Pressing Escape in the middle of loading OS

Hi you all - you've been a great help in the past and once again I have a real problem. I was loading WindowsXP on my desktop (reformatting) it the CD said it was missing a file shadw.dll. Well, stupidly I pressed escape and got out of reformatting. Now my desktop loads and it goes to We apologize for the inconvenience, blah blah, would you like to start Windows Normally and it gives me other options. All the other options don't work and when I put in a new WindowsXP cd in the cd-rom, it doesn't load either.

What do I have to do to get my computer to read the CD in there now and to get WindowsXP loaded back on my desktop?

Thanks in advance for the advice. You guys here are great. If I'm not giving you enough info. let me know and I'll do my best to explain. Thanks

Mike

 

Well sir, the easiest step to take would be to configure BIOS to boot from CD, and install Windows from there. To do so, please do the following:

1. Power on the computer
2. Press the key to enter setup/BIOS. This is typically F1, F2, delete, but the very first screen should say for certain.
3. Under boot order/sequence/priority (or similar) set the CD rom to the top of the list
4. Insert the XP installation CD
5. Restart the computer
6. When prompted, press any key to boot from CD

From here, it is simple to follow the prompts to delete your partition, reformat your computer, and re-install windows.

 

Tried it out and what's wrong is my CD. It must have a scratch on it because it does not work. The burned copy I made doesn't autorun and not sure what else to do. Anyone ever try ordering a new Windows XP cd from ebay? Anyone recommend or not recommend it?

Thanks for the quick reply Mada and helping me figure out my problem

Mike

 

The MS media replacement line is 1-800-360-7561 (North America). They will only help you if it is a retail (as in bought in a store, as opposed to coming with your PC), and I'm pretty sure they will need some sort of proof of purchase. But they may be able to send you an undamaged CD for little or no cost.

 

Geck the only thing about that is that I have a Dell and don't have the recovery CD. I had a burned copy of it that I've been using, but I think there is a scratch because it won't load a certain shadw.dll and another .dll file. I called up Dell and asked to buy a replacement Recovery cd and they said they can't replace it and the only option is to buy a new copy of Windows XP for 200 dollars. It's kind of funny because I got a Recovery CD for my Sony and it only cost 10 dollars. Kind of sucks, but just trying to figure out my other options and if buying a new Windows XP would be worth it. I know they aren't 200 dollars on ebay but I'm skeptical about ordering it from there.

Thanks for your support and expert advice. Being a novice your advice is really helpful!

Mike

 

At Newegg XP home OEM is $89, Online Ive seen it as low as $59

 

http://majorgeeks.pricegrabber.com/search_attrib.php?page_id=186&form_keyword=windows+xp&rd=1