WindowsXP Pro Install Disk - Is it bootable?

[kramerd1506]

Hi guys. Shouldn't the WindowsXP installation CD be a bootable CD? I'm having a problem with what I think is a corrupt windows install and trying to reinstall/repair. But the install CD does not boot from the CD-ROM. (??!!)

Any ideas? My problem is basically that XP loads part of the way. The WindowsXP splash screen comes up and the little blue loading bar is moving normally. Then the bar pauses for about 4 seconds (which it was not previously doing when it worked), and then starts moving again. Problem is that Windows will never start. It will stay there forever, with the little bar moving and never stops or brings up windows. Any advice? I'm trying to do a repair of the windows install, but the problem is that XP is on a striped raid array which I have been booting to, so the XP setup floppys won't see a hard drive since it's raid. I need to repair off the CD-ROM.

Isn't the XP install disk a bootable disk? What else can I do?

Thanks!!

 

[Davetoo]

Have you set your BIOS to bood from the CD before the hard drive?

I'm Certifiable, not certified.
It just means my answers are from experience, not a book.

 

[Davetoo]

Have you set your BIOS to boot from the CD before the hard drive?

I'm Certifiable, not certified.
It just means my answers are from experience, not a book.

 

[nlm9802]

download your raid drivers to a floppy, and when setup prompts you to hit f6 to install raid drivers, hit it and install the drivers.

but yes, the cd (at least mine) is bootable.

<-- certifiable *and* certified

 

[smah]

Also watch carefully, on some sytems, even with the cd rom set as the first boot device, you need to 'hit any key' to boot from the cd.

 

[kramerd1506]

Hey, thanks for the help.

I do have the CDROM as the first boot device and it will boot other CDs that I have, but not the WindowsXP disk. Hmmmmm.

Anyway, I have a question about the raid driver. During POST, the raid driver is accessed and shows the functional raid array and it doesn't begin to boot from the floppy until after that. So shouldn't the XP setup already know about the RAID array?

Also, I'm nervous about reloading the RAID drivers because 1) they're already loaded and 2) it was very difficult to install. The documentation is wrong on it and the mirror configuration actually stripes the array and vice versa. If I choose the wrong one, then I'll screw my data on the array when I attempt the repair.

I'm using Promise FastTrack ATA133 Lite, otherwise known as PDC20276. Anyone have any experience with the documentation being backwards?

Thanks!