Re: installing XP home problem
- From: Bruce Chambers <bchambers@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 09 Dec 2005 09:06:22 -0700
garak wrote:
i just gave my brother in law my old PC. custom built and installed xp upgrade on it originally. the machine was put away when i built a new one for the better half. we used the same xp home on hers (still using it)t. last week i pulled the old machine out and, cleaned it up, and reinstalled the same xp that is on my wifes computer to make sure it still worked and to show him how to install his XP home software when he got homet. the brother in law bought a new upgrade today and is trying to install (unfortunatle he is back in CA so i cannot see the machine). here is the problem: he is trying to install the new xp from the cd-rom. when he tried to delete the partition so he can install a fresh copy it will not let him do so. it gives him some error about needing the setup files so it will not allow the partition to be deleted. when he boots up the machine he gets two options now: start window
xp home (which starts normally) OR enter windows xp Setup to do an installtion.
This is because he started the setup routine from within the pre-existing WinXP installation, and he chose the "New" installation option (for creating a dual-boot scenario), rather than the "Upgrade (Recommended)" option.
if he tries to install it he gets a warning about installing two operating systems on the same partition.
Yes, and that's a very bad thing. Under normal circumstances, placing two operating systems in the same partition is a recipe for disaster. A careful, knowledgeable specialist can do this safely, for a short time, but the ordinary PC user had better be backing up his data daily, as a catastrophic failure is a matter of "when," rather than "if."
it does not seem to be going to the cd-rom even though he has set the first boot device as the cd-rom in the bios (in fact we set all three boot devices to the CD-rom and it still went to the "dual boot screen".) the cd-rom is recognized in the bios.
No, it clearly isn't booting from the CD. During your demonstration of the installation, were you able to boot from the CD without problems? On most PCs, there's usually a very brief prompt saying something to the affect of "Press any key to boot from the CD." Further, this prompt will only appear if a *bootable* CD is detected. From where did your brother-in-law purchase his copy of WinXP? (All legitimate CDs are bootable.)
So, it boils down to 3 questions that need to be answered:
1) Can the PC actually boot from a CD?
2) Is the installation CD being used a legitimate, bootable CD? (i.e., store-bought and freshly unwrapped)
3) Is your brother-in-law pressing a key to boot from the CD when so prompted.
Possible solutions:
1) If the PC cannot boot from a CD, it should be possible to use the 6 WinXP Startup disks to begin the installation. Of course, the CD drive will need to be functional, as the diskettes need the WinXP CD to continue the setup routine.
Obtaining Windows XP Setup Boot Disks http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;310994
2) Your brother-in-law should obtain a legitimate license and copy from a reputable retailer. He may also want to report whoever sold him the bogus copy to his local law enforcement agencies' consumer protection divisions.
3) Your brother-in-law should watch the monitor during the boot up process and press either the <Enter> or <Space> key when prompted. Also, if Legacy USB support isn't enabled in the PC's BIOS, he should be using a PS/2 keyboard, rather than a USB keyboard.
If the above suggestions fail, there's still the option of performing a repair installation (a.k.a., in-place upgrade) using the new CD and Product Key.
How to Perform an In-Place Upgrade of Windows XP http://support.microsoft.com/directory/article.asp?ID=KB;EN-US;Q315341
Once the upgrade has been completed, your brother-in-law can use MSConfig to repair C:\Boot.ini and eliminate the dual-boot start-up option menu. From within WinXP, Start > Run > Msconfig, Boot.ini Tab > "Check all Boot Paths."
To perform the same repair manually:
1) Click Start > Run, Type "Cmd" and then press <Enter>.
2) Type "Cd\" and then press <Enter>
3) Type "Attrib C:\Boot.ini -h -r -s" and then press <Enter>
4) Click Start > Run, Type "Notepad c:\boot.ini" and then press <Enter>
5) Edit the file to removed the extraneous line, save it, and then exit Notepad.
6) Type "Attrib C:\Boot.ini +h +r +s" and then press <Enter>
7) Close the command console.
--
Bruce Chambers
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