[Tinkerbell]

I have a problem that I am really finding a hard time to fix, so any suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated.

I was running on Win XP Pro and I wanted to update my system so I put in a disk "Operating System CD- Microsoft Windows XP Home SP2". What that did is install XP Home on a partition and now I have 2 OS on my computer #1- XP Pro and #2 XP Home. So I log out of XP Home and try to login to Pro and it tells me to put in the XP Pro installation disk, I do that and it does not finish the install, it just sits there for hours at a time doing nothing!

So now every time I try to access XP Pro it takes me to the installation and I have no way of avoiding this I can login to the XP Home but I don't have anything there and honestly I don't need XP Home. I read somewhere that I can do a system restore in command prompt, but my problem there is that I have no way of accessing the command prompt!!!

Please help!!!!!

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If you boot the PC and keep tapping F8 right after the beep, you should get an options screen, of which, safe mode with command prompt is one, if you can get this you need to do this

http://support.micro...kb;en-us;304449

[Retired Tech]

If you boot the PC and keep tapping F8 right after the beep, you should get an options screen, of which, safe mode with command prompt is one, if you can get this you need to do this

http://support.micro...kb;en-us;304449

[Tinkerbell]

I do have that option and when I go to it, it tell me that system cannot be reinstalled in safe mode and I don't get the command prompt.

[Tinkerbell]

I just tried to do all of that in the XP Home partition, and I got this:

%systemroot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.

Any thoughts ?

[Retired Tech]

See if you can run Windows Installation CD to repair the current installation

http://www.theelderg..._windows_xp.htm

last item in list

[Tinkerbell]

Thank you for yor help! None of the things mentioned are working. I will have to format the disk and hopefully thing will look better from there.

[Tinkerbell]

OK, I am back with more problems. Now when I try to format it tells me that it is unable to format ?? any ideas ?

[Tinkerbell]

OK, I am back with more problems. Now when I try to format it tells me that it is unable to format ?? any ideas ?

[Retired Tech]

If you are using format c it won't let you, you should get somewhere with the BIOS set to boot from CD ROM then booting with the XP Pro CD in, running set up then deleting the partition with XP Home on. Then repeating the delete partition for XP Pro so all partitions are removed and you then install to one partition with XP Pro on.

You could try installing XP Pro to the XP Home partition to see if it will then let you access what is on the original partition, but it may not, and would add an hour or so to repairing this

Edited by Keith, 18 June 2005 - 02:28 AM.

[Tinkerbell]

Can someone tell me the command to format c: , I thought it was A:\> format c:

but it's not working....

Edited by Tinkerbell, 18 June 2005 - 03:51 PM.

[Tinkerbell]

I have used killdisk to erase everything from my hard drive and now I need to partition using fdisk.

I have 5 options and I don't know which one to choose:

1. Create DOS partition or Logical DOS Drive
2. Set active partition
3. Delete partition or Logical DOS Drive
4. Display partition information
5. Change current fixed disk drive

Please help

[h1ppy]

Tinkerbell READ what Keith has written above to format the partitions.

You just need to enter BIOS.
Hold down the Delete Key or F2 to enter BIOS.
Then select Boot.
Select CDROM as your first boot device.
Exit and save changes.
Hit enter when asked to boot from CD.
Sit back and follow instructions.

Hope that helps.

[Jedi]

Okay, so you've killed everything and gone the bootdisk way?.

1:Create DOS partition or Logical DOS drive
2:Set active partition
3:Delete partition or Logical DOS drive
4:Display partition information
5:Change current fixed disk drive

Select option 1: Create DOS partition or Logical DOS drive. By hitting the number 1 on your keyboard.

It will then give you 3 choices

1:Create Primary DOS partition
2:Create Extended DOS partition
3:Create Logical DOS drive(s) in the extended DOS partition

Select option 1: Create Primary DOS partition. By hitting the number 1 on your keyboard.

It will then ask you if you want to use all space available on the disk, select (Y) for yes and hit enter.

(This will create a FAT32 partition. Which has a 4GiB single file limit.)

After it's finished, it will ask to format after restarting, just hit the reset button on the PC.

Let it load until you see a screen with 3 choices.

1:Start computer with cdrom support
2:Start computer without cdrom support
3:View help file

Select choice 1: "Start computer with cdrom support", let it load the diagnostic tools to whatever drive letter it chooses, this depends on how many HDD's you have in, if you have one, then it will load to D:, if two, then it will load to E: and so on. All cdroms will come after these drive letters.

At this prompt A:\> type in D:format C: like this

Example:

A:\>D:format C:

This wil delete all information on your Primary HDD set as C: drive.

After it's finished formatting, it will ask you to name the volume, name it anything you want, or just hit enter for no name.

Put your Windows CD in the cdrom drive.

To get to your cdrom drive, which has moved from D: to E:, (if you have one HDD that is), this is because the diagnostic tools have been loaded to D: remember.

From D:\> you would type this

D:\>E:setup

(E: being your cdrom drive letter.)

and it will start the install process, just follow instructions from there.

If you don't have a full install disk and only an upgrade, you'll have to load Win98 or Win98se before you can upgrade.

If you have a full copy of XP, then boot into BIOS, and make your cdrom the primary boot device. restart with the cd in the drive. Follow the prompts.

You shouldve just listend to Keith.

Jedi.