Cannot Reinstall XP Pro over Vista 1

[stubnski]

Hi,

I had Vista loaded on my PC but couldn't get a few older programs to work on it so I tried to install XP Pro. I can get to the Xp Install screen and format the drive and install but when it goes to boot from the hard drive all I get is a blinking cursor. I've tried formatting the hard drive with the utility cd that came with it (western digital) and installing without success. I've tried reinstalling Vista and that has the same problem. Is it a bad hard drive or something else and how do I fix it? Hope this all makes sense, TIA

Stubnski

 

[BadBigBen]

No, it is mostlikely a hung driver...

can you boot into safemode (keep pressing F8 after POST screen, when the BIOS gives control over to the OS)... once in SafeMode check the Eventviewer for problems, aswell as the device manager...

most probable cause, SATA drivers or virtual CD drivers(sptd.sys for example), unsigned drivers for Graphic cards...

Ben

"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."

 

[stubnski]

Thanks for the reply Ben,

The OS won't boot. I can get to the blue install screen for XP or the Vista install screen because of the install cd, but it will not do anything once it tries to boot from the hard drive. Instead of the loading Windows startup screen all I get is a black screen with a blinking cursor in the upper left corner.

Stubnski

 

[BadBigBen]

Start listing the hardware in use, specs of the PC...

certain hardware at install time can cause the OS to hang, ie. 6in1 cardreaders etc... once these are removed everything functions as correct...

See if these are of any use:

Computer stops responding with a black screen when you start Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314503/en-us

Problems with drive overlay programs in Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315679/en-us

Problems when Windows XP tries to load the Agp440.sys service

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/324764/en-us

Setup stops responding or displays an unrecoverable error message

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/811267/en-us

How to Disable a Service or Device that Prevents Windows from Starting

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310602/en-us

Ben

"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."

 

[G0AOZ]

Try booting with a basic DOS, Windows 95 or 98 floppy disk, and then run, FDISK /MBR and check the drive is shown as ACTIVE.

ROGER - G0AOZ.

 

[stubnski]

Thanks for the replies, I'll try your suggestions tonight and get back tomorrow.

I'll also get the specs tomorrow

Thanks again

Stubnski

 

[stubnski]

Ben and G0AOZ,

I've tried all of the suggestions and still the same problem.

Here are my specs -
Western Digital 80 gig HD
Asus A8N32-SLI Deluxe MB
AMI Bios Version 1103
AMD Athlon 64x2 dual core 2200mhz
Asus AX300SE-X video card
1024 mb RAM

Thanks again for the help

Stubnski

 

[BadBigBen]

1.) in the BIOS Setup load the DEFAULT VALUES (F5 mostlikely)...
2.) set PLUG N PLAY OS to NO...
3.) set Boot Virus detection to OFF/DISABLE...
4.) Then set NVRAM to YES (this also may be called something else, what
5.) check the Jumpering on the HDD(Master on Primary IDE) and DVD/CD (Master on Secondary IDE)...
6.) if the HDD is a SATA drive, make sure that you have the correct drivers, also set in the BIOS the RAID function to off and that the Serial-SATA are enabled...

Ben

"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."

 

[BadBigBen]

Darn it... pressed the wrong button, was not done yet...

here it continues:

in the BIOS, set MEM Timing to AUTO...

under the ENERGY MENU, you may have to set ACPI APIC (found under APM) to DISABLE...

hope this helps a bit...

Ben

"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."

 

[stubnski]

Thanks for the reply Ben.

I set all the settings to your specifications and it still hangs. I'm thinking I might get another HD this weekend and see if that will work. Thanks again for the help

Stubnski

 

[BadBigBen]

I was going to suggest that you ZERO FILL the drive using your HDD TOOL that you used to format it...

Try an IDE HDD, and use the 80gig for data etc...

Keep us posted on the progress...

and Thanx for the Star...

Ben

"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."

 

[WyldeCarde]

You probably need to delete and re-create the disk partition, the new whizz-bang vista version of NTFS is probably playing silly buggers.

You should be able to do that from the XP CD if you boot off it.

 

[jurgen36]

Your best bet would be to zero fill your HD, the utilities can be found on the drive manufactures web site. Xp and other MS programs quite often leave some crap on the boot sectors. Only a zero fill will get rid of them.
Good luck


Jurgen

 

[stubnski]

Hi, sorry for the late reply. Installed a new hard drive and everything works great, kept the old HD for data starage. Thanks again for all of your suggestions and help.

Stubnski

 

[BadBigBen]

Glad you got it up and running...


Ben

"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."

 

[garybritt]

Was XP ever installed on this computer before? If yes, did the computer come with XP pre-loaded? If yes, use the system recovery CD to wipe the disk and start over with XP.

Its possible Vista has left some code in the Master Boot Record of the Hard Disk that causes the problem. You would need to boot the computer with a dos floppy and run fdisk on the hard disk and delete all partions and drives and take it back to bare metal. Then use Fdisk to partition the drive and set it up to get it ready for an install.

If XP was never previously on this computer or you are trying to load XP not from the system recovery CD for that particular computer then your problem might well be the driver type of problems others have described. It might also be that you are trying to intall an OEM copy of XP that's meant for a Dell onto a Gateway or something and its crapping out because some OEM copies check the bios to keep from being installed on anybody else's computer or even a different computer from the same vendor. If that's your problem you need a full retail version of XP that can install on any machine. You may still have the driver problems that others have mentioned above.

Gary Britt

 

[JeanetteS]

I have this problem about every 6 months with my Dell XPS. When the curser blinks, I give it a good cleaning on the inside, and it runs great. Since my computer sits on the floor, the CPU grid has a layer of dust on it, and spraying it off does the trick. I hope this works for your too.