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Win XP Pro sp1 install problems

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by edmarrero

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I?ve put together a PC for a neighbor who had a 3yr old Emachine that was driving him nuts. The only 2 pieces that I?m using from that machine are the HDD and the memory (192MB SDRAM). The HDD is 40GIG and had Win98SE on it. There was information from Emachines that showed on bootup.

Now when I attempted to load WinXP Pro SP1 from an OEM disk bought off Pricewatch website, it wouldn?t load. I went to "Bootdisk.com" and downloaded ?mrboot32? but as the system boots up disk 2 informs that ?ntkrnlmp.exe? is unable to load and I?m stuck again.

The new OS is also informing me that it also can?t find ?ntkrnlmp? on the CD.

Anyone out there have a solution? Thanks.

19 replies

by mark

I would test the RAM and Mainboard Cache. I use RST (RAM STRESS TEST) from http://ultra-x.com

Uh, I just re-read your question and it sounds like you are trying to use a hard disk preloaded with XP. This won't work cause the hardware is different. You need to get an XP installation CD.

by edmarrero

Just installed new Maxtor HDD and used the "Installation software" provided by them. Followed their instruction to proceed with OS setup; once again had the "File \i386\ntkrnlmp.exe could not be loaded" message and setup was aborted.

by ann777

The memory is the same as the old system... but that does not mean that the new systemboard accepts all types of SDRAM?

Are you mixing 133 and 100 or various types of RAM? Mixing can cause a problem in new systemboards, while in old systemboards, the system just goes down to the lowest.

Search the MS Knowledgebase. There's also a hotfix (file replacement for ntkrnlmp) that may get rid of the problem.

http://support.microsoft.com/?id=820128

by edmarrero

Read the hotfix, but doesn't it require that the OS already be installed before you can use it?

The mem chips are the exact ones from the old machine that ran together, and yes the motherboard (ASUS P4S533) can run either DDR or SDRAM in like pairs but not mixed. If they were mixed (100/133) in the old system Win98SE wouldn't have loaded at all; am I incorrect in the assumption?

by wcp

You have to be open minded.
RAMs that worked on Windows 98SE do not necessarily work on Windows 2000 or XP.

The error message you got when you were installing Windows XP typically is caused by RAM(s).
A bad CD-ROM or CD could be causing it too.
Try with a different CD-ROM and make sure the CD does not have any scratch mark or visible damage.

If you are sure the CD-ROM and CD are O.K., then it is most likely due to the faulty RAM(s) for Windows XP.
Do a diagnostic test as suggested in previous answer. If you do not want to do this, take out one RAM at a time and see if the installation can be finished. You may have to try with a RAM from other computer.

by jfortin1

First how are you trying to install WinXp and is it a full version or an upgrade version?

You should boot from the CD and reformat the hard drive when prompted.

The install should proceed normally.

If you have done this then install the memory in another computer and check it with Sisoft Sandra Lite which will report the speed of the chips you are using.

Lastly test the memory with memtest which is run from a boot floppy.

Sisoft Sandra and memtest can be downloaded.

by curacao_dejavu

Here you are:
During the text-mode portion of Windows Setup, Setup may stop responding (hang) and you may receive one of the following error messages:

The file I386\Ntkrnlmp.exe could not be loaded. The error code is 7.
-or-

The file I386\L_intl.nlf could not be loaded. The error code is 7.
As a result, you cannot install Windows.
CAUSE
This behavior can occur if either one of the following conditions is true:
There are incorrect settings in the computer's basic input/output system (BIOS) configuration.

-or-
One or more of the random access memory (RAM) modules that is installed on the computer is faulty.
RESOLUTION

mskb 318729]

solutions: look for a bios update and change memory.
make sure the cd doesn't have ny scratches and that the cddrive is w2k compatible, and you are set to go.

Leopold

by edmarrero

To all that touched on the mem, you were on the right track. Though the sticks were both PC100 SDRAM, one of the sticks was faulty. After exhausting all other avenues I was able to swap sticks for good ones and the install proceeded smoothly. Thank you all for the suggestions, this was my first lesson on faulty chips and one well learned. Thank you again!!!

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