Crashed while installing xppro...

[leadman]

I was performing a fresh install of xppro onto a computer that had been running win98. During the install (after the setup process) I got a fatal error when the something couldnt be read from the disk. It gives me an error report and then the computer restarts and tries to pickup the install where it left off but the same problem keeps occurring. I tried to give up the install and put the win 98 boot disk in but it wont work because the system already converted from FAT to NTFS. I cant even fdisk the thing for that same reason - what should I do?!

 

[Marcs41]

Re-install again, it happens.
By the way, you can always FDISK it, press 4 to see the format of the partition(s), it will say Non-Dos, that's the partition to remove. If the solution is out there, let us know it was helpful, so others can benefit from it as well..

 

[linney]

If after you retry you get the same error, write it down and post back. A lot of setup errors eventually are traced back to a bad CD.

 

[leadman]

i ran a cleaner disk in the cd rom drive (couldnt do it like the instructions say because I have no controll over the cd at this point). Same error comes up when I try to continue the XP installation - "Setup was unable to retrieve Product ID of the system you are installing. THe Windows XP Media may be damaged"

I'd still be happy to just get back to WIN 98 but when I use the 98 boot diskette I get to a screen where I choose "format hard drive and install windows 98" but this leads to "Cannot create a temp director. If you have HPFS or NTFS y ou will need to create an MSDOS Boot partition to set up windows." Then it leaves me at an "E:" prompt. It wont let me switch to the c: prompt - it says "invalid drive". Any ideas on how i can get control of this?

 

[wolluf]

read Marcs41's post - you can remove ntfs partition with fdisk, but you'll need to boot from win98 boot floppy. You've not mentioned if you need to back up, because removing the partition will obviously remove your data.

 

[leadman]

i dont need to back up. Again, it wont let me get to the c: prompt. I've tried typing "fdisk" at the e: prompt - it says "bad command or file name" - how do I proceed with an fdisk?

 

[smah]

From your earlier message, it sounds like you're using some sort of recovery or installation floppy. You need to use a win 98 boot floppy.

 

[leadman]

I am using a floppy entitled "Microsoft Windows 98 Boot Disk"

 

[wolluf]

You should type fisk at the a: prompt, not the e: prompt.

 

[smah]

If all else fails, have a look at this:

http://downloads-zdnet.com.com/3000-2094-8838570.html?tag=lst-0-1

It will remove all partitions from your primary master drive. Just boot from the created floppy.

 

[smah]

One other note: If you use the info above, you will still need to partition and format.

 

[Marcs41]

The E: prompt is RAM, not a harddisk !
Goto A: and run fdisk as posted before.
Anything else will not work before you get your patition back. If the solution is out there, let us know it was helpful, so others can benefit from it as well..

 

[leadman]

that did it! thanks. I guess its still important to understand dos.