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Computer Help...Having troubles with Win 2000/XP Install
MYX:
I innitially tried a Win XP Disk and that failed at the same place. (I guess that would have been helpful info)
I have tried 2 CD Drives. I will try un connecting everything else and see where this gets me.
Here is going to show my install ignorance, but... How do I format a drive?
If I am at the Win2000 prompt can I still do this?
I can do many wonderful things with a computer when it is working, but trying to get it there is another story completely.
leapinlew:
--- Quote from: MYX on February 28, 2006, 05:41:47 pm ---I innitially tried a Win XP Disk and that failed at the same place. (I guess that would have been helpful info)
I have tried 2 CD Drives. I will try un connecting everything else and see where this gets me.
Here is going to show my install ignorance, but... How do I format a drive?
If I am at the Win2000 prompt can I still do this?
I can do many wonderful things with a computer when it is working, but trying to get it there is another story completely.
--- End quote ---
While installing the program - your given the option to delete the partion and recreate the partion. If you delete the partition both XP or 2k will ask you what file system to format it - choose NTFS and NTFS (Quick) if it has it.
Now your cooking with Gas!
leapinlew:
At this point though, I'm leaning towards some hardware -
memory, unecessary card installed (modem, nic, etc.), or the mobo itself.
Got any other history? For example: "the computer worked before I dropped it in the bathtub"
Good luck!
krick:
Sounds like a hardware problem to me too.
Remove all the cards except the video card.
How big is the hard drive?
How much memory and how many sticks?
The easiest (and fastest) was to format a drive is to use a CD from the HD manufacturer. You can usually download ISO disc images from their website. For Maxtor drives, it's called MaxBlast. Western Digital is called "Lifeguard Tools" or something like that. The other manufacturers have similar discs.
Oh, and as an aside...
If you feel adventurous, you can slipstream Win2K SP4 into a copy of your Win2K disc and burn it. In fact, there's a group that has made what's called the "Unofficial Windows 2000 Service Pack 5.1". This includes all the service packs up to and including SP4 as well as the Update Roll up and a ton of other microsoft patches...
http://www.war59312.com/win2ksp5.php
The slipstreaming process is pretty easy if you use nLite...
http://www.nliteos.com/
The benefit to doing all of this is that once you're finished your install, there's only a few windows updates to do instead of a hundred.
Oh, and while you're in there hacking, you can also modify the installer so it doesn't ask for the serial number. I think it fools the installer into thinking you have a corporate copy or something...
http://www.thetechguide.com/articles/win2kserial.html
Note that all that I describe above requires that you have an actual Win2K CD. Just so nobody thinks I'm advocating software piracy or anything.
PCtech:
--- Quote from: leapinlew on February 28, 2006, 05:55:47 pm ---At this point though, I'm leaning towards some hardware -
memory, unecessary card installed (modem, nic, etc.), or the mobo itself.
Got any other history? For example: "the computer worked before I dropped it in the bathtub"
Good luck!
--- End quote ---
Yeah, with XP and 2K, and 2 different hard drives (I didn't catch that before..DOH!...I'm kinda thinking Hardware as well.
Just out of curiosity were you trying to upgrade an older OS, or was it a new drive, or did some software go screwey and you decided to just reinstall the OS....maybe the bathtub scenario from above? ::)
Good Luck!