Setup Fails while Copying Files!..

Hi everyone,

I'm trying to install a fresh copy of WindowsXP Professional SP2. I have completely formated the Hard Drive, but everytime I try to install, I get lots of trouble while setup is copying files.

I've tried it over and over again with different hard drives and different WinXP copies (I have many OEM CD's), but something's not right: After formating the Drive/Partition, as Setup begins copying files I start geting successive warnings that Setup has failed to copy this and that file (press enter to try again, etc...), and at some point it just crashes and reboots... Always before copying all files (the further it went was 92%).
Sometimes I get the Copy Files process interrupted by erros like
I even tried clearing CMOS in the M/B, but I keep geting the same problem always... I also tried removing all PCI expansion cards, and have tried different graphics cards (nvidea, ati, matrox...)

Two clues: I have a Thermaltake Dragon Orb cooler for P4 up to 3.0GHz, and my CPU is a P4 3.06GHz. However The CPU temperature never seems to go beyound 45 celsius.
: The motherboard I'm using is an Asus P4G8X Deluxe, but I purchased it on eBay, and it is not impossible that it has some problems... But which ones?... What may be causing this? is it possible to solve?..

Any help will be apreciated, thanks in advance!!

 

Do you have another CD-rom drive to try? It sounds like that one may have a problem.

Have you tried copying the i386 folder to the HD and running the install from there? If you can't copy it, that would tell the tale on the drive condition.

 

Well Surferdude2,

I have tried the 2 DVD Rom drives I have installed (secondary master and slave), but the result is the same... Which made me suspect also of some problem with the M/B secondary IDE connection.

How do I copy the i386 File? Is it possible to copy it to my freshly formated Hard Drive? How? And how will I run it from there?

Thanks!

 

The process would require you to use FDISK to create a fat32 partition to copy the i386 folder to. A 2 gig partition should be ample. Then you could run the install when resident in that folder by typing WINNT.EXE. Then when you are given the opportunity, select to create and format another partition with NTFS from the unallocated space for the install.

You'd need a good boot floppy disk with ample utilities to make it easier. Download this XP install floppy creator. Run that file and it will create the necessary boot floppy for you. That floppy will have all the tools you need to do the copy job as well as perform the install. It loads smartdrive automatically so it will speed right along with the copy process.

If you have a secondary drive, it would be better to create the fat32 partition on it and copy the i386 folder there.

This whole exercise may not succeed due to your cd-rom drive not being up to the task but this will define that problem for sure.

 

Thanks! I'll be trying that. If it doesn't work, I'll try with a different motherboard... I'm sure that will narrow the location of the problem.

 

What is described happens when there is a bad RAM module. It could be other things, like a BIOS needing updating or something. Windows XP is very picky about RAM.