[lucky_luc]

Did what you asked, this is what i see:
____________________________________________________

1: List MBR entries

Running: mbrwiz.exe /list

MBRWiz - Version 1.52 for Windows XP/2K/PE November 13, 2003
Copyright blah blah blah... http://mbr.bigr.net

Disk: 0 Size= 19G
Pos MBRndx Type/Name Size Activate Hide Start Sector Sectors
--- ------ ---------- ---- -------- ---- ------------ -----------
No partitions found on this disk

Press any key to continue...

____________________________________________________

Upon pressing 'enter', it brings me back to the original screen. I don't have the time to list every option that this version of MBRWizard contains, but, in short, it gives 11 options. oh, and by the way, i'm using ubcd vers. 2.5

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About a week ago things seemed to be approaching improvement (thanks dsenette!), but it's possible that he/she is too busy to continue on this topic, can anyone else give me suggestions on what to do from the last step given?

dsenette:
This post is also done in the hopes that you get an e-mail notification about it and you'll remember that this topic still is in progress. So i don't at all mean to dissuade you from continuing on this topic or to imply that i'm dissatisfied, i just thought i'd put up a new post to re-awake the thread.

[lucky_luc]

About a week ago things seemed to be approaching improvement (thanks dsenette!), but it's possible that he/she is too busy to continue on this topic, can anyone else give me suggestions on what to do from the last step given?

dsenette:
This post is also done in the hopes that you get an e-mail notification about it and you'll remember that this topic still is in progress. So i don't at all mean to dissuade you from continuing on this topic or to imply that i'm dissatisfied, i just thought i'd put up a new post to re-awake the thread.

[dsenette]

sorry luc.....you were right...completely lost this thread...sorry...i'm rereading the thread now....

[dsenette]

now that we have the drive empty....let's try those boot disk...it would be best if you could accomplish getting the floppy boot disks...but...if all you have is the cd iso that you burned... then...let's go with thta


edit: upon rereading i see that you were talking about the ubcd iso...not the xp boot disk iso...we need to try to get you with an xp boot disk

Edited by dsenette, 15 December 2005 - 07:40 AM.

[lucky_luc]

i have two XP bootable disks. they still don't work. Setup will load, and after choosing to re-install windows the computer will say that their is either no cd in the drive or that the cd that is is "not a valid windows cd". i had this problem a while ago (before ubcd) and it is still the same problem after the drive has been wiped.

good to see ya again! sorry if i'm pestering.

[dsenette]

you're not pestering...i'd be pretty persistant if my machine were acting this poorly....

and by boot disks...i meant those 6 floppies that wannabe wanted you to make...have you had any luck with getting those to actually work?

[lucky_luc]

I downloaded the program that will make the 6 floppies that i need (XP home, no service pack), but now i seem to be making a mistake with my own computer, i've downloaded this program twice because of this error, but when i try to run it, i'm told that the C:...SYSTEM32\AUTOEXE.NT system file "is not suitable for running MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows applications." so...now what?

Thanks, i know what you mean now. The quote above is the problem i had with writing those disks. any ideas on that? it seems like a minor enough problem i should be able to figure out, and i haven't given it as much time as i should so far. i'll give it another shot anyway.

[dsenette]

let me know how that goes...because if we can't get it to install with the boot disks...then we have to start looking hard at hardware....(theoretically either ram or the hd)

[lucky_luc]

well, it's early in the morning right now, but i downloaded "XP fix", a program that reinstalls command.com, autoexe.nt, and config.nt. (for reference to topic readers; i was getting the "autoexe.nt not suitable for running MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows applications" error message).

That worked quite nicely. I downloaded it here: http://www.visualtou...oads/xp_fix.exe

I created the XP setup disks (everything worked fine this time) and will try to use them to finish fixing this darned labtop later today. Just thought i'd update and give you the oppurtunity to give me alternate instruction before i attempt another setup.

[dsenette]

thank you for the update....and...let's continue on this path for now

[lucky_luc]

When Setup is completely loaded it asks for another windows CD because it thinks i'm upgrading, not simply installing, the OS. i found an old windows 95 cd that i'll use for that. it's quite possible that in past attempts on this installation, after i loaded setup (which my XP cd's seem to do just fine, as did the floppies) i absent-mindedly pressed "enter" on the screen that requested a different cd (NT, 95, ME, 2000, 98, etc. but not XP). that is why it kept telling me that the cd inserted was "not a valid cd" or the wrong cd. it would be nice if that windows screen would say "make sure you have the cd of another version of windows in the drive". so i think that may have been my [silly] mistake.

i just loaded setup with XP cd. this time that screen included XP Home in the list of CD's that could be inserted in order to verify that i qualify for the installation/upgrade. (for clarification; when i loaded Setup with the floppies XP home and XP pro were NOT in that list, which is why i went to find the windows 95 cd i have now).

i went searching for Win95 while the computer was on and waiting for it (this was on the floppy Setup attempt) and when i got back to put this cd in, the computer had another "blackout".

my next attempt (loading Setup with an XP home CD this time) got to the point where it asked for ANY windows cd. this time, instead of pressing enter (turns out i wasn't as absent-minded as i'd mentioned earlier, for this "version" of Setup does allow an XP home CD for verification) i decided to try and insert the Win95 cd. upon opening the CD drive, the computer blacked out again. also, FYI, i have the computer tilted up with the back of it on a book to provide for better air circulation (this computer heats up real fast, which is one of the possible reasons for these "blackouts").

while i'm on the subject of the blackouts, i might mention (as a sort of reminder) that there have been times where this computer was on for 6 hours blackout-less and would work fine for a week before it picked up the "random blackout" habit again. i'm about as confused as can be about that problem, but i'm pretty sure i won't be able to focus on that until i can at least load an installation of windows!

i would try to do this installation again now, but i'm going to wait for it to cool down some more before i do so witht he hopes that no blackouts will occur next time.

meanwhile i'll go ahead and post this long message encase anyone has a comment on the latest happenings. if you (dsenette) see this before my next attempt, knowing what you know now about all this, would you recommend loading setup with the floppies or the XP CD this time?

thanks for reading all this and keeping up with me and this problem.

[dsenette]

so everytime y ou open the cd rom...it craps out?

[lucky_luc]

luckily (i think its lucky), no. i think that was just coincidence, i don't remember it happening like that any other time. i just went through the XP cd Setup process and made it to the the point where it asks for any windows cd and i inserted the Win95 without trouble. that worked, i selected NTFS format, re-inserted the XP cd and Setup began formatting. right now it's 70% finished and i'm crossin' my fingers...join me, please...haha...100%!!!

copying files...45%...done. things are going well. i hope you're enjoying the suspensful nature of this post. comp is rebooting now.

Excellent, XP has loaded and it's now doing it's fancy technicolor installation now. so far, so good...

WE DID IT!!! Thanks so much for your help!

Any other suggestions on what should be done after installation is complete? and any other theories on the blackouts (if that problem continues i'll start another topic)?

[dsenette]

i say...right now we need to play a waiting game...bein that we don't know if it was hardware or software....so...yeah...we'll drop out of this one...and go with the wait and see...if something else happens...start a new thread...i'll keep my eyes open for you

[lucky_luc]

grazi