[hambubba]

Using the original 7100 RC, not dl'd from microsoft, but with the correct file hash.

1gig, 16gb, no problems in over 2 weeks of running win7 with all functions running, no vlite stripping.

[holmes4]

I'm the "other member" Mo referred to. While I have not had a problem on my Mini, my desktop system hosed an almost-new WD 1TB GP drive a couple of reboots after I upgraded from build 7000 to 7100. It had been operating fine before that with no SMART errors or warnings.

After that reboot, the drive "appeared" as 0GB, even when I took the drive and connected it to two other PCs. WD's diagnostic program said that the drive did not respond to the controller. I'm RMAing it.

I can't say with certainty that W7 did this - I can't see how it could - and I have heard of others having similar problems with this WD model.

[zrtom]

holmes4,
Did you upgrade, as you said, or was it a fresh install?
I know "upgrade" installs are not recommended although most folks (myself included in a couple cases) have done it successfully.

[holmes4]

It was an upgrade.

[Dreizehn]

Yea, Microsoft recommends only using upgrade if it's from Vista, otherwise should do a fresh install.

No problems (on hard drive) so far, using Win7 on both PC (Dell dimention 4700, 5 years old already, but running w/o a hitch) and Mini 9.

Versions used (on both): 7000, 7048, 7057, 7100

[Eman]

I was dual booting XP and 7 (beta) on my old Dell 600m just fine. I wiped the beta partition and did a fresh install of RC1 when it came out, hard drive immediately died. At first, I thought it was a bad install, but when I tried to reinstall, 7 gave me a message saying the hard drive was bad and it couldnt install onto that drive. Somehow, I kept clicking through and it let me install, but I get random restarts. Chkdsk won't finish, just keeps restarting. Neither XP or RC1 functions now, had to buy a new HDD.

[holmes4]

Originally Posted by Dreizehn

Yea, Microsoft recommends only using upgrade if it's from Vista, otherwise should do a fresh install.

Are you seriously suggesting that doing an upgrade, which is supported from some builds and documented how to do from others, is responsible for the disk being hosed?

In another forum section, I saw another user have the SSD stop working after (actually during) a clean install of Win7.

[tadslippy]

Mo was helping me out as well. FWIW, I installed a vlite version of win7 as soon as I got my refurb mini 9 this weekend. The 16gb SSD failed completely within hours.

The only thing removed from the iso where the languages, speech, and media center.

[Dreizehn]

Originally Posted by holmes4

Are you seriously suggesting that doing an upgrade, which is supported from some builds and documented how to do from others, is responsible for the disk being hosed?

In another forum section, I saw another user have the SSD stop working after (actually during) a clean install of Win7.

Here's a quick question/answer i saw on microsoft's website, the question is if windows will update automatically from Beta to RC, but read what he says:

Will the Win7 beta automatically update to the Release Candidate?

No, there is no automatic update of the Windows 7 Beta. You will need to do a "clean" installation of the Release Candidate, meaning everything on your computer will disappear when you install it. So, you'll need to back up all of your data, then put it back on your computer and reinstall all of your applications when you're finished.

I know I saw it somewhere in the FAQs or so. I'll post that once I find it again, just a quicker responce for the moment.

Edit:

Found it:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/faq.aspx

Can I upgrade directly from the Windows 7 Beta to the RC?

If you are running the Windows 7 Beta, you'll need to back up your data (preferably on an external device) and then do a clean installation of the Windows 7 Release Candidate. After installing Windows 7, you will need to reinstall applications and restore your files. If you need help with the installation process, please see the Installation Instructions.

Can I upgrade directly from Windows Vista to the RC?

Yes. If you're running Windows Vista, you can install Window 7 RC without having to back up and reinstall your programs and data. But to be on the safe side, please do back up your data before you start.

Can I upgrade directly from Windows XP to the RC?

If you are running Windows XP, you'll need to back up your data (preferably on an external device) and then do a clean installation of the Windows 7 Release Candidate. After installing Windows 7, you will need to reinstall applications and restore your files. If you need help with the installation process, please see the Installation Instructions.

So basically, it could be because of upgrading. I know microsoft doesn't recommend it considering the above quotes. However, you would have to contact Microsoft directly to see what they say. Of course, what they will say would be something like this: "We do not recommend upgrading from beta to RC. We are not responsible for any issues caused from the use of Beta software. Blah blah blah, your problem, good luck."

[holmes4]

Yes, that's what they tell the public. But there's also Engineering Windows 7 : Delivering a quality upgrade experience which tells you how to do it if you insist. In no circumstance should this result in killing a disk drive.