XP Clean Install Problems

I've done many clean installs of XP usining my XP Pro + SP2 CD's and now suddenly it gets to within 19 minutes of being done and starts asking for files that are not on the CD's. I'm having to "Sneeker Net" them from my other computer via floppy disks, one at a time. Have been at this for hours now and am not done yet! What's happened that I suddenly can't do a clean install off a CD that I've used many times before? I have other copies and they all do the same thing.
TIA
GG

 

PS:I can find them on my computer but a search does not find them on the CD. Why does "Setup" need them now when they didn't need them before?
GG

 

have you changed out any of the hard ware on your computer? could it be looking for updates that sp3 has? Just taking a guess

 

It sounds like your windows install disk is scratched. When windows setup is looking for certain files off the disk it needs to continue and can't read them, It asks you for the file. Try either another disk or taking it to a business that has a scratch removal machine.

 

As a matter of fact, a lot of the files it has asked for are from the SP3 folder! And I HAVE changed out some hardware.
GG

 

Thanks but I have several copies and they are all doing the same thing.
GG

 

Ok, by clean install I thought you meant that you destroyed all the partitions and then re-partitioned and then formatted and then installed Windows. Am I incorrect?

 

You are correct! I reformatted two drives now and tried to install my XP Pro + SP2 back on them and I run into the same problem no matter which disks I use. I have one for my computer and another for my wifes computer.They both do the same thing. I copy the originals and then work from copies so that the originals don't get scratched. Same problem with all copies and originals. I would think that all traces of SP3 would have been removed from the hard drives.
GG

 

So you have two computer which do the same thing. I was going to suggest problems with the optical drive......

 

I may have an optical drive problem as well because the drive is no longer even "looking" for the files on the CD and the drive will not allow me to remove the disk unless I kill the computer totally. In which case I lose all that I've gained so far. Eventually [I hope!]I will have transferred all the files it asks for and the installation will complete itself.
GG

 

maybe you should get a usb optical drive. I bought one and find them extremely usefull

 

It's been my experience with this type of install issue that it's either a faulty CD drive, or a faulty hard drive. Sometimes performing a full format, or a low-level format on the HD in question can solve the problem. The error usually says "Unable to copy file %filename.dll%. If the file is in a different location, etc, etc, etc....". If you think about it, this doesn't necessarily mean that it can't read the CD, it can also mean that it could not write the file to the hard drive; the error says "unable to copy" and not "unable to read". So, try swapping out the CD drive, and then try a low-level or full hard drive format... one of those two suggestions should work.....
Good luck!!

[dlb]

 

Thanks guys for all your help! Turns out it was a faulty CD Drive. It works fine for everything else but in this case, all I did was swap the CD drives from computer to computer and both then installed flawlessly. GG