problem or know how to fix it?


Sorry, if there are some mistakes in the text, i'm not a native speaker :)
 
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Hi there, welcome to TPU!

I think you'll find your Windows 7 disk is only suitable for the motherboard that originally came with your Compaq, as it will have software and drivers integrated that are tailored to that particular model of machine. Your best bet is to borrow your friend's Windows 7 disk, and use the licence that was provided with your Compaq.

I hope this helps!
 
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Download Ultimate boot CD and burn it.
Put it on the PC and boot from it. Go to the HDD menu and then into Smart Boot Manager. Take out the Ultimate boot CD and put your Windows 7 DVD in. Select CD0 and press Enter. It should boot normally.

dhdude, Code 5 means that the boot sector is damaged or missing, nothing to do with being a compaq CD.

OP, are you using a recovery disc or a W7 disc? dhdude is right in that regard, you should use a Windows 7 disc and then use your activation key
 
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Thanks for your answers
I will try Ultimate boot CD.

I think you'll find your Windows 7 disk is only suitable for the motherboard that originally came with your Compaq
Windows XP was also shipped with the PC and runs without any issues, so why shoudln't run Windows 7?
 
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did a little research, seems this problem has something to do with a chipset not being properly supported, although I was seeing it was because of the ICH5 chipset, while your board has the ICH10 chipset (I'm talking about the southbridge chipset, not the northbridge chipset). From what I read, the problem, atleast with the ICH5 chipset, was solved by starting the install process while having Vista booted up and running. Just start your computer and boot into Vista, then put the 7 disk in your DVD drive and start the autorun exe. (if it doesn't start automatically). Here's one of the pages I got my info from- http://social.technet.microsoft.com...not-boot-from-cd-code-5?forum=w7itprohardware
 
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Ok, thanks for your research :)
This with vista I also found, but i don't have a vista cd, that's the problem
 
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are you using a recovery disc or a W7 disc?
I don't know; wait i can post some pictures of the cd's
haha, sorry, my pctures are to big to upload
 
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haha, thanks for the downloadlinks, i always thougt it is illegal to download OS :D
 
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no, it's perfectly legal. What's illegal is using fraudulent activation codes or using a cracked OS that doesn't need activation.
 
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okay
i am already downloading the files but I have a bad internet connection, so it take will take some time.
I responed, if the method works or not

Thanks all for your help
By the way, TPU is a great site with a great forum :)
 
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So, I burned Vista on an DVD.
Bevor I will install it, I booted XP and put the HP Restore Plus DVD (Compaq says you should start with this disk) in. The only .exe i found was etfsboot and when i open it, in cmd the message CDBOOT: Cannot boot from CD - Code 1 appears.
So is it worth to install vista and try it again, or are this disks not able to install Win 7 complete?
I would add a picture of this 3 disks, but the one I made with my mobilephone is too large.
The first is called HP Restore Plus!, the second Operating System DVD and the third Language Pack DVD.
To install Win XP I also used the HP Restore Plus DVD.

Is it possible to burn a normal Windows 7 DVD and use the Compaq key?
 
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Is it possible to burn a normal Windows 7 DVD and use the Compaq key?

Yes, though you may have to use to phone activation method. Keep in mind, as far as Microsoft is concerned, that new motherboard constitutes a new computer, so they will want you to purchase a new activation code. Never tell them your motherboard went bad when activating Windows. Always tell them your hard drive crashed.
 

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@christoph_789: yes, you can also download W7 from the digital river site, which I don't have handy now, bc I am at work, and use your W7 key.

Yes, though you may have to use to phone activation method. Keep in mind, as far as Microsoft is concerned, that new motherboard constitutes a new computer, so they will want you to purchase a new activation code. Never tell them your motherboard went bad when activating Windows. Always tell them your hard drive crashed.

Also, in addition to what Barbaric Soul said, sometimes you can activate by entering a series of codes and countercodes that MS will instruct you on, instead of calling. The correct answer on an OEM copy of windows, when it asked how many times this copy has been installed is: 1.
 
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Thank you, everything worked fine :)
 
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