[seppi]

Hello, I've just registered and I think your forum is great, really!
So here is my problem: I am trying to install Windows XP Pro on my computer but I have boot problems... even during the intallation!
As I use Linux most of the time I didn't mind the thought of using a floppy to boot when I happen to use XP... after all I need windows only to play deathmatches
But the boot process doesn't work even during the windows installation: after all the files are copied and XP should reboot to continue the installation I get the message that no operating system exists...
Now my problem is: is there a way I can use a boot floppy even during this part of the installation process?
I created a boot floppy on my sister's computer and it boots the same xp i want to install perfectly... I thought I just needed to boot from it during my installation and everything would have gone fine but no... if I try to boot from that floppy I get the message that the HAL file is missing. Is this because the operating system has not been installed yet? I guess so, but then what can I do?
I've already tried many times to install XP (even tried low level format to clean completely the hard disk) but there's no way I can make it load when it should start booting from the hd.
So till now I used a dual boot with linux and windows 98 without any problem... but i'm tired of 98 now... Please Help!
Beppe ^_^

Edited by seppi, 20 May 2005 - 11:34 AM.

[Advertisements]

You do realise that you need to boot from the xp cd to install it, do you?
If your PC won't boot from a CD you can create a boot disk to do it from a free download available here: http://freepctech.co.../files010.shtml

Scroll to the bottom of page and download "Microsoft Windows XP system setup disk"
Or scroll further down, read 'Note 1' and download "Boot Disk Essentials"

[pip22]

You do realise that you need to boot from the xp cd to install it, do you?
If your PC won't boot from a CD you can create a boot disk to do it from a free download available here: http://freepctech.co.../files010.shtml

Scroll to the bottom of page and download "Microsoft Windows XP system setup disk"
Or scroll further down, read 'Note 1' and download "Boot Disk Essentials"

[seppi]

Thanks for your help, you have really been faster than light!
yes, of course I'm aware I need the cd to start the installation process.
Then after the files have been copied to the hard disk the setup needs to reboot to start the real installation.
At that point you don't need the cd anymore as the system starts the installation directly from the hard disk.
here comes the problem: on my computer there's no way to make XP boot from hard disk... I literally tried in every possible way... that's why I thought about using a boot floppy just like I would do if XP was already correctly installed but all of a sudden had stopped booting.
my question is: how do I use the boot floppy I created with my sister's computer to start windows XP during his very first boot from hard disk (the one in the middle of the installation)?
Or is there any other way?

Thanks for your help
Beppe ^_^

[gerryf]

Uhm, assuming your computer is set up correctly, you don't need the boot floppy at all.

You start with xp cd, the xp setup begins and copies files over, then the system reboots...you do NOTHING....when the CD asks you to hit any key to start from cd, do not touch, let it skip over that,,,the initial copy setup routine installed a boot sector and temporary miniOS to run the rest of the CD.

But leave the CD in because setup needs it to get driver files.

[seppi]

Yes I know that if everything was fine there would be no problem in booting and of course I don't remove the cd during the installation... I'm not familiar with XP but I still haven't used the cdrom tray as a mug-holder either
The point is: linux loads perfectly, windows 98 loads perfectly, windows xp says that the system does not exist when I try to boot it.
I've looked at many forums and tried all the solutions that were posted but I've never been able to boot XP on this computer after the first time I tried its installation (which went perfectly fine).
So I assume that if I want to boot XP I will need to use the boot floppy. that's fine.
The problem is finding a way to boot the second part of the installation if the system can't be booted from the hard disk (if I don't use any floppy I get the message that no operating system exists, if I try using a normal boot floppy I get the message that the HAL file is missing... I guess because windows is still practically not installed on the partition).
Practically my problem is exactly the same that I would have if I wanted to install Windows XP on a hard disk with an unfixable MBR (even if we know that the MBR is not broken as all the other operating systems I tried load without any problem).
Please don't tell me there is no way to do it
I guess my english is a bit messy so thanks for your help guys!

Beppe ^_^

[Murray S.]

Howdy:

Let me get this straight.. You have a system that is dual-booting Win98 and Linux right now and you want to ADD WinXP or you want to overwrite Win98 with XP??

It almost sounds like the Linux bootloader is not allowing XP to add itself to the boot.ini file (or whatever bootloader Linux is using) therefore, it will never boot..

You need to load Win98, then WinXP and finally Linux in that order or edit the linux bootloader to recognize XP on its partition..

Murray

[seppi]

Sorry for driving you crazy, guys!
At the moment I have linux and windows 98. I want to get rid of windows 98 and install XP. The problem should not be the boot manager (I use LILO like most linux users and I can insure it gives no problems at all... otherwise I would have not been able to install windows 98 after linux was installed).

I know Windows should be installed first, but as far as I know that is considered the right procedure only because then you don't have to start linux from boot cd to set up the boot manager again.

Besides even if I format the whole hard disk or remove the partitions to start with a totally new clean installation I still have exactly the same problem... XP can't boot from hard disk.

I tried many solutions... clean installs, mbrfix (or however that tool is called), I even tried a low level format because I too thought it was the boot loader's fault that for some reason did not want to disappear.

But I had to give up on that: the boot loader is totally removable and it can be overwritten easily even by windows 98. And anyway with a just-formatted-hard-disk the situation is the same: still that message that the operating system does not exist.

This is why I ask you to consider the hard disk like it had a broken MBR and that is why I want to try with the boot floppy... I really tried everything I've found on the forums till now and I'm not going to change hard disk as all the other operating systems except XP can work with it perfectly.

Thanks for your help
Beppe ^_^

[Murray S.]

Is Win98 still showing on the system??

Murray

[seppi]

Not right now, I formatted its partition to try installing XP
Beppe ^_^

[Murray S.]

Okay.. When you boot using the XP cd, do you get the option to "Boot from the cd"??

Just thought of this as well, but I have played with Linux a bit and, if I can remember correcting, one of the distro's would never find my XP partition no matter what.. That included any boot option..

Murray

Edited by Murray S., 20 May 2005 - 02:36 PM.

[seppi]

Hey you are a flash in answering
Yes I get that message, press a key,boot from cd, start the installation... everything seems to go fine till the system reboots... it should boot from the hard disk but it doesn't... it just complains that no operating system exists, and it's always the same, both with linux on, both without it..
Of course I checked if the files exist on that partition and they do.
So that is why I need to find a way to bypass the boot from hard disk in my opinion
Thanks for your help
Beppe ^_^

[Murray S.]

Okay.. try this.. when it does that first boot, go into BIOS and change the boot device to the hdd and see what happens..

Murray

[iainmackay85]

thats xp for you! try dropping some of the settings in your bios, if FSB and multiplier and relaxing the memory latencies and disable all the caching and try again, i think if your hdd is a bit funny windows xp wont like it but everything else does but i'd try lowering all the settings in the bios.

[seppi]

Spent the night changing bios setups and making tries... thanks for your help guys but there's no way to boot that trap from hard disk.
So back to the original question... is there a way to boot it from floppy even during the installation?

Thanks for your help
Beppe ^__^

[iainmackay85]

with windows xp you should be able to boot from anywhere, like linux, unlike all previous versions of windows. i take it your wanting to keep the linux?

thing is as you may know linux is much more happy to use windows stuff, rather than the other way round. so i'd suggest backing up your linux and formatting the entire drive installing windows and then installing linux after, because previous experience linux will add windows to the lilo file , but windows wont do the same for linux. as far as booting from floppy, dont think you want to go down that road since if it works your gonna find yourself putting the floppy in on each boot.

if you really want to though try downloading some windows xp boot floppies (google)