please help win XP - and the hell that is my computer

Discussion in 'Software' started by green_newbie, Feb 24, 2003.

  1. green_newbie

    green_newbie Private First Class

    hello,

    i would tell you my system info here but for complicated reasons i am not able to get to it.
    I have been running windows XP for a while, i think it was an illigal version (bought computer from guy with win xp on it) so i started haveing problems a while back and was told i would need to reinstall windows. sense i had no windows to reinstall i desided to be legal and buy the full version (not upgrade) of windows XP home edition. I got this got home insert the cd and click -Install Windows XP home edition- run through the install process, and it give me an error -disk error cannot install wordpad.exe- and asks me if i want to retry or cancle, i retry, no work, so i cancle, windows asks me do you want to continue setup, i say sure. anouther program has disk error willn't install, and then anouther and anouther. so i cancle this setup and get the same problem in the next set up section. finilly i get through install process the new windows starts (with several can run program do to lack of some .dll file errors) and there are allmost no programs that should be with windows there, -luckly internet explorer worked as i am here now-
    so now i want to unstall windows and do it again hopefully will work. in the tiny manual that came with windows ($20 vid games have bigger manuals than this) it tells me >click start >click control panel >add remove programs >windows xp home edition, i follow all these steps except in >add remove programs, there is no windows xp choice, and i can't type anything in anywhere. i try formating my drive C to start all over and it tells me "Windows cannot format this drive. quit any disk utilities or other programs that are using this drive, and make sure no window is desplaying the content of the drive, then try again" i am running NO programs that i am aware of have no windows open. no hidden in the background virus or firewall programs, i am both confuced and angery i am unable to get through to windows tec help #, and i find no faq on the subject. is there any way i can wipe out my hard drive to start from scratch, how can i get my c drive to format. and what the hell is wrong with windows disk so it doesn't install correctly???? thank you for reading this and please give me a light of hope that i can have a functioning computer
     
  2. Kodo

    Kodo SNATCHSQUATCH

    if you have a win98 or winME boot disk floating around you would use this to "uninstall" windows by doing a format of the system. OR, you can put the cd in the drive and boot up off the cd and have it format the drive for you in the setup. Either way will do fine, though the later is right in the setup process and when it's done, it goes into the installation. Note: all data will be destroyed. But I take it that you don't much care bout that now at this point. If you keep getting errors on install, it could be one ore more of the following common problems that result in bad installs.
    1. Bad CD
    2. Bad RAM
    3. Overclocked CPU
    4. Bad CD-ROM drive
    5. Bad IDE Cable
    6. Bad Hard Drive
    (just some ideas for you)
     
  3. jxrry59

    jxrry59 Private E-2

    I think you can boot up the computer with the disk in the drive. Go to the command prompt and it should read you there as being in your dik drive or type in your disk drive letter. You should then be able to fdisk the c drive(wipes out partitions loses all info) and then cformat. Then you should try the install. I hope this is clear as I know what I am saying but less sure of what I am typing. But I remember when I had to do a reinstall awhile back that I couldn't fdisk from the drive I was doing it to-got it-post how you make out and I will check back at 930pm est



    i sent this and there was no reply yet-so listen to kodo
     
  4. green_newbie

    green_newbie Private First Class

    thanky will try,
     
  5. snakefoot

    snakefoot Sergeant Major

    Not sure how a Windows XP Home install on top of a Windows XP Pro acts out. But with your description it doesn't sound like a good thing to do. (Actually surprised that it allowed you to start the install)

    I'm just guessing but the thing with the corrupted files might be because of the Windows File Protection which should prevent 3rd party applications from deleting Windows own files.

    The thing about not being able to uninstall then it is because it is mainly made for those having installed Win9x/Me first and then upgrades to Windows XP. And if they don't like Windows XP then they can uninstall it. Not sure that uninstalling Windows XP Home to return to Windows XP Pro is supported.

    The thing about not being able to format, then it might because you are trying to format the partition which Windows XP resides on. Windows XP is not happy about deleting itself.

    I would try to create bootdisk which enables access to the CD-ROM in DOS, then install WinXP Home from the DOS prompt, and during the install when selecting which partition to install on then delete the current WinXP Pro partition and recreate it again to install WinXP Home. (Or you could do like Kodo says and just boot from the CD)

    *Update* Damn I'm a slow writter :)
     
    Last edited: Feb 24, 2003
  6. Kodo

    Kodo SNATCHSQUATCH

    naw man.. your keyboard's just old :D
     
  7. snakefoot

    snakefoot Sergeant Major

    Hehe spooky how did you know that ? (using an IBM keyboard from 1997)

    http://www.bash.org/?4402
     
  8. green_newbie

    green_newbie Private First Class

    KODO is the coolest

    followed advice running windows xp with NO problems now no install errors or anything. i did something a little diff.

    i used windows XP cd as a boot disk, went to option to repair ???something, which got me to dos prompt, from there i deleted the only partition i had, then restarted so windows seeing i didn't have a partition lets me format drive C create new and move on to installing win XP home edition. and now i am a happy microsoft windows useing cow. (i want to learn Linux and use only that) but XP is cool, and i will leave it on this computer for my family use. I am so happy to finally after several years of hodge podge jacked up system with illegal windows, to finally have a standard clean slate to start from.
    legal and all.
    thanks all for advice this has been a good learning experiance
    mark
     
  9. iamien

    iamien Cptn "Eh!"

    Linux can be fun, starts GUI and work your way to command prompt. best to have it on a seperate Computer :) though you can multi boot it with windows.
     
  10. jxrry59

    jxrry59 Private E-2

    Green_Newbie- Nice Job!!! and thanks for following through and letting me (us) know the outcome. :)
     

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