Windows XP install issues

cowasaki

cowasaki

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Darren
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I hate Windows :lol:

Just fixed daughter in laws laptop and need to re-install windows.

Must be XP home and I have an XP home disc

When you install using the disc it copies the initial files to the hard drive then restarts and starts the install process but fails straight away with something similar to this:

Error: installation failed : D\I386\asms. Error message: incorrect function.

xxx

fatal error:
one of the components that windows needs to continue setup could not be installed.

Allegedly this is down to an error reading the disc but I can read the disc on the Mac. Possibly needs a new drive in the laptop but I will have to get one later......

Right so most of my Windows stuff is not available at the moment......

Reformatted the drive on the mac as FAT32 with 2 partitions and copied the install disk plus drivers to drive D.

Now I need to boot.....

Tried the ultimate boot CD but when I try running WINNT or SETUP.EXE I get an error message saying that it cannot find a system partition.

What I need is a Windows XP boot floppy but I don't even have a floppy in the house anymore!

Anyone got a Windows boot floppy ISO file ????

I do not have access to a Windows machine for the next few days other than the knackered one.

........ did I say I hate Windows :lol:
 
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A quick look around the net and it seems often to be a CD fault rather than a CD reader fault - can you make an exact image of the original windows installation disc (not sure about mac for doing this) then write it back to a new CD to try that first?
 
could it also be something like a storage driver is needed (i.e. when it says press F5 to specify a storage/raid driver). XP in my experience is extremely picky with especially newer storage controllers.

may be worth trying that?
 
Try looking in the bios for a setting that sets the hard drive to IDE compliant rather than SATA.

Quite a few XP based laptops needed to slipstream a SATA driver to load windows, however in the bios you can set them to IDE mode and you wont need it.

Acers where common for this.
 
The laptop is IDE and doesn't need a driver, I have used this install disc dozens of times and the mac read it without issue. Most likely a dodgy DVD drive on laptop but I have all the install files plus windows drivers on drive d now. Just need to boot up using windows xp boot disc either floppy or cd. Don't have any floppies or a floppy drive fir the mac so it is going to have to be a boot cd. Only ones I have use dr dos or similar so can't be used with winnt install program. Just need a cd installable iso image to boot from preferably with the format and sys exe on it too.

I'm at work now so heading underground for nine hours with no service.

Thanks everyone
 
If it's XP on the laptop originally it's doubtful the BIOS will support USB boot though....

Have a look here.... unlikely the rom is so shagged it won't even read a boot CD.

EDIT: just noticed they want you to pay for the bootdisks now - they were always free when I used them a long time ago. :shrug: Try this ISO image for CD instead.
 
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neil_g said:
could it also be something like a storage driver is needed (i.e. when it says press F5 to specify a storage/raid driver). XP in my experience is extremely picky with especially newer storage controllers.

may be worth trying that?
Click to expand...

Tut tut - it's F6 for adding storage drivers :p

Darren - I'd try what Neil suggests about a bootable USB (if the BIOS allows this). HAlf decent tutorial here
 
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I just need a way to get to DOS with drive D readable. As the drive is IDE a completely standard XP boot disc should do it!
 
Thanks, that is very nearly what I need but I need a CD ISO file of a boot disc as I don't have a floppy drive.
 
cowasaki said:
Thanks, that is very nearly what I need but I need a CD ISO file of a boot disc as I don't have a floppy drive.
Click to expand...

Did you try the one I linked to in the earlier post? If I remember correctly, you need a boot disk with memdisk on it to allow you to install from a drive partition....
 
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I have boot disks, I could just about email them to you :lol:
 
Thanks everyone!

I was looking for a floppy disc and came across a backup of the XP Home install CD. It has literally JUST finished installing. The optical drive in the laptop is clearly not at its best because the other media looked fine and the Mac could read it all.

Cheers everyone :)
 
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