Re: CD Install problem (blank screen after boot)

Hi Malke, thanks for the quick response!

I don't think this is the case of bad hardware - I can boot off of a
Linux CD and install it without any problems. It is just the Windows
XP CD that's the problem. :( And the same CD works in my other
computers, so it's not a problem in CD either.

The machine currently has Linux (installed it after C:\WINDOWS got
corrupt/disappeared a few months back), so the master boot record has
Grub sitting there (Linux boot manager). Could that be the problem?

Is there a way for me to wipe the whole disk completely? The machine
doesn't have a floppy to boot from, so I can run format C:... perhaps I
can do it from Linux.

Thanks.

Malke wrote:
OtisUsenet wrote:

Hello,

I'm trying to reinstall Windows XP from a CD, but after booting from
the CD, and a message on the top of the screen saying "Setup is
inspecting your computer's hardware configuration...", the screen goes
blank and the HD-access LED starts blinking madly. The screen remains
blank, and the LED remains blinking forever.

Does this sound familiar to anyone?
It doesn't look like something is wrong with the CD-ROM, because it
reads other boot discs.
It doesn't look like the CD is bad either, because other computers can
boot from it.

Any help would be appreciated. I'm on a verge of installing Linux or
getting a Mac, and at this point I'd rather just install XP.

Thank you.

You will also have difficulty in installing Linux because you apparently
have hardware problems and that has nothing to do with the operating
system. Naturally, buying an Apple is a solution.

Do some basic hardware troubleshooting, starting with the RAM and hard
drive. Make sure you don't have any peripherals connected. You might
want to try installing with only a video card and no other PCI cards.
Perhaps your video card is bad. There really is no way for us to tell.
Here are some general hardware troubleshooting steps:

http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Hardware_Troubleshooting

Testing hardware failures often involves swapping out suspected parts
with known-good parts. If you can't do the testing yourself and/or are
uncomfortable opening your computer, take the machine to a professional
computer repair shop (not your local equivalent of BigStoreUSA).

Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User

.

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