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Install XP

Discussion in 'PC Hardware' started by whompuscat, 2005/10/11.

  1. 2005/10/11
    whompuscat Lifetime Subscription

    whompuscat Inactive Thread Starter

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    I'm not sure this is the right forum, so feel free to move this thread if need be.
    I had some bad memory on my Dell Diminsion 8200 (512mb of 1g was bad leaving 512mb still good). After the bad memory was removed the computer worked fine, but I needed at least 1g of RAM, because of the high cost of this type of RAM I decided to have the computer tech build me a new one using my hard drive and dvd drives that were in my Dell.
    I reinstalled the original hard drive and dvd drives back into the Dell so that I could have a backup computer.
    Now I cannot load windows onto the old hard drive, which I tested on another computer and it worked fine and was able to load windows from another computer.
    The drives are recognized in the BIOS, but when I put my XP disk into the cd drive it will not start up. I switched the IDE ribbons (the cd ribbon to the hard drive and vise versa) and did get the XP disk to start, but when I hit enter to install XP it did nothing. It did not ask me to partition or install, it wouldn't go past that 1st page.
    I went back up to the tech guy who had told me the computer was running fine before and all he was suppose to take out was the HD and the dvd/cd drives. He said that he did not take anything else out, but I know for a fact that he took a ribbon out that ran from the power button to the MB which I made him give me back.
    There is no reason why this computer should not run if all he did was take out the 3 drives that I told him to take out.
    Like I said I partitioned and loaded XP from another computer onto this hard drive and then put it back into my Dell. Now when I boot up I get a message that says hit F1 for retry boot or F2 to configure, hitting F1 just gives me the same message, F2 will take me into the BIOS, but nothing seems to be out of order there.
    Does anyone know where I can get a schematic of a Dell Diminsion 8200 computer? I honestly cannot understand that if it was running fine taking these 3 drives out and replacing them should not have any effect on it at all.
    Or any suggestions on what else I can do to get this thing loaded?
    Any help would be greatly appreciated.
     
    whompuscat,
    #1
  2. 2005/10/11
    Newt

    Newt Inactive

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    Hi Joyce. I'm moving this to the hardware section to see if you get suggestions from there since it does sound like there is a hardwarish issue of some sort.

    Note that the XP installs tend to be hardware specific so I'm not surprised that loading the OS with the drive in PC-A and then moving the OS drive to PC-B failed on you.
     
    Newt,
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  4. 2005/10/12
    PeteC

    PeteC SuperGeek Staff

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    Joyce

    This would seem to be the only general documentation available - other specifics here ....

    Dell Dimension 8200 Systems Solutions Guide

    Is the hard drive set as Master and is the boot order in the BIOS set to CD-ROM > Floppy > Hard Drive?

    If you have loaded Windows onto that drive in another computer it is unlikely to work when transferred to this computer as Newt posts. It all comes down to the HAL - Hardware Abstraction Layer which essentially recognises the hardware on the computer on which it is installed. The solution is to boot from the install CD and make a Repair install of Windows.

    I am sure you know that you can only install XP onto one computer so you will require two copies of XP for two computers.

    I am not familiar with Dell - I build all my own PC's - and am not sure what sort of XP CD comes in the package, i.e a full install CD or simply a Recovery CD. I am fairly sure that a Recovery CD will only work on the computer on which it was originally installed and likewise if the install CD is a Dell OEM version.
     
    PeteC,
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  5. 2005/10/12
    BillyBob Lifetime Subscription

    BillyBob Inactive

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    I have to agree with Newt and PeteC.

    However. I copied the 40gig HD with 98SE on PCa to an 80gig HD. Installed the 80gig into PCb, booted from power off directly to the floppy and did a reinstall of 98SE from the setup files that were already stored on the HD and all was well. ( much to my Happy surprise ) Of course I did need to reinstall/update drivers.

    PCb now has XP Pro on it.

