Problem installing XP.

[StigF]

http://img381.imageshack.us/img381/8528/dsc00376qe2.th.jpg (http://img381.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc00376qe2.jpg)

This is what comes up when i try to install XP on my Acer 5110.
Anyone knnow how i can fix it?

[classicsoftware]

Welcome to http://www.pcguide.com/ubb/pcgubb.gif forums?

How are you trying to Install Windows? Acer usually provides restore CD's?

[StigF]

Thanks!
I dont have any restore CD.
I restore by pressing Alt+F4 when Windows boots.
I want to install XP becuse i wanted a "clean" install, not something which is full of Acer-programs which slows down the system.

[Paul Komski]

Shouldnt it be Alt+F10 from within Windows. The full recovery options and on how to make a restore CD are all outlined in the manual (ftp://ftp.work.acer-euro.com/notebook/aspire_5110/manual/aspire_3100_5100_5110_en.pdf).

At what exact stage does the BSOD that you posted appear on the display?

[classicsoftware]

Thanks!
I dont have any restore CD.
I restore by pressing Alt+F4 when Windows boots.
I want to install XP becuse i wanted a "clean" install, not something which is full of Acer-programs which slows down the system.

As an owner of an Acer Laptop, what Acer Programs are installed that slow the system down?

They install their power management software, which you would be a fool to disable, Acrobat Reader and whatever CD Burning Software they bundle with the system. In this case, you are better off using the restore cd or partition and removing the stuff you don't want.

[StigF]

Well the fact is, there was no recoveryCD with when i got the Laptop.
It it the Alt+F4 when the BIOS boots..
I had done it once before, but this time it didnt work becuse i have formatted my C:\-drive.
So i am desperat for help.

[Paul Komski]

If you have deleted all partitions from the drive and didn't previously make your own restore CD then you will either need to contact Acer for the relevant CD or purchase your own copy of WinXP and then obtain any necessary missing drivers.

The screenshot you showed is a BSOD, which implied that Windows was already installed - at least partially.

If you are sure you have deleted a restoration partition then there is software that can often rebuild such partitions - well in reality rebuild the partition tables in the MBR because thats all that goes AWOL when you "delete" a partition. TestDisk and BiNG (http://www.pcguide.com/vb/showthread.php?t=56361) can both do this as can other more expensive recovery software.

If your restoration options are definitely gone and you want to reinstall from the Windows CD suggest you consider writing zeros to the drive first using the HDD maker's own diagnostics or DBAN (http://dban.sourceforge.net/).

[StigF]

I will try BiNG and TestDisc later today.
Hope it work.
What is causing the bluescreen?

[Paul Komski]

What is causing the bluescreen?Trouble is - just about anything, which is why the suggestion it to try to back-track using previous images or system restore or uninstall newly installed software or hardware and to look for rogue programs. Etc, etc.

[StigF]

Trouble is - just about anything, which is why the suggestion it to try to back-track using previous images or system restore or uninstall newly installed software or hardware and to look for rogue programs. Etc, etc.

Ok. It is odd, since i have formatted the disc.
Isn't everything gone?
And, it comes after the part there i chosse the disc to install XP.
After that, the system reboots, and this error comes up.

[Paul Komski]

A BSOD after reboot during setup is probably due to bad or incompatible hardware. Try cutting down the hardware to the mimimum and consider testing both the hard drive and the memory.

Isn't everything gone?No, unless you overwrite data installing new material or writing zeros to the drive all the original information remains on the hard drive. As indicated, what happens is that the information describing where everything is is destroyed. Its like losing a card index card in a library for a book that still exists in the library. If the library is searched through book by book, it can be found and a new card index for it written out.

[StigF]

Ok.
Do you think its smartest to delete everything on the harddrive, or getting it back.
One of the reasons why i formatted, was that the PC, went to hell after i changed the apperance of the run-dialogue in shell32.dll.
I thought i had removed the SFc, but my PC crashed.

[Paul Komski]

Do you think its smartest to delete everything on the harddriveIt depends on how difficult you find it to restore Windows and make the restoration boot CD.

[StigF]

Well, i kind of want to install a clean insstall of XP, and start with nothing.

[Paul Komski]

If you have a Windows installation CD then perhaps the most straightforward thing would be to nuke the drive and then attempt an install from the CD.

[StigF]

Ok..
How do I do that?

[Paul Komski]

Boot to a DBAN floppy and nuke the hard drive.

Boot to a WinXP CD and follow the prompts.

[StigF]

I can't burn a floppy.
Is there any other way?

[Paul Komski]

You could use BiNG (in my sig) to make a boot CD and use it's Partition Work section to delete any partitions and utilise the options to Clear Boot Sector and Wipe Partition in the process. When that completes use the MBR button and then use the Std MBR button to write a new MBR.

That is effectively the same as using DBAN.

