Join or sign in Register for your free TechRepublic membership or if you are already a member, sign in using your preferred method below. Use Your Email Use FacebookUse Linkedin

Can’t Install XP

Locked

When trying to install it gets to the “Windows is Starting” screen and hangs. I’ve swapped out the motherboard, power supply, memory, CD drive, hard drive, reset CMOS and it still hangs. The only thing not swapped out is the processor. If I put a HD with win98 it boots. Any ideas appreciated.

Topic

Reply To: Can’t Install XP

In reply to Can’t Install XP

Please provide the details of the hardware that u have now including everything. Then only one can tell the exact solution.

Thnx

Reply To: Can’t Install XP

In reply to Can’t Install XP

It sounds like you are using a hard drive that already has windows installed or partially installed. Do you have the computer set to boot to CD so you can put the XP CD in and have the computer boot to it so you can install? If you reset the CMOS it most likely defaulted back to trying to boot first to the Floppy drive and then the hard drive so it isn’t looking to the CD drive for a CD to use for booting.

Reply To: Can’t Install XP

In reply to Reply To: Can’t Install XP

I am booting from the cd, it runs through install from the cd but locks at the place I mentioned above. Thanks.

Reply To: Can’t Install XP

In reply to Can’t Install XP

Try formatting the harddrive using another cd. OR If you have two harddrives run windows on the other, format the secondary drive, swap the drives and then run a fresh install.

If that doesn’t work, I’d say move that harddrive to another box and load it on as the master drive there, it could be that there is some sort of specific hardware conflict on your machine, If it doesnt work on another computer either you have two options:
1)You have a bad harddrive, see if you can get it replaced, or buy a new one
2)You have a bad Windows Disk, which you can take the necessary steps to alleviate.

The only other explanation would be that there is some sort of problem with using THAT windows disk on THAT harddrive, but i’ve never heard of a harddrive that isnt compatible with windows.

Good luck.
-Matt

Reply To: Can’t Install XP

In reply to Reply To: Can’t Install XP

I swapped the current drive to anothe computer, it works. I installed a new hard drive in the problem computer and tried using another XP Pro cd, that did not work. I have swapped out everything but the processor. Although it boots to a WIN98SE o/s.

Reply To: Can’t Install XP

In reply to Can’t Install XP

Delete and re-create the partitions if you have not already done-so.

Reply To: Can’t Install XP

In reply to Reply To: Can’t Install XP

Tried a known good drive so don’t think it is a partition problem.

Reply To: Can’t Install XP

In reply to Can’t Install XP

Would need some more information as to what hardware you are using.

But, here are a couple of things. When you say you swapped out the motherboard, was it the exact same motherboard? How old is the motherboard?

One thing you can try and it has worked for me is to update the BIOS. I had a problem installing XP on an older system and after updating the BIOS, I was able to install XP.

Reply To: Can’t Install XP

In reply to Reply To: Can’t Install XP

Put in a new motherboard of the same make/model.

Reply To: Can’t Install XP

In reply to Can’t Install XP

Windows XP uses Speedstep v.2 automatically. This can cause a problem with chipsets that only support Intel Speedstep v.1. If you have an Intel board, and it supports speedstep, disable it in the BIOS, then try to reinstall.

Reply To: Can’t Install XP

In reply to Reply To: Can’t Install XP

The only thing Intel on the board is the processor

Reply To: Can’t Install XP

In reply to Can’t Install XP

As you haven’t told us what hardware you are using I can only offer a generic explanation for your problem.

If you are using a P4 CPU and have not updated the BIOS and are attempting to install XP with SP2 this is exactly what you will get as there are different timing issues involved with SP2 which require a BIOS update to the latest version.

To test the CPU download the Ultimate Boot Cd from

http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/

Boot off this CD once you have made it and run diagnostics on both the M’Board, CPU & RAM if there are any problems they should show up in this testing. You can also run a HDD diagnostic just to make sure that the HDD is working OK as well.

Col

Reply To: Can’t Install XP

In reply to Reply To: Can’t Install XP

This system was running fine for over a year. Started having problems booting into Windows, then just would not boot into Windows.

Reply To: Can’t Install XP

In reply to Can’t Install XP

If you don’t have bad sectors in ur HDD. It seems that your instalation CD from u r installing the Windows Xp. is not working properly or its having one or more drivers currupted. Try to install from other CD. & don’t forget to check the minimum memory requirment for Windows Xp

Reply To: Can’t Install XP

In reply to Reply To: Can’t Install XP

Tried several different CD’s, no luck. BIOS should not be an issue since the computer ran fine for over a year.

Reply To: Can’t Install XP

In reply to Can’t Install XP

HI m8,
I have come across the same problem many times… what worked for me is… change the VGA card and check or simply use a different windows XP cd… dont make a copy of the corrent cd… just use a new windows XP cd’s… maybe my answer sounds simple but it had worked for…

Reply To: Can’t Install XP

In reply to Reply To: Can’t Install XP

The video card is on-board. I did put another card in though and that did not help.

Reply To: Can’t Install XP

In reply to Can’t Install XP

prior to installation, just make you hardware setup very standard like, do not add any PCI cards(MODEMS/etc..).leave the VGA in its place.

from BIOS setup select CD to boot first.(no other changes).

leave the processor/(w/fan) as it is.

select the right required partitions, keep windows 98 seperately from windows xp.

I’ll can still assist you if you want..

Reply To: Can’t Install XP

In reply to Reply To: Can’t Install XP

Pulled the modem (only non-onboard card)still did not work.

Reply To: Can’t Install XP

In reply to Can’t Install XP

There is no doubt about you have a portion of windows in your hard drive,clean it first and before installing,go to setup and disable ACPI PME and disable plug and play aware OS don’t ask me how or why ,i don’t know but this probleme nearly drove me crazy but it did work
And this happened to me tens of times
sincerely,good luck

Reply To: Can’t Install XP

In reply to Can’t Install XP

Well down load the ultimate boot CD and do some diagnostics. I had exactly the same problem recently where a LAN card had gone bad and it saved so much time being able to diagnose the fault without pulling the entire thing apart and reloading then reinstalling one thing at a time until I found the faulty component.

Remember that just because it has previously worked in that configuration it doesn’t mean that something hasn’t failed and it is easier to diagnose problems by doing tests rather than just looking at the system components which may look fine but no longer work.

Col

Reply To: Can’t Install XP

In reply to Can’t Install XP

Question; are you installing XP to a drive that has a version of windows on it? If not this is a problem with a XP upgrade, it needs to be loaded to the same drive.

Reply To: Can’t Install XP

In reply to Reply To: Can’t Install XP

I wiped the original drive, even put in a new unformatted drive. I did install Linux SUSE and it works just fine, works fine if you install Windows 98SE too.

Reply To: Can’t Install XP

In reply to Can’t Install XP

I wanted to try this one more time. If I am wrong then sorry, but, if you are upgrading from something of windows to windows XP, the XP install requires a version of windows be on the hard disk you are installing to (example windows 98 operating system files), if not, it will not complete correctly, and you will get various errors. I just wanted to make sure you were doing an install from a non-upgrade disk (therefore a full license disk) to an unformated disk, otherwise it will fail to complete the install correctly.

Reply To: Can’t Install XP

In reply to Can’t Install XP

Turns out it was the processor. I purchased a new processor and was able to install XP. Never seen this before.

Reply To: Can’t Install XP

In reply to Can’t Install XP

This question was closed by the author

[Author]

Replies