So far my attempts at re-installing XP have met with scant results. Trying to format the disk prompts the following message:
Windows cannot format this drive. Quit any disk utilities or any other programmes that are using the drive, and make sure no window is displaying the contents of the drive. Then try formatting again.
So I have removed everything from my computer except XP and tried to boot my brand new XP Cd rom by going into the BIOS start up menu and changing the boot up sequence...and met with resounding failure. No matter how I change the boot up sequence, the computer continues to boot from the main drive.
So, that leaves three options. Partitioning, or using Oleg's Win98 method. I've been looking at the partitioning 'how to' guide on the microsoft site and it still requires changing the boot up sequence... Argh!
Its enough to do my head in. I'm tempted to simply go with the third option and buy a new (and bigger) hard drive and be done with it.
5 comments:
Strange about the boot sequence snafus. I've never seen this not work.
Depending on how much troubleshooting you want to do, you could detach the hard drive completely and see if you can boot from the CD at all.
BIOS settings are held in writable NVRAM (non-volatile RAM). Is there some switch on the motherboard that is protecting this RAM from being written to? It's unlikely, but I've been surprised before.
Had you ever changed the boot sequence successfully before?
Try to make a bootable floppy, or just stick a blank floppy in the floppy drive and try to boot from the floppy drive.
How old is your computer? Early-model computers can't boot from the CD, though I think we're talking 5 years old or older.
See if you can run a utility called FDISK. FDISK can do partitioning. With FDISK, you can destroy the partition, making your hard drive unbootable. This is a one way operation. That way, you can ignore the boot sequence b/c booting from the hard drive will fail, causing a subsequent attempt from the CD. FDISK was a DOS program way back when. It may not be on your current main drive, but it might be on your CD.
Is you XP CD an upgrade version of Windows or a new install version? New install versions sometimes will not install on computers that already have XP installed. It's stupid, but there it is.
this is why i use linux, I was wondering where you have been.
Is there some switch on the motherboard that is protecting this RAM from being written to?
Nope.
Had you ever changed the boot sequence successfully before?
I don't recall, but the last time I did anything like this, my friend Oleg did the tinkering. That was when I replaced Win98 with XP.
Try to make a bootable floppy, or just stick a blank floppy in the floppy drive and try to boot from the floppy drive.
Indeed I will! Oleg is bringing a floppy with him next time he comes by. With luck he can figure this out. He's not in your league of course, but he has a headpiece for this sort of thing!
See if you can run a utility called FDISK. FDISK can do partitioning. With FDISK, you can destroy the partition, making your hard drive unbootable. This is a one way operation. That way, you can ignore the boot sequence b/c booting from the hard drive will fail, causing a subsequent attempt from the CD. FDISK was a DOS program way back when. It may not be on your current main drive, but it might be on your CD.
Hmmm.... this sounds a bit hairy... If all else faisl though, I think I might just try this and go out with a bang!
=)
Is you XP CD an upgrade version of Windows or a new install version? New install versions sometimes will not install on computers that already have XP installed. It's stupid, but there it is.
Not only is it a new version, but its a Danish language version, which according to its troube shooter function means that it is incompatable with the current English version I have on the computer. The trouble shooter tells me that this will cause installation to fail... which is why I was trying to erase all data on the hard drive first.
Bucket
I am cast adrift on the vast broiling tide of the sea of Gates.
there's a software package called Partition magic that is an excellent tool and is bootable from the cd drive. with it, you could probably safely resize the current parition and hide it, make a second, empty partition and install into it.
bucket, I'm a linux user as well, but my latest compaq laptop uses an ATi chipset which lacks a usable linux driver.
Bucket, this is Ken.
Ken, this is Bucket.
=)
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