If you have a CD burner then you can use the DBAN iso file for installation on CD and DVD media at http://dban.sourceforge.net/

If you don't have a CD burning software that can easily burn an iso to a CD you could use BurnCDCC from http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/utilities.html

[StigF]

You could use BiNG (in my sig) to make a boot CD and use it's Partition Work section to delete any partitions and utilise the options to Clear Boot Sector and Wipe Partition in the process. When that completes use the MBR button and then use the Std MBR button to write a new MBR.

That is effectively the same as using DBAN.

If you have a CD burner then you can use the DBAN iso file for installation on CD and DVD media at http://dban.sourceforge.net/

If you don't have a CD burning software that can easily burn an iso to a CD you could use BurnCDCC from http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/utilities.html

I burned DBAN, and which option should I use?

[Paul Komski]

maxjewels comments can be ignored

Which options are you given? to choose between.

[StigF]

Well.. Now i tried the autonuke.
It takes about 6 hours to fiinish, so i guess its the all-in-one.
I will post later if it works.

[StigF]

It didnt work..
Is there any way to fix it without delivering it to reparation?

[StigF]

Can it have something to do with the RAM?

[Paul Komski]

It didnt work.Does that mean that you cannot boot to a Windows installation CD? or something else didn't work and if you can boot to the CD does the BSOD still happen during the install.

Can it have something to do with the RAM?Bad RAM can just about any affects including blue-screening.

[StigF]

Does that mean that you cannot boot to a Windows installation CD? or something else didn't work and if you can boot to the CD does the BSOD still happen during the install.

Bad RAM can just about any affects including blue-screening.

After i have choosen the partition i want to install XP on, it formats the partition and some files get copied over.

After that the PC reboots and the Windows boot logo comes up.
After that, the same error as in the first post comes.

[Paul Komski]

Well I lean towards it being a hardware problem but with PCs you just never know. You could try a hard drive install (http://www.iol.ie/~krakowangus/winnt.htm) - but I'm running out of ideas.

I may have missed it in the thead but is this WinXP SP2. If not then don't make any partition greater than 120gig.

[StigF]

Yes, it is XP SP2.
And, the HDD is 120 gig, so its hard to make it bigger.
Well, the link you gave me, how do I do that?
I am bad in english, so could you explain it to me?

[Paul Komski]

You first need to get a copy of the i386 folder onto a fat partition on the drive. If you cant do this using a floppy or CD you would need to do it while it is temporarily slaved to a another PC. Such a FAT partition can be made bootable (http://www.iol.ie/~krakowangus/dospartition.htm) or you can boot to DOS running on a boot floppy or boot CD.

Once you can access the HDD you would run C:\i386\winnt

[StigF]

I mean, can you say me stap-by-step what i need to do?

[Paul Komski]

Download http://www.iol.ie/~krakowangus/sbm/zmakeiso.zip and unzip it. You should then have a folder called zmakeiso and inside it there should be two sub-folders (readdocs and zfiles) and two files (go.bat and mkisofs.exe).

Next download win98sc.zip file from http://1gighost.net/maryland/win98sc.zip and extract the enclosed WIN98SEC.IMG file from it. Rename the WIN98SE.IMG file to floppy.img (using lower case letters). Then place the renamed floppy.img file inside the zfiles sub-folder.

Next copy the i386 folder from the WinXP CD into the same zfiles folder. You should now see inside the zfiles folder three items: instructions.txt, floppy.img and the i386 folder.

Double-click or otherwise run go.bat and this should create a file called mybootcd.iso, which should appear in the zfiles folder when the iso has finished being made.

Use your burnng software to convert this iso into a boot CD and boot to it. No need for CDROM support when the option is presented to you this first time.

Run fdisk from the A: prompt and use it to delete any existing partitions. Use it to create one large partition, make sure you mark it as active and then reboot to the same CD but this time with CDROM support.

Issue the command
A:\>format C: /s
from the A: prompt and wait for a system transferred message.

Make a new i386 folder in the new C: drive by issuing in sequence:

A:\>C:
C:\>md i386

Copy smartdrv to the C: drive and run it with:

C:\>copy A:\smartdrv.exe C:\smartdrv.exe
C:\>smartdrv

Copy all the i386 files from the CD (usually D: but change to another letter if D: is incorrect below) to the HDD with:

C:\>copy D:\i386\*.* C:\i386

Remove the CD and see if you can boot to a C: drive on the hard drive.

If you get to the C: prompt then issue two more commands

C:\>smartdrv

and then

C:\>C:\i386\winnt /s:C:\i386

Follow the prompts and report back.

Good luck - No guarantees.

[StigF]

I cant find the win98sc-file.

Iv'e been busy for the last weeks, so i havent had time to do it.

[Paul Komski]

The Link was from http://bootdisk.com/bootdisk.htm
Win98SE Under: Non-Windows Based Image Files W/ImageApp

The original link is no longer valid but the mirror seems to be OK: http://1gighost.net/maryland/win98sc.zip