Quick Question

[speedcurious]

I recently had my hard drive crash and purchased a new one. I went to install windows xp on it, and each time got various error messages. I had an old copy of windows 98 lying around, and installed it, and it installed fine. I tried doing the upgrade windows xp has on it, and once again, it gave error messages. Basically I cant figure out what would cause one version of windows to install and not the other. I know my computer meets the system requirements for xp, and I have tried using more than just the one xp disk thinking that may have been the problem. Any ideas are appreciated. Thanks

[Erik]

What is the error you get? What do they relate to?

[Sylvander]

Run Windows XP Upgrade Advisor (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/upgrading/advisor.mspx) within Win98 and see if it reports no XP upgrade problems anticipated. [I have hardware in mind]

[speedcurious]

ok,when i get home i will check it out a bit more. Im stuck using a comp at work right now. One other thing I found kind of strange. I tried copying all the files off the xp disk onto the harddrive,and was going to see if it was possible to install from there, but once it gets to the i386 folder it always finds a problem copying a file, and then you have to restart the computer. Ive tried using a few different xp disks and have had that same problem from them too, so im not sure what the deal is. When i get home ill check the upgrade advisor and let you know what it says. Thanks for the help

[Sylvander]

"I tried copying all the files off the xp disk onto the harddrive,and was going to see if it was possible to install from there"
More recently, that's the only way I ever do it. :)
It's quite something to see all the files being listed as they scroll down the screen as they are being copied from the CD to [a folder on a partition other than C: on] the HDD.
See post #4 on the EBCD thread linked below for some idea of how I did it.

1. How to make a free “Smart Boot Manager” floppy
http://www.pcguide.com/vb/showthread.php?t=41498
This makes it easier to boot a chosen drive [particularly the one holding the EBCD].

2. How to make a free EBCD bootable CD
http://www.pcguide.com/vb/showthread.php?t=41485
This has a number of useful utilities included including "Image" [for DOS, by Terabyte] & "File Manager".

[jlreich]

but once it gets to the i386 folder it always finds a problem copying a file, and then you have to restart the computer. Ive tried using a few different xp disks and have had that same problem from them too,
If you are having errors like that first thing I would think is a bad disk, but you say you have tried several different disks. So that would most likely point to a bad CD/DVD drive.

If you can swap it out with a known good CD/DVD drive. Also double check the cables to the drive, they do sometimes work their way out over time just enough to cause errors.

[Erik]

Could also be a bad IDE cable or controller.

[speedcurious]

ok,when using the upgrade advisor the only 2 problems it has is VGA controller,and ethernet controller. I have also tried using my other dvd drive thinking that was the problem and ran into the same situation. I tried again earlier to copy the files to the hard drive and it gets to the i386 folder and then throws a vxd error which has a blue screen on windows 98, then I end up having to restart the computer. I wasnt positive but figured VGA had to do with the video card, so i installed an old video card and the same thing. So any help is appreciated.

[Sylvander]

"2 problems it has is VGA controller,and ethernet controller"
I'm no hardware expert, but...
That sounds pretty serious to me.
You're going to need working video, and an ethernet controller is pretty essential too.
So you either need to get and install a WinXP driver for each, or else you install XP-compatible hardware, or else you can't install WinXP. :(

[Paul Komski]

it always finds a problem copying a file Installing from the hard drive (http://www.iol.ie/~krakowangus/winnt.htm) using i386/winnt.exe is a good option to try when there is a problematic install. The fact that some files get copied and one or more do not almost certainly means you have a bad CD. Try and get or borrow a copy of the same version and you will be able to use your own CD product key on it. A bad CD drive could also be at fault since you have already tried a second CD but unless all the files get copied propertly you cannot reallistically look to other faults as the cause. Copying the files onto (and transferring the files that way) a large enough USB drive (or just as a test onto a hard drive) on another PC should tell you whether the copying fault is with the CD or with the Drive.

PS If possible do a clean reinstall (even if this means a dual boot) and not an upgrade if you get the chance.

[speedcurious]

See,thats the problem I cant figure out. Ive tried several CD's in both drives, and both drives always copy everything from every cd fine,until they get to the i386 folder, then the problems start. Sometimes it gets farther but it always manages to find one file it cant copy of each cd, and then the error screen pops up. Probably just going to end up buying me a new computer anyways, but I would still like to get this one running a bit. Anymore ideas? :confused:

[mjc]

Is the date/time in the BIOS correct?

[speedcurious]

yep,it is :)

[Sylvander]

"both drives always copy everything from every cd fine,until they get to the i386 folder, then the problems start"
Are you copying EVERYTHING from the CD [total CD content] to the HDD?
You only need to copy the contents of the i386 folder.
Which OS [DOS?] & program are you using to do the copying?
Where exactly are you copying the files to?
FAT[32] or NTFS partition?
Is there plenty of space in that location to take the files?
"File Manager" [you OK the loading of the CD drivers when you run it] on the EBCD would allow you to browse the HDD partition contents and also the CD contents; one in the left window, the other in the right, both showing at the same time.
When the file copy begins they are all displayed as they are being copied.
The partition to which they are being written [other than C:?] would need to be FAT32, but could be upgraded later to NTFS.

[speedcurious]

To do the copying I have been just going to My Computer,then right click on the cd drive, hit explore, then highlight the stuff on the xp disk (think theres like 13 folders with stuff in them) and copying all to the desktop of the computer. Been using windows 98, and like I said,everything copies fine until it gets to the i386 folder, then theres always something that wont copy over.

[Paul Komski]

If you have files that wont copy from the CD to the hard drive then you have a bad CD or a faulty CDdrive.

[Sylvander]

Is there enough space on the partition to take all of the contents of the Windows CD?
You should only be copying the i386 folder and its contents.

It's generally recommended that if an optical drive won't work in Windows, to try accessing it outside of Windows, or boot a bootable disk using the drive.
The EBCD has its own CD-drive driver and will ask permission to load it when you run the "File Manager".

So try making the EBCD, boot from it, run the "File Manager" [give the OK to load the appropriate drivers], and try using that to copy the i386 folder and contents to a FAT[32] partition on the HDD [not NTFS].