Can't load setup
I'm working on a new system that's using a hard drive that has win2k installed on it from another system it was used in.
First boot, it froze on the "Starting Windows" white timeline bar at the bottom of the screen.
Second boot, BSOD.
Third boot it tells me I need to run the repair from the setup CD.
Those steps were me trying to boot from the hard drive. Now, I attempted to boot from the installation CD:
I get into setup, and select the console repair because I'd never used either and randomly selected the first. It gave me a command prompt, so I typed "exit" to reboot and use the second repair method.
When I rebooted, I got this message as it was loading setup: "File \ntkrnlmp.exe could not be loaded. The error code is 4. Setup cannot continue. Press any key to exit."
I have gotten several variations of this error, naming other files as well but it mostly names that one.
-Double checked all connections
-IDE cable have been swapped out - they're fine
-CD drive has been swapped out - it's fine
-Reset BIOS
-Tried another WIN2K CD - same problem.
-Jumpers on both CD and hard drive are correct
-Voltages/system stability seems to all be fine
-Memory came from my main rig - it's good.
Most of the components are brand new, including the PSU which is a 330W Antec true power.
I can't even reformat if I can't get into the stupid setup tool. Any thoughts?
//Edited for clarity 11:50am 10/12/03
First boot, it froze on the "Starting Windows" white timeline bar at the bottom of the screen.
Second boot, BSOD.
Third boot it tells me I need to run the repair from the setup CD.
Those steps were me trying to boot from the hard drive. Now, I attempted to boot from the installation CD:
I get into setup, and select the console repair because I'd never used either and randomly selected the first. It gave me a command prompt, so I typed "exit" to reboot and use the second repair method.
When I rebooted, I got this message as it was loading setup: "File \ntkrnlmp.exe could not be loaded. The error code is 4. Setup cannot continue. Press any key to exit."
I have gotten several variations of this error, naming other files as well but it mostly names that one.
-Double checked all connections
-IDE cable have been swapped out - they're fine
-CD drive has been swapped out - it's fine
-Reset BIOS
-Tried another WIN2K CD - same problem.
-Jumpers on both CD and hard drive are correct
-Voltages/system stability seems to all be fine
-Memory came from my main rig - it's good.
Most of the components are brand new, including the PSU which is a 330W Antec true power.
I can't even reformat if I can't get into the stupid setup tool. Any thoughts?
//Edited for clarity 11:50am 10/12/03
0
Comments
You're trying to boot off the CD? or boot off the HD?
That kernel is a multiprocessor kernel. Is the machine multi processor? Same motherboard/chipset/proc as the old machine?
When I try to boot from the 2K CD, it gives me that "couldn't load file" error.
The mobo is a new ASUS right out of the box, as is the CPU which is an AMD 2500.
The hard drive is a WD 120GB, also fairly new but was used for about a month in an older system.
It is not a multiprocessor system. Also note that that is just the file it usually says it has a problem with. It's given me other ones as well.
I would wipe the hard drive if I could boot from ANYTHING... even a win98 floppy won't work because the drive is NTFS.
Another update: I tried an old 4 gig hard drive in there and tried to boot from CD again. Same error message so it is not the HD's fault either.
You may have a bad install CD - I've had similar errors that were corrected by getting a different install CD.
Also, (I love saying this): Check your memory. Bad memory can make for stupid installs.
I tried 2 different install CDs and got the same problem... I don't find it very likely that both went bad at the same time in almost identical ways.
The memory went straight from my main rig where it wored perfectly onto this new system. I'll yoink a different stick when I get back there later in the day and try that one too, but if it died in that short amount of time I'll be very surprised.
I would install Win2K with FAT32 just to keep things simple, and then use the CONVERT command at the command line after the OS is installed.
convert C: /fs:ntfs
omgwtfitwasthememory...
thank you to everyone who continues to humor me as i try to fix the computer of everyone i know in 2 counties...
Hopefully...
Bluescreens? Check memory.
Setup screwy? Check memory.
Restarting at boot? Check memory.
Can't get past post? Check memory.
Games crashing? Check memory.
Can't install windows? Check memory.
All these emergency help threads have me telling people to check their memory, and I've been right. It's teh funniez.
When you OC pre-OC'd RAM you get slow (month to 6 months) death from heat typically, and creeping data corruption.
If you want to OC, you want CAS 2 of speed you need to start with or the next speed range up-- if you go next speed up and board will post, increase CAS one step before even trying to install an O\S, adn the ohtre parms often have to get increased one step to next higher number also. Anything CAS 3 is OUT for OCing unless you step the rest of the parms higher propotionately to specs for RAM from mfr website. With very good CAS 2.5 RAM you will have about a 20-25% OC max available for the RAM, and you will throw off timings going higher unless you step up the RAM parms to slow the RAM down in relation to rest of system.
CAS and the other parms can be stepped slower to slow down RAM that is edgy versus rest of board, but you will get O\S glitches of minor sorts if you go out of range for the actual modules in either direction more than one step either way. Higher numbers are SLOWER, in fact the BIOS uses some of them to calc a WAIT STATE for CPU writing to RAM timing so CPU does not try to overwrite RAM.
CAS 2 is FASTER than CAS 2.5 or 3.
Example:
If you get a board that mis-recognizes RAM and sets a slower BUS rate (like DDR200 versus DDR266), you can do one of two things-- you can accept slow rate, or set RAM to 6, 2.5, 3, 3 and the forced rate of DDR266 and see if it takes IF your settings where 5, 2, 2, 2 when the BIOS said it was DDR200.
Best way to test settings:
Best way to do this is to get a RAM tester of software type that boots from floppy and have it test RAM BEFORE you load O\S as you can get a corrupt O\S INSTALL with wrong RAM settings (install process uses RAM heavily, and if RAM is slower than BIOS thinks you get dropouts in RAM I\O resulting in junk written to HD as install unarchives things) and then get a mess that loops until you DO validate RAM. Several companies make burnin software that has RAM test modules, and burnin needs to be done in part BEFORE you install an O\S and do rest of burnin with system's O\S of choice loaded. In essence, a VERY GOOD burnin has a machine configuration validation phase.
John.
Please keep in mind that no version of Windows is currently running.
TIA,
Paul