re-installing windows xp pro?(not sure if posted in the right place?)

angela_2107angela_2107
edited May 2005 in Science & Tech
Hi, hope someone can help?
I have bben fortunate enough to have been given a pc for my son (it is only around 12 months old). We were told that maybe we would be better doing a clean install of xp pro - (thats whats on it now) but have no idea why - i'm not too pc literate!
Is this the best way to go about things? Ii know that there are quite a lot of error messages on it and unused icons too - just looking for some words of wisdom on how to make the most of it - and maybe VERY simple instructions on how to do it too? Much apreciated :confused:

Comments

  • BlackHawkBlackHawk Bible music connoisseur There's no place like 127.0.0.1 Icrontian
    edited May 2005
    IMO, it's usually a good idea to reinstall every 6 months to a year. If you install and uninstall alot of programs, the OS gets a bit sluggish. Also "fixes" most if not all the software related problems.
  • angela_2107angela_2107
    edited May 2005
    How do i go about doins the instal?
    after reading on the internet it says i need to get my pc to boot from disk by entering the BIOS (?) to get my pc to boot from disk, i thought i had done this, but with no joy, but as i say - i am a complete biginner with this kinda stuff?
    Any help is much needed and apreciated
  • BlackHawkBlackHawk Bible music connoisseur There's no place like 127.0.0.1 Icrontian
    edited May 2005
    If you have an OEM PC (Dell, HP, etc), you should have a restore disc. Insert that, reboot and follow the instructions. If you bought XP seperatly, it should also be bootable. Here's a guide for that.
  • TexTex Dallas/Ft. Worth
    edited May 2005
    You have a XP cd for that computer right? Because you can't use one that you have installed on another computer. You won't be able to activate it and it will quit working in a couple weeks.

    If you have one then check in your bios and make sure in the section that sets the boot options that its set to boot from the cd FIRST before the hard drive.

    save the settings.

    Put the cd in and reboot. When it starts to boot it will BRIEFLY display at the bottom of the screen "searching for boot record on cdrom" or something close to that.

    If it finds it then it will say to " press enter to boot from the cd".

    ppress enter

    Then your on your way.

    Tex
  • angela_2107angela_2107
    edited May 2005
    The pc was one that was made by a friend for my brother - who conciquently gave it to us for my son!

    The xp disk is not booting - the only time i can get it to run is when the pc is already running? Any ideas what we are doing wrong?
  • BlackHawkBlackHawk Bible music connoisseur There's no place like 127.0.0.1 Icrontian
    edited May 2005
    Retail disk?
  • TexTex Dallas/Ft. Worth
    edited May 2005
    Your sure you have the bios set right to boot from the cd BEFORE teh hard disk
  • angela_2107angela_2107
    edited May 2005
    Hi there - it is the disk that my brother got with the computer
    when the pc is booting p it says that it is 'searching to boot from cd' - i press enter, but still no joy! argh
  • TexTex Dallas/Ft. Worth
    edited May 2005
    And your XP isnt as copy but a real disk?
  • TexTex Dallas/Ft. Worth
    edited May 2005
    It should say that and then if the cd is bootable it will NEXT say press enter to boot. It sounds like its not finding a boot record.
  • angela_2107angela_2107
    edited May 2005
    As far as i know it is a real disk, yeah.
  • angela_2107angela_2107
    edited May 2005
    Just spoken to him now - its a copy. he says it chould work ok, as it has for him in the past?
    would i be better going buying xp pro myself and taking it from there, or can i still re-install it?
  • csimoncsimon Acadiana Icrontian
    edited May 2005
    angela_2107 wrote:
    Just spoken to him now - its a copy. he says it chould work ok, as it has for him in the past?
    would i be better going buying xp pro myself and taking it from there, or can i still re-install it?

    not necessarily.
    I'm certain there is a bios setting preventing your installation.
    What motherboard are you trying to install with?

