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Can no longer install OS

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6 replies

by bulldoggy_27

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When I originally received a computer i installed winXP and ran fine. After his kids messed with things later on we wiped the hd and tried to reinstall everything. XP was not able to reinstall however win 98 installed fine. That was some time ago, now I am trying to load any OS and it the only thing it does is a reboot. Usually within the area. Anyone have any ideas ?

6 replies

by oz_media

Sounds like you ahve a bad BIOS, if it is a home built PC, chech with the mother board manufacturer for a BIOS update.
If it is a Compaq, IBM or other name brand PC, check with the manufacturers site for BIOS updates for your machine.
If the PC came with a preinstalled OS, it is likely that you have a recovery CD. In which case use the original recovery CD or contact the manufacturer for a copy (may cost you $10-$20).

by thechas

Start by booting up from a W98 startup floppy.

Run fdisk /mbr

Run fdisk again, and delete ALL logical drives and partitions.

Exit fdisk and re-boot.

Run fdisk, and partition the hard drive as desired.

For W98, reboot and format at least the C: drive.
Insert your CD and run setup.

For XP, boot up from the XP CD.
Install XP.

If you still have problems, it is likely hardware related. In order of suspicion:
RAM
CPU
Motherboard.

Chas

by pctech

Hi,
The answers given are good answers. You may also want to disable the onboard cache until after you have Windows installed.

I hope this helps.

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