I finally bit the bullet and purchased a CPU upgrade for my Agilent N9020A MXA signal analyzer in order to get a faster processor, change the OS from Win XP to Win 7, and install the latest instrument firmware. A few years ago I performed the same upgrade process on an N9010A EXA signal analyzer and it was straightforward. This time it was very different:
After backing up the calibration and license files, I removed my old CPU card and installed the new CPU card. The installation instructions said to expect the upgrade to take a while, and that there would be several automatic reboots, etc., so I powered up the MXA with the new CPU and sat back and waited. A couple of minutes later I looked up and saw that the upgrade process had halted with a Blue Screen of Death. The only option at that point was to cycle the power and start again.
This time the instrument booted up to the Keysight splash screen for a few seconds, then to a screen that said "Starting Windows" for another couple of seconds. The next screen to pop up said ""Setup is starting services" and the upgrade process stopped within a few seconds with this 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."
Clicking the "OK button caused the MXA to reboot, but then it repeated what it had just done, stopping at the same place with the same error message. I have searched extensively, but cannot find any information about this problem.
I reinstalled the old CPU and the MXA started up just fine and ran perfectly.
I considered doing a hard drive restore from the hidden partition and start the whole process over from scratch, but on boot up the selection screen to allow a restore flashes by in literally a half second, and I'm unable to select the restore option. It just defaults to starting Windows and trying to continue the installation process.
Any ideas on how to get around this problem and/or force a hard drive restore?
It's the weekend here, and Keysight is closed until Monday. Barring any resolution of this issue, I'll be giving them a call first thing Monday.
Thanks in advance for your ideas and insights!