Clean install on SSD keeps failing at Detecting Devices..

Hello everyone...

I have a brand new Acer Predator AG3620. It has an Intel I7, 12 GB of RAM and an NVIDIA GeForce GT 630 2GB video card. It shipped with a 2 TB hard drive and Windows 8 which worked fine.

I installed a Mushkin Chrone 240GB SSD drive and wanted to install a clean copy of Windows 8 on there to remove all the Acer bloatware. This is where my life ended... After an unfortunate series of incidents, I am finally at the point where the BIOS (or whatever they call it these days) recognizes and boots from the drive. However, the Windows 8 installation will not complete.

It gets to "Detecting Devices" and after it gets to 69%, 72% or 79% (it changes all the time), the system reboots and I get an error message, "The computer restarted unexpectedly or encountered an unexpected error. Windows installation cannot proceed. To install Windows, click "Ok" to restart the computer, and then restart the installation." After searching tirelessly for a solution, I realized that Acer had a BIOS update which I installed and I am STILL having the same problem.

I suspect there is some type of hardware compatabilty issue but I am not aware of any logfile that can help guide me. I have done this installation about 20 times in the last few days and it is absolutely maddening. It just WILL NOT work! I have read every post I could find and tinkered with every setting in the BIOS, port on the motherboard and SATA cable I have. I have gone from ACHI to IDE, unplugged the original hard drive, unplugged every device other than the monitor, etc. You name it, I have done it.

I have been at this for days and I am really at my wit's end. I really hope someone out here can give me some advice or further troubleshooting steps. Thanks for reading and thanks in advance for your help!

Your suspicions are correct. I have had the same problem on several different models, since the earlier public previews. There have been three or four solutions offered, even on this site, none of which have worked. In particular are older HP models, especially the Envy15, but some Acers are also experiencing the problem.
Bu you could be lucky. Do you not have any restore disks which you could experiment with? Final solution for you is, of course, to return the old HD to the machine and hope all is well.
Popular theory is that it is the graphics card. This idea doesn't sit well with me, as when I have encountered that particular problem with other machines, it merely reverts to the Default VGA screen, which, of course, it has been using right through the install process.

Don't get me started on HP! This is actually my SECOND new PC and SECOND SSD drive. This story is part of a much longer saga. It is all going in my book one day.

There is a restore disk that I need to create but I don't have a 16GB thumb drive. That is my absolute final resort which I will try tomorrow but that is going to leave me with an Acerized Windows 8. I wanted a clean copy.

I empathize! But if you prowl around here, there are several posts with good advice on ridding yourself of the bloatware. Someone will surely pop up on this thread with a good solution.

How to make Acer Recovery disks.

Using Acer Recovery Management to Restore Windows 8

Create a Acer Factory Default Backup in Windows 8


You can Order Acer recovery disks from here:

https://secure.tx.acer.com/RCDB/Main.aspx?brand=acer

I am going to try the recovery disc route today. I am concerned that that still might not work though. I have introduced foreign matter (an SSD) to the system so it is not exactly as it is shipped. Isn't the recovery disc built for the EXACT shipping configuration?

If THAT doesn't work I guess I will try WIndows 7, but I fear that might have the same issue...

Just a quick update to this mess...

Unless my previous computer, Acer requires you to copy the recovery disc to a 16 GB USB drive. It will not accept DVDs. So I had to go buy one...

It took a couple of hours to install using the recovery disc but it did indeed work! I now have Windows installed on the SSD, and the original 2 TB hard drive as the secondary. I really wanted a clean copy of Windows 8 but it just does not look possible with my current configuration.

On the bright side, Windows boots up in about 5 seconds once the logo appears. Pretty sick!

Well done.