    It may help if you list the following so that we can better help:

    1.) motherboard mfg/model
    2.) cpu mfg/model
    3.) hard disk(s) size
    4.) cd drive(s)
    5.) ram quantity
  • angela_2107angela_2107
    edited May 2005
    Thanks
    Motherboard is asrock k7s41
    CPU and athlon xp 3000+
    hard disk space 74.4gb
    cd drive DVDRW DE1108
    RAM 192MB

    Hope this info is correct and of help?
  • SpinnerSpinner Birmingham, UK
    edited May 2005
    It just sounds like to me, your XP CD isn't bootable.

    The easiest way to work round this, presuming that's the problem, is to download this: http://www.short-media.com/download.php?d=68

    You'll need 6 blank floppy disks. The downloaded program will make you a set of startup boot disks that will act as a platform for your XP CD.

    All you need to do is set 'first boot' in your motherboards BIOS to FLOPPY (typically pressing the delete key when you first turn on your computer will allow you access the BIOS) and then once you've done that insert the 1st floppy disk upon POST (when your computer is first turned on) and then subsequently the remaining 5 when prompted. The CD will eventually take over.

    Let us know how you get on.

    Cheers
  • TexTex Dallas/Ft. Worth
    edited May 2005
    Her cd disk works in windows now. It takes twice as long but she could start the install from there anyway. It would copy teh files to the hard disk just like teh first phase of a xp boot install and then it reboots off the hard disk to continue anyway.

    Tex
  • HeartSmasherEliteHeartSmasherElite Microsoft OS Tech Support
    edited May 2005
    Your answer can be found here at http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic8356.html
    from rick :thumbsup:

    If you don't have SP2 order the disc for free from Microsoft
  • TexTex Dallas/Ft. Worth
    edited May 2005
    HeartSmasherElite wrote:
    Your answer can be found here at http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic8356.html
    from rick :thumbsup:

    If you don't have SP2 order the disc for free from Microsoft

    Did you even bother to read what her problem is here?

    From your link... I quote ...

    "Step 2: Begin the repair process
    You must boot from your XP or 2000 CD."

    Now how was that link helpful? We can all help walk her through fixing her problem IF SHE COULD BOOT FROM THE CD. She can't.

    Tex
  • HeartSmasherEliteHeartSmasherElite Microsoft OS Tech Support
    edited May 2005
    ...
  • angela_2107angela_2107
    edited May 2005
    Right!
    Finally got the original disk off my brother - this disk is bootable!
    I now have another issue!
    It boots from Cd. goes to install all the drivers etc, then says 'installing windows set up' nothing happens for ages and then i get a screen that states that an error has occured to re-boot??
    Argh this is so frustrating!

    Any ideas?
  • TexTex Dallas/Ft. Worth
    edited May 2005
    Trying to figure out how far its getting exactly. Did it get to the point that it does the reboot and starts displaying how many minutes are left on the install?

    Did it allow you to choose the partition to install to even?

    Make sure the cd is clean and not scratched also.

    Tex
  • angela_2107angela_2107
    edited May 2005
    no, it didnt get to even creating a partition let alone installing windows!
    It was a blue screen, and along the bottom - on a grey stripe it told you what was happening ie installing drivers etc then it said setting up windows then i got the screen?!
  • kefartkefart
    edited May 2005
    Hey I've had similar probs installing xp pro b4. A good idea (bu a stab in the dark) is to try formatting (any file system will do, just make the disk blank). Sometimes setup may clash wth some of the existing operating system files (especially if they are corrupt or changed a lot, which is usually the case if you haven't reinstalled in over a year) when it tries to identify whether you need to install or to repair etc.

    Kefart

    Kefart-cibbu.jpg
  • kefartkefart
    edited May 2005
    Ah geez dont pay any notice to my sig :shakehead
    I dont know what I was thinking...

    Kefart

    Kefart-cibbu.jpg
  • qparadoxqparadox Vancouver, BC
    edited May 2005
    Sounds like you might have a hardware problem .. to rule out memory download and run memtest from:

    http://www.memtest.org/

    You can put memtest onto either a floppy or download and burn the iso. You'll need to reboot and allow memtest to run a standard test (will probably take 5-15 minutes) and see if it passes.
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