View Full Version : help! Computer installation
Caddy2000
08-11-08, 12:34 PM
trying to install XP onto my machine and can't find away to re-format my C drive. Any suggestions? Cheers all, Paul
fizzwheel
08-11-08, 12:44 PM
Boot off the XP CD, then it should come up with a screen to ask you how you want to partition your disk, at that point it should give the option to remove the existing partition. Do that, then create a new partition and format it.
I think, I'm a bit hazy on this as I havent installed XP for ages...
Yup, it may describe it a little differently, but fizz is right.
Just remove all partitions & re-create. It should pretty much force you to format that way.
Caddy2000
08-11-08, 12:56 PM
i've booted off the disk, but it says that there is no disk installed. There is a prompt to install 3rd party RAID drivers though
Ah, then you'll need the driver for the disks to hand (probably on CD). That depends on what RAID controller you have (I'm assuming you have RAID here).
Caddy2000
08-11-08, 01:10 PM
yep, got raid. Don't know where the driver will be. Using a dell unit as a base which didn't come with a cd of drivers. There must be drivers on the vomit though
Since you swore at me, I'll swear back.. Dell.. start here...
http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/product_support/product_support_central?~ck=ln&c=us&cs=19&l=en&lnki=0&s=dhs
Caddy2000
08-11-08, 01:46 PM
2 problems. 1 only internet connection i have is on my N95 and there's no floppy drive to use. My drives are SATA drives, at the moment they are RAID autodetect / AHCI enabled. Shall i make them raid only?
This wouldn't be a ThinkStation would it? :lol:
XP install should be fine with AHCI, but you will need the drivers.
As for problem one, the N95 works like a flash drive doesn't it? (USB Mass storage)? Pop along to the local library, download the drivers using their computers (sign up to the library for free if you have to), and save to the N95. When you do the XP install, you'll be able to grab the drivers from the N95 using it as a flash drive again. :)
If it is a ThinkStation, you'll probably be wanting the Intel Matrix Storage Manager drivers.
Caddy2000
08-11-08, 02:05 PM
it's a dimension 9150
In that case, I'd personally be tempted to stick a normal SATA drive in & sort the raid out later, but that's just me.
If you don't have any kicking around, then you'll still want the same drivers (I think the D9150's use Intel Matrix anyhow), but it might be safer to disable AHCI & revert back to ATA mode just for the installation.
Caddy2000
08-11-08, 02:29 PM
by that, do you mean take one of the drives out and carry out the install with one drive?
by that, do you mean take one of the drives out and carry out the install with one drive?
I was meaning to connect a spare drive & put that in the case permanently, something small, just enough to hold the installation of XP really.
You could take one of the RAID drives out & carry on with the installation (connecting the drive to the normal SATA controller, not the RAID, or disabling RAID), but then converting it back to RAID later could be a royal pain.
If you don't have a spare SATA drive, pop down to the library as I said above. :)
Caddy2000
08-11-08, 02:44 PM
Cheers Baph,
I've dowloaded the Matrix driver from Dell, and will change to ATA to see if that makes a difference.
Why oh why didn't I get an Apple!!!
or a usb floppy drive...
if you are really interested i can help you create an unattended installation disc. but it would require you to have a working windows machine.
it loads drivers, apps, os and keys all at the same time .. no user interaction .. just chuck the disk in and press return.
have a look here to see what's involved.
http://unattended.msfn.org/unattended.xp/
or a usb floppy drive...
That's what I was saying about the Nokia N95 acting as a Mass Storage Device. :)
yup .. bit more complicated as in.. you would have to point the os to the drive/folder/driver... but sometimes it wont install properly.
Caddy2000
08-11-08, 04:40 PM
annoyed now! No matter what i do, it won't see the hard drives
thats because the drivers arent loaded.. or your drive has collapsed..
are you using a windows disc or a re-installation disc supplied by the manufacturer?
Also, in BIOS, what are your SATA settings? You should be on "Combination" not "Raid Autodetect/AHCI". I know that's a tad contradictory to what I wrote above.
Alternatively to this, I'm told the drivers are native on the SP2 version of XP.
Caddy2000
08-11-08, 04:53 PM
thats because the drivers arent loaded.. or your drive has collapsed..
are you using a windows disc or a re-installation disc supplied by the manufacturer?
Got a full installation disk (I think it's meant to have SP3 included)
Also, in BIOS, what are your SATA settings? You should be on "Combination" not "Raid Autodetect/AHCI". I know that's a tad contradictory to what I wrote above.
Alternatively to this, I'm told the drivers are native on the SP2 version of XP.
I think that's the only setting I haven't tried. Will give it a go - nowt to lose
Caddy2000
11-11-08, 01:15 PM
Right!
Got it working; had to download the Intel Matrix Storage Manager, the Intel Floppy disk creator for the Matrix Storage Manager, the Intel Chipset thingumy, and buy a USB floppy drive coz who's used a floppy disk in the last 4 years?!
Got the install done on SATA/ACHI setting in BIOS.
Decompartmentalised my HDDs put a new compartment in (180gig), reformatted that compartment, and installed XP (as it told me to do).
I've got two 150gig HDDs, but only the C drive shows up. I now need to create my second 12gig 'HD'.
How do I do that?
Getting somewhere though, thanks to you all, esp Baph for putting up with my swearing!
fizzwheel
11-11-08, 01:21 PM
I've got two 150gig HDDs, but only the C drive shows up. I now need to create my second 12gig 'HD'.
How do I do that?
Right click my computer and choose manage, then about half way down it'll say "disk management" click on that and it'll show you a graphical representation of your physical disk. It should so your existing partition and also the amount of unpartitioned space.
Right click in the unpartitioned space and it should give you an option to create a new partition.
Again I think, its ages since I've done this in XP
Caddy2000
11-11-08, 02:07 PM
Cheers Fizz,
If my mum was still teaching I'd have given you and Baph one of her GOLD stars!
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