Re-installing XP after format c:\ command

menearato

I inserted the XP disc, let everything load, pressed R for repair, and when the drive prompt came up typed 1 for C:. When the administrator password prompt came up, I just hit enter so that I could enter commands. The command I entered was chdir C:\, then format C:\. After this format was complete, the XP disc's install screen (by boot) will not respond to R (Repair), Enter (New Installation), nor F3 (Quit). How can I install XP with such a problem? Thanks

jemswhite

menearato wrote:

I inserted the XP disc, let everything load, pressed R for repair, and when the drive prompt came up typed 1 for C:. When the administrator password prompt came up, I just hit enter so that I could enter commands. The command I entered was chdir C:\, then format C:\. After this format was complete, the XP disc's install screen (by boot) will not respond to R (Repair), Enter (New Installation), nor F3 (Quit). How can I install XP with such a problem? Thanks

Hi Menearato,
I think that the bootable CD is corrupted so I think that you should insert the new Bootable CD and then try?

RichD

A CD cannot corrupt as such. In order for something to corrupt the data has to change and once the CD has been burned (unles it is CDRW) it cant be changed. It could be scratched but I would then expect to get a read error.

Its been a while since I set up XP. I don't think it is a BIOS problem as you are able to boot from the CD but it may be worth flashing your BIOS to the latest version.

Is this a home built PC?

menearato

This is an old dell b2110 or something. I'm not at home, otherwise I would check. The CD works fine as far as I can tell. I think if I had formatted the normal way (getting rid of partitions), I would have been all right. I didn't look online on what to do before I did it. Does BIOS allow for commands to be issued? If so, how do I do that, and how would I update mine (in case the update is needed for typing commands). I've formatted my PC many times, but I think I did it differently/incorrectly this time, and I'm stuck with the results.

RichD

OK, BIOS stands for Basic Input Output System. It controls the basic functionality of your core components. You cant issue commoands from it as such.

This might sound a bit crazy but try disconnecting your hard drive and see if it responds then. You wont be able to do the install but if you have a hardware issue that might cause things to become unstable.

Why did you format in the first place?

menearato

Will try the unplugging...without the hard drive connected though, the next screen (after pressing R or Enter) will show no partitions, so this page might mess up. Also, do I unplug it before I try to boot, or after I'm at the R, Enter, F3 screen? As a hardware problem, would it be my hard drive in that case that's messed up? I had a virus on my hard drive that opened internet explorer in the background every ten minutes and after a certain amount of time I would hear Olay commercials and weird stuff through my speakers. Thanks for all the help everyone! I will try to get it working, and if I don't, I may be complaining on here just a little more :P

RichD

NEVER UNPLUG YOUR HARD DISK WHILE THE PC IS ON.

You are correct when you say that the screen after pressing R or Enter will not show any partitions. However at the minute you installation is freezing as soon as as you get to the screen where you press enter or r? correct? If so we need to work out what is causing the installation to freeze.

If you can get further than this screen then don't unplug the HD just let us know how far you can get.

menearato

You are right on when the screen freezes. I tried the unplugging of the hard drive, it still froze at the R, Enter, F3 options screen. My CD is titled "Reinstallation CD Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition Including Service Pack 1a." I tried this CD on my dad's computer (which is the one I'm on), and it worked like normal (at least with R, and it went to the black screen that mine went to). Normally, I think other people's discs go to a blue screen that talks about partitions and unpartitioned space; even my dad's CD "Reinstallation DVD Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Version 2005 with Update Rollup 2" showed a blue partitions screen when he recently formatted his. I would use his XP, but I don't have a DVD-R. So my HD is good, I guess, and my CD is good too. Any more thoughts?

RichD

Can you please find the exact model number?

Your symtoms could be caused by bad memory, a dying PSU or a dying HD however I find it odd that you didn't have any system freezes before you formatted.

Please don't take offence at this but your methodology of formatting was a little odd. When you re-install XP you can get the installer to format your drive during the installation so there is no need to format the drive prior to re-installing.

Also it is possible to cure most virus infections without formatting and re-installing; that said, that doesn't help us now.

Could you also please take a photo of you install disk and attach it in your next post? The re-install process can be done in a number of ways and it is very rare for prebuilt machines to be shipped with a full Windows Installation disk.

Therefore I need more info about the Installation Disk and your system so that I can find out how a restore should be done

menearato

The computer is a Dell Dimension 3000, Service Tag GGRZP51. I've included a picture of the CD that came with the system. I'm wondering whether you know anything about the Windows 7 $30 deal for students...I would use this deal, if the download of Windows 7 from Microsoft.com onto a CD made a reliable Windows boot disc (for solving this problem).

RichD

Im not familiar with that deal but my worry is that you may have a hardware fault on your PC. In which case it wont matter matter what CD you put in, it still wont boot.

Try creating a Memtest bootable CD. Download the Bootable CD ISO from here. Unzip the ISO file and burn the image to a blank cd. You may need something like nero to Burn the ISO. Dont just copy the ISO file onto your cd and burn a data disk as this wont work.

Once you have your CD insert it into your PC and try to boot from it. This will tell you if you have any issues with RAM but more importantly it will confirm that your system will read a bootable CD and rule out a dying CD drive.

menearato

Well, don't I feel like a fool?! I figured out the hardware problem, batteries. My keyboard is wireless and needs batteries. Apparently it worked well enought for F12 to be pressed, and Enter for the CD boot (twice), but not well enough for R, Enter, or F3 later on. That seems weird, but right now I am installing XP again. I thank everyone so much for your help, and for helping me get through my own ingnorance of this PC stuff. I know somewhere along the line, someone will have this same problem (without my simple solution of 2 AA's) and get mad for not having a solution, but I couldn't figure it out this whole time, and still can't. So I'm sorry future me. Still, thanks again so much everyone, esp. RichD!!!