Daft PