Install Problem

Hey all I seriosly need help with this since I am sick and tired of being on linux, its stable and all but just to install my video card drivers it takes me at least 20 minutes due to all the configurations and trouble have to go through with linux.
I tried installing every windows version that I have such as; WIndows XP SP2, Windows XP PRO, Windows XP Home, Windows ME, Windows 98SE, Windows 2k, and all of them freeze during the install. I just custom built this machine around 4 days ago, the specs are;
Intel Pentium 4 2.0 ghz Socket 478, An ECS Elitegroup P4S5A Mainboard, 512 Megs of ram ddr pc2100, geforce 4 mx 64mb, also on side I have a ATI TV Wonder card and a Soundblaster card. At first I thought that the system might overheat, but I have 2 fans in the case on front, 2 on the back, one on the side, water cooling system on the cpu and in linux the system runs great. I also tried to take out any things that I werent really needed for install of windows but it still freezes within like 5 minutes of the install. I have tried everything I thought of, need help if some one could please respond with a sugestion or if I can somehow install windows xp or any of those I have listed above through linux redhat, or like go through the install with out all the graphics in windows xp installer, if you need more information or have a sugestion please im me on aim sn is : Wide Reciever2k3 thanks in advance

 

Hey eugene17

I think the problem is you have the wrong
file system on the installation partition.

Red Hat uses an Ext2 or Ext3 file system.
WinXP & 2000 uses an NTFS and ME & 98 uses a Fat32 file system.
You need to format the partition with the file system that
goes with the operating system you're installing.

 

If you are trying to install one of the XP OSes, booting from the CD gives you the option to format the drive and create partitions - per picard as either FAT32 or NTFS. If you plan on keeping Linux on another partition, I think - not sure - the file type has to be FAT32.

If you are trying to install a 9X OS - 98 or WinME, have to use fdisk to format/partition the drive. http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q255867


WIndows XP SP2 is not an OS - it's a Service Pack update to XP.

Regards - Charles

 

Welcome to the board Eugene,

With all that cooling, particularly the water cooling, it sounds to me you may be/were overclocking?
DO NOT overclock ANYTHING during the install. Set everything back to stock, failsafes, including failsafe BIOS settings.
If you did in fact overclock previously, you may have overstressed a component such as the CPU, RAM etc and may have an intermittent fault?

Water cooling to me means two things, the system is/has been overclocked or you live in a un-airconditioned house in Kuwait in the middle of summer where it's 45C in the shade.

 

The system hasnt been overclocked yet, just essembled couple of days ago. But i tried all of the partition solutions as well, also when I try installing windows xp the install just freezes around the part where you have to sellect which hard drive you will be installing to, the hard drive was NTFS before so partitioning and formating is not the issue I tried that already, also tried FAT32 for windows ME.

 

Only one HD?
Is the BIOS setup correctly? Makesure the HD is plugged into IDE1. Reseat both ends of the ribbon cable. Check that the jumper on the back of the drive is correct. Change with another cable. Set BIOS to auto detect for IDE drive. Does it show up correctly in BIOS? Delete all partitions and repartition and reformat.
At this stage don't slave anything else to IDE1, another HD or CD drive etc.

 

yea its only one hard drive, bios displays it correctly, the cd rom is connected to IDE2 as master and the hard drive is connected to IDE1 as master as well. So I tried that as well still doesnt work :-\

 

I was wondering if there is any way to install windows while in linux..... any kind of windows if thats possible.... uhh if so how... sick and tired of linux now and its only been like 5 days

 

How to Remove Linux and Install Windows on Your Computer
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;247804

That article implies that you have to nuke your partition table from linux before you can install. (i have no experience with this)

 

oh well i know how to do fdisk, and format.... and then install... but the problem im having even with a brand new hard, drive a clean install is that any windows i try the install freezes within like 1-2 minutes.....

 

so im guessing im stuck with linux since no one has any other sugestions :-\

 

The only luck I've ever had removing Linux from a drive
is by writing 0's to the drive.
I always use GWSCAN.
http://support.gateway.com/support/drivers/search.asp?param=gwscan&st=kw
It says it's for Gateway drives but I've used it on many different brands without
a problem.
I would write 0's to the drive to to make sure it's clean.
Then I would try to partition, format and install windows.

If you still have problems I would download and run
DFT (Drive Fitness Test) from Hitachi to see if there's a problem with the drive.
http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/support/download.htm

 

yea but i tried installing on a brand new hard drive as well... so it cant be hard drive problems :-\