Re: Unable to load XP on Toshiba Portege 3500

We're getting somewhere!

It seems your boot CD may be called the "Ultimate Boot CD"
but it looks as if it is not suitable as a primer for a WinXP
installation. I can think of four options to resolve your problem:

a) Use the inbuilt factory restore option.

b) Get it fixed by a competent repair shop.

c) Create the six WinXP installation disks from
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q310994,
then boot the machine and pray that it will recognise your
CD drive. I have never tried this myself.

d) Install the hard disk in a $15.00 USB case and connect it to
some Wim9x PC. This gives you the opportunity to do two things:
- Format it and make it bootable.
- Copy the WinXP CD to its i386 folder.
If you do not have access to a Win9x PC then you can get a 2.5"
to IDE ribbon cable adapter instead of the USB case so that you
can turn the disk into a slave disk on any DOS-booted PC. Be
very, very careful with this adapter: If you connect it back to fron
then you will fry your disk.

Post again if you require more details for option d).


"Martin" <Martin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:80B6AEF6-5597-446B-89D1-27762BBA6218@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Thank Goodness!
1) I put in VER:Response: Freecom Version 8.84 pre XMS_swap. 1 jan 06.
15-17-351
2) Use A as prefix for bootdrv (I have now switched CD to the XP)
A lot of files run by followed by:
41 files
794642 Kbytes?
Then: 120 files,38 dir(s)
All files are CAB files that I can see, such as PNPOSI
Tried T...Invalid
Tried Q
Lot of files pass by
then:
total files listed 246 3,615,753bytes
39 dir(s)
All files seem to have a TBL at end
Also there is one heading between file lists
Directory of Q:\UC\CP866

Hope this helps.
The HDD easy to take out
Have a Toshiba floppy which for some reason will not download the 6 XP
boot
files as it states there is not enough room on the disk (diskette 1)
diskettes are formattedTDK MF-2HD. They are empty.

Martin
--
Martin Morrow


"Pegasus (MVP)" wrote:

This makes it a lot clearer.

I am not familiar with the Ultimate Boot CD, hence I need to
ask some questions:
- What operating system does the CD run? Type the command
ver
at the DOS prompt to find out.
- Can you read the WinXP installation CD after booting with
this CD? The command
dir X:\ /s
will tell you (X: is the CD's drive letter).
- Does the CD have the following commands?
sys
fdisk
format
xcopy
- Do you have a working floppy disk drive?
- How easy is it to remove the hard disk?

Have you explored the existence of an inbuilt factory recovery
process? Your manual will tell you.

I question the wisdom of manufacturers to design notebooks
that do not have a CD drive that works outside Windows, for
obvious reasons. They force you to return the notebook to a
repair centre if something goes wrong.



"Martin" <Martin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:E9796E15-C490-499A-8E29-AE42C0BAC306@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Yes, I have not been clear so let me attempt to be:
1)I am using an external CDROM which is connected to the computer
through
a
PCMCIA card. In the first attempts to load XP I used the XP CD which
downloaded the setup files but when it came to the start up of
Windows, I
received the blue screen staing that an error in Windows had occurred
and
it
had to shut down.
2)At this point I went to the Portege Community Forrum who told me
that I
needed to use the Ultimate boot disk to get to a stage where I had
access
to
both the CD and HDD, then I should insert the XP CD
3) I downloaded the Ultimate Boot Disk for which they had given me the
URL
and followed the instructions given to me. This lead to the last
screen
which
had
T as UBCDDRIVE ?
Q as RAMDRV
A is BOOTDRV then at the bottom Q:\> blinking cursor.
4) It was at this point I was instructed to copy files from the XP CD
to
the
HDD which would allow the necessary files to be loaded to the HDD and
for
the
Windows setup process to begin (after typing in C:\i386\winnt
5)To copy the files I was told I had to write xcopy T:\i386 c:\i386
/e.
This I did with no success. I was told this might be because I had the
files
already on the HDD and that I should use deltree to erase files and
then
to
create a directory by inputting MD c:i286 etc.
When this did not work I was instructed to reformat and try again.
This
did
not work
6) After this I realized I was going nowhere and came to the MS site.
7)Apparantly I am trying to copy the I386 files to the HDD in order
that
the
XP CD has drivers? to allow it to commence setup
After two days of all this I also am a bit testy but appreciate that
you
are
trying to help

--
Martin Morrow


"Pegasus (MVP)" wrote:

If you're confused then this makes two of us who are. After
reading your latest reply I don't have the faintest idea what
you're actually doing. Your statement "Because the Portege
3500 does not have a CDROM, it apparantly can only access
access the setup files (as opposed to the boot files) with a
16 bit PCMCIA card" does not mean anything to me. If you
wish to continue this discusssion then I suggest you state very
clearly the following things:
- What are you booting the laptop with? A floppy disk? A CD?
A PCMCIA card?
- What exactly is stored on your boot medium?
- Where do the WinXP installation files reside?
- What are you attempting to copy to the hard disk?

The reason why you got the prompt "Does E specify a file name
or a directory name" is that you were inaccurate with your
command. Below is what I wrote and what you typed:

xcopy t:\i386 c:\i386\ /s /e (this is what I typed)
xcopy t:\i386 c:\i386 /s /e (this is what you typed)

Spot the difference!

"Martin" <Martin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:42541F53-3015-460E-ABC8-B24CFD0A535B@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Thanks for the help. All I get after potting in the xcopy is "Does
E
specify
a file name or a directory name on target" or "invalid
switch"which
makes
me
think the MD c is not making a directory.
The DOSAPPS may be a holdover from the "Ultimate boot disc" if it
is
not
on
the CD,except it is still there after the Format C which it
shouldn't
be.
Because the Portege 3500 does not have a CDROM, it apparantly
(from a
lot
of
info gleaned from others with this model) can only access access
the
setup
files (as opposed to the boot files) with a 16 bit PCMCIA card.
Thus I load the startup files from the XP CD and when it comes to
the
"set
up Wndows" at the end it comes up with the blue screen stating
that an
error
has occurred and Windows is shutting down. Same happens with the
XP
boot
files on floppy I got from the MS site.
You're probably right about this Boot CD since it doesn't allow
download
of
any files.
I'm lost on this matter and it is very frustrating but thanks for
trying
to
help.
--
Martin Morrow


"Pegasus (MVP)" wrote:

In this particular case it does not matter how many spaces
you enter. The command
xcopy t:\i386 c:\i386\ /s /e
will work just as well as the command
xcopy t:\i386 c:\i386\/s/e

I just checked my own WinXP CD. It definitely does not
have a folder \i386\dosapps. This makes my wonder what
CD you're dealing with.

I also wonder about your boot CD. There is something
wrong with it. Try booting with a Win98 boot disk from
here instead: www.bootdisk.com.

Lastly, the comment from the Toshiba people does not
make sense. Windows should load straight away although
it may lack some drivers later on. Installing it the way you
won't make any difference.


"Martin" <Martin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:161E68BD-4261-4DD7-871E-9749ADB969D9@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Dear Pegasus,

I have now tried the following
xcopy t:\i386 c:\i386\space/s space/e
It comes up with
"Unable to create directory C\ I386\DOSAPPS\AIDA16\C^???
--
Martin Morrow


"Pegasus (MVP)" wrote:


"Martin" <Martin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:C95A0B7E-BEC5-4D89-B0C1-D0BED8E610CA@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Loading XP on this Laptop is difficult without the
requisite
16
PCMCIA
card
on the CDROM.
So far I have used the "Ultimate boot CD" to get to DOS. I
change
to
the
XP
disc, I reformat C as well as doing a DELTREE to remove
i386nfrom
HDD.
I then create directory by typing MD c:\i386 and then type
in
xcopy
t:\i386
c:\i386 /e to copy to HDD.
Unfortunately I get "Unable to create directoryC:\i386\
dosapps\aida18\====.
Can anyone tell me what I am doing wrong.
Very many thanks,(FYI I am using morrowmm@xxxxxxxxx as
default
email
at
this
time
Martin Morrow
--
Martin Morrow

There are a few strange things here.
- You write "I reformat C as well as doing a DELTREE to
remove i386nfrom HDD". How come the i386 folder survived
the format operation?
- You write "I type xcopy t:\i386 c:\i386 /e". The correct
command
is actually xcopy t:\i386 c:\i386\ /s /e.
- What's the Aida folder doing on your WinXP installation
CD? Is
it
really a WinXP installation CD?
- What happens when you try to create the problem folder
manually?
- If you can boot from the Ultimate Boot CD, why can't you
boot
from your WinXP installation CD?














.

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