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clean system os install problems - which component is messing up???

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decibel08

Technical User
Jan 11, 2002
28
US
i posted a similar question a little while ago, but seems the problem has become more general...

i am trying to install an operating system (at this point have tried win98 and xp) and the installation either doesn't start or doesn't make it past the preliminary steps. with 98, i would try to install and it would quit before it got away from dos-looking interface and just return to the prompt, sometimes saying "could not find PROGMAN.EXE" With Xp, i would boot from the cd, and it would begin installing, saying it was loading all sorts of things, and then would just freeze when it got to "starting windows" every time. ive stripped the system down to the bare components to try to isolate the problem and this is the current setup:

- a cleanly formatted ibm gxp60 hdd (formatted numerous times now, including erasing the boot record using ibm's disk utilities)
- asus a7m266 mobo
- 256 pc2100 micron ram
- amd 1.2ghz athlon (plenty of cooling)
- leadtek geforce2 gts 32mb video card
- pioneer 12/40x dvd
- 300 watt ps, standard ms mouse and keyboard
- 17" lcd screen (pnp)

i have tried swapping the pioneer cd drive with a 12x cd burner and i get different error messages which makes me think it might be the cd drive, but that seems so unlikely... it took numerous tries for xp to make it as far as saying it was installing.. first it just restarted my computer repeatedly when it tried to load. any ideas? is it possible that both of my cd drives (only in one at a time) are jacked? or could it be the mobo... would taking out the cmos battery etc have any benefit? any help is appreciated.

dbpolaris@hotmail.com
 
why would the memory be a problem? its detected fine in post and ive never had problems with it before
 
Have you tried to do a surface scan of your hard drive??
It could have some problems...
 
decibel08

Gleaned from some Newsgroup posts...

As to XP install problem...Is it OEM disk as they are designed for specific box?
Could it be a "burner" version of XP?

As to Win98 it sounds like "old" progman verion or Update Version of SE which according to Newsgroups is limited when it comes to "clean installs"

GL smitee
 
just for the record, the problem was i messed up the bios with asus' update program and once i flashed it from a floppy it has worked fine. xp is now up and running. who'd a thunk it
 
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