Win XP wont install :(

Jimborae

Ok, odd problem I've not had before. Trying to install Win XP in a brand new Maxtor hard disk and Windows copies the installation files fine but when it reboots to start the install proper it errors saying it cant an operating system.

Tried different installation disks, different drives, all other hardware checks out, ran powermax diagnostic tools all is ok there.

Ideas anyone.

Cheers

Jim

Tex

Is it the only hard disk attached?

Tex

Jimborae

Yep, bare install, just th absolute minimum attached.

Jimborae

Got it sorted, left it overnight doing a proper low level format, entered a 1 second delay transaction in the bios & hey presto Winblows installs without a hiccup.

Only trouble now is that i'm falling a sleep at my desk cos I only got 4 hours kip, the box isn't fully loaded with drivers & the guy who's buying it is coming round 15mins after I get back from work. Computers, don't you just love 'em.

Tex

Jim baby I realy need to get you into the unattended installs trick. Win XP with all your custom drivers and all your normal applications installed in one easy step. Just pick the disk to format and install to and everything else is automated. Just walk away and come back in a couple hours.

Tex

maximusbad

Tex,

Hey i would like to know how to do that if you could tell me how, i hate sitting there installing Windows

Tex

Seach for posts here from me on unattended installs. I described the basic process and included sample answer files as attachments.

I make mine on dvd or dvd-ram disks as I have a ton of applications like Office XP, photoshop, nero etc..

won't all fit on a cd. PM or email me for help as we don't need to hijack this thread.

Tex

Jimborae

Tex wrote:

Jim baby I realy need to get you into the unattended installs trick. Win XP with all your custom drivers and all your normal applications installed in one easy step. Just pick the disk to format and install to and everything else is automated. Just walk away and come back in a couple hours.

Tex

Thanx Tex, I'll do the search for your posts as installing with Office XP, Photochop etc would be cool & save a bunch of time.

Although you've been threatning to do a guide to partioning & installing the Tex way for years now.

Now where's my pillow, err I mean coffee.

Tex

I just firmly believe there are reasons to not cut a disk up into a gazillion smaller partitions like many suggest. I never do more then three anymore even on a huge disk usually. And we used to always want stuff on the rim for the most speed. That works on a benchmark but in real life having the OS for example nearer the middle where the heads have to travel a shorter distance to either end of the disk can work out better. To make the heads travel from the rim to the back is a lot longer then from the middle to either rim. In real life with ide especially you want the heads to travle as short a distance as possible. The STR on modern ide drives is really very very good but the seek times are still pretty horrid.

Remember benchmarks can lie and don't always predict the best setup in real life. You gotta sit back sometimes and see the big picture to see through the half truths and lies often reported as fact on the internet. Just because someone wrote an article on the internet doesnt mean it's true. Any nitwit with a keyboard can publish an article on the internet and if you have read many reviews or articles on web sites you know what I mean.

Tex