Windows Forum

Ask something
Discussion Locked

XP Install Problem

0 helpful
15 replies

by mike o 1 view

Closed to new repliesThis discussion is closed. It stays readable, but it takes no new replies.

I have 10 identical machines -- same processors, motherboards, video cards, NICs, drives, etc., and identically configured as far as card placement and BIOS settings. I am working on installing Windows XP on them.

Five of the machines work like achamp. XP installed flawlessly.

On four others, I keep getting a blue screen after booting from the CD-ROM (the last box is down due to a bad monitor and, possibly, CPU). Every time, the CD setup goes through the drivers install and gets to the point where it waits for a prompt to either install or repair Windows XP.

If I let it sit at this point, I get an IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL error after ten seconds or so. If I tell it to start a fresh install, I get a Page File error.

I've looked them up on the Microsoft Knowledge Base and haven't had much luck with solutions. Based on another TechRepublican's suggestion, I've tried moving the NICs to different slots and pulling them completely, but unfortunately that hasn't worked, either.
Has anybody else run into these problems?

Take care,
Mike

15 replies

by cactus pete

Other than contacting MS [they're happy to help you upgrade] I'd say you've got hardware issues. Either heat, power, or poorly seated components. Take one apart and put it back together [cleaning along the way] to rid yourself of the last one... After that, try swapping parts, one by one, with another box...

by mike o

No luck here. Someone else suggested the NIC would be the problem, and I've reseated, moved, and removed the NIC without any luck. I've also tried pulling components from one of the working boxes temporarily and got the same problem. Thanks, though.

by airhockeyninja

Ok, here we go;

1. Check your RAM, this is a common one.
2. Disconnect EVERY unnecessary component from one of the PCs, you need RAM, CDROM, floppy (actually optional, but it makes it easier), Power Supply, Mobo, Keyboard, Mouse, and Monitor.
3. If that still doesn't work, try using sysprep on one of the running machines and making an image to apply to the other PCs.
4. If you're still having problems, Email me, maybe I can "run" through an attempted install with you.

Good luck!
Joe

by mike o

No luck here, either. I'm not familiar with sysprep, but at this point I'll try anything. I'm also going to take out the hard drive and try to do an install on one of the machines that it DID work under and see if that gets me anywhere.
Itook a drive out of one of the working machines and put it in one of the bad machines and Windows worked like a champ. I played around a bit, let it sit for a while, and did a shut down, and there was no sign of the BSOD.
Thanks for the help, I'lllet you know how the above goes.

by mike jones

Try gettings a dos boot disk and deleting all the partitions and starting again from scratch.

Also try creating the three setup disks.

I've had problems before where it won't install from the CD but will from the setup disks and the CD.

by mike o

There are no partitions on the disk yet. I'm about to try booting a Win98 startup floppy and putting a FAT partition on the drive and see if that helps.

How do I go about making the setup disks? I've not done that before, and I didn't see anything obvious on the XP CD-ROM...

Thanks.

by mike o

UPDATE, New Problem: I've booted from a Win98 startup disk and run FDISK. I immediately got an error saying "unable to access drive 2", but I only have one, factory-new hard drive in the system. If I do a change current fixed disk, I get the following information:

Disk 1: 19093 MB, 19093 Free, 0% Use.
Disk 2 is blank across the board.

by mike o

I intended to create the partitions during the install process, which I did on all five working machines, but I can't even get that far on these other four machines.
I've downloaded and created the six setup disks, but they don't appear tobe working either. I get through the sixth disk, "Please Wait..." appears at the bottom of the screen, and it just hangs. I've been waiting on it for about fifteen minutes now, so I guess it's a no-go.
Meanwhile the Win98 boot disk comes up fine, I created an active FAT partition, but of course I can't run the XP Setup under DOS. Arggghhh...

by mike o

Get this. I take a with a working installation of XP out of one of the working machines and stick it in one of the machines where the install crashes. Works like a champ. Take the hard drive out of the machine where the install isn't working and putit in the machine where the install worked, and I'm not having any problems.

by jockel_carter

Lets confirm a couple things.

You are getting the same error set on all of the four remaining machines?

These machines are OEM gear or self built clones?

Were these machines used for another operating system before the XP install?

If the hard drives were used for a different operating system prior to the XP install you may need something other than FDISK to clean up the drives. I would recommend the GDISK utility available through GHOST. It will display hidden drive partitions andallow you to fully clean up any drive formatting before attempting the install.
Is there someone else that could look at your physical settings and configurations? A different set of eyes may see something that was over looked.

by mike o

I am getting the same error on all four machines, yes. They are scratch-built PCs from parts sent by our vendor (Insight) -- I gave them the specs, they put together the machines. We assembled them ourselves to save money because we're a small high school district with a tremendous money crunch as is. These drives are factory new, never before used. Not sure what's up with the disk 1/2 thing. I had someone else look at one of the machines while it was open, and they're stumped, too. I'm hammering the vendor to see if I can get some help out of them.

by jockel_carter

Bad hardware run. Figures. Hope the vendor provides a nice bump for your wasted time. Before sending them a really angry note be sure the drivers on the disks are set correctly.

While they may seem new to you they could be returns from another client. It has happened before. Good luck.

by mike o

Yeah, looks like it's going to be down to a fight between the vendor and I. I'm installing Windows 98 now, just to see what happens. Everything went smoothly until I hit the setting up hardware and finalizing settings, the final part of thesetup. Then it just locked up. I guess it's just more ammo to throw at the vendor...
I guess I'll have to close this one up. Thanks for all the help and suggestions though, gang.

This discussion is closed to new replies.