Re: XP installer finds no hard drives

Tech-Archive recommends: Repair Windows Errors & Optimize Windows Performance

You are quite right, of course - if it works! However,
the OP said that he tried it your way and that it failed.
In the meantime he has found out that his BIOS settings
were inappropriate.


"MoiMeme" <antispam@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:eP%23ws6INGHA.720@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
AFAIK No absolute need to format first partition. The install procdure can
do it and in NTFS so directly OK without need to convert

"Pegasus (MVP)" <I.can@xxxxxxx> a écrit dans le message de news:
exDZwvINGHA.3936@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Under normal circumstances you should now be able
to install WinXP. The installation process would detect
the hard disk and give you the option of repartitioning
and/or reformatting it. Since you report that this is not
happening, there could be something wrong with your
hardware. To confirm it, try this:
- Boot the machine with a Win98 boot disk from here:
www.bootdisk.com.
- Run fdisk.exe to delete all existing partitions and
create new ones. You will, of course, lose all data.
- Mark the first partition active.
- Run format.exe to format the first partition.
- Reboot and see if you can access it.

If this works then you could install WinXP in the first
partition. It will be a FAT32 partition and it will be
limited to 32 GBytes. You could convert it later on
to NTFS.


"ArcticEric" <ArcticEric@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:C3D6241A-31A8-45E6-9171-D64E4C26F884@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Yes, thanks, the BIOS seems to have found it. It is a DELL and when
loading
the default BIOS settings, the drive is listed. Next step, please :)

"Pegasus (MVP)" wrote:


"ArcticEric" <ArcticEric@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1A7F287E-1D07-44E8-BBE4-C2D9A4066827@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
two new drives. both fdisked and formatted via an old winMe start
disk...
XP
install finds not drives ... what did i do wrong? thanks! AE

Your first step should be to ascertain if the BIOS
recognises the disks. Press the Pause button at
boot time when you see the hard disk table so
that you can examine it at leisure.









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