    But like PeteC I build all my own PCs.

    BillyBob
     
    BillyBob,
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  6. 2005/10/12
    whompuscat Lifetime Subscription

    whompuscat Inactive Thread Starter

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    Yes the Dell CD is the full XP OS not a recovery disk and I was using a slipstreamed copy, also tried the original Dell disk. I took my hard drive from my Dell computer, one I had brought recently, that was working fine on the Dell and used it in the new computer, so yes taking it from one to the other does work, when booted up it runs the found new hardware wizard.

    Yes the HD is showing in BIOS as the Master and the boot order is CD/Rom - HD, I do not have a floppy drive installed.

    Yes I know that XP can only be used on one computer, was just fixing this up for the grandkids to play games on mostly.

    Even if it comes down to the HAL, the problem still exists that it will not even load the XP cd when it is inserted with the exception of the one time it did when I switched the IDE ribbons around. It loaded all the drivers and files as normal but when it got to the page to select install or repair it would not go any further. I never got the option to partition the hard drive or install windows.
     
    whompuscat,
    #5
  7. 2005/10/12
    PeteC

    PeteC SuperGeek Staff

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    Without a floppy disk drive the options are limited - can you format that drive in another computer?
     
    PeteC,
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  8. 2005/10/12
    whompuscat Lifetime Subscription

    whompuscat Inactive Thread Starter

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    Yes I can format it from another computer. But isn't that what the XP disk does when it partitions the drive? Formats it into NTFS? Why am I limited without a floppy?
    I do have a floppy in another computer that I could put into the Dell, but what difference does that make? XP does not come with a floppy boot disk and most computers do not come standard with a floppy drive anymore. So what makes my options limited? If a floppy drive is needed for such options why do manufacturers opt to eliminate them from the newer computers?
     
    whompuscat,
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  9. 2005/10/12
    PeteC

    PeteC SuperGeek Staff

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    Under normal circumstances you are correct, but there appears to be a problem somewhere in that the install process hangs. Hence my suggestion to format elsewhere if possible and clear the drive of anything that may be causing the problem. If the problem is cleared by this route the drive can be formatted again and partitioned during the XP install.
    Without a floppy drive you cannot use a Win 98 Start up or Boot disk to format the drive using Fdisk or to delete NTFS partitions using Delpart
    Cost, I guess plus the fact that the OEM manufacturers do not really want people 'messing around' with the computer. They would rather they just used it and paid for support when needed. For desktops the option to fit a floppy drive is usually on offer, but current laptops are not so lucky needing an external floppy. It is true that the advent of pen drives has made the limited capacity of the floppy redundant in terms of data transfer, but they still have their uses. Not all computers are capable of booting from a USB drive to run, say, diagnostics - and there are a few of those apps around for checking disk drives and memory, emergency partition recovery, etc.

    I would not feel comfortable without a floppy drive - I may be a dinosaur :) , but I use the floppy quite regularly
     
    PeteC,
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  10. 2005/10/12
    BillyBob Lifetime Subscription

    BillyBob Inactive

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    PeteC
    I am with you all the way on that one.

    BillyBob
     
    BillyBob,
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  11. 2005/10/12
    whompuscat Lifetime Subscription

    whompuscat Inactive Thread Starter

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    Well I kinda feel lost without mine too, as there has been a few occassions that I needed one but had to forego the application because of it.
    Now this might seem a little vain on my part but I have been searching for a floppy drive but can only find one in beige and I want a black faced one :eek:
    And while on the subject, what about a floppy zip drive instead? Or is that even what it is called? Would that function the same as a regular "dinosaur" floppy? :confused:
     
    whompuscat,
    #10
  12. 2005/10/12
    PeteC

    PeteC SuperGeek Staff

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    A lot depends on your BIOS - if the option to boot from a zip drive is there - it may work. No experience of using zip drives in this way.
     
    PeteC,
    #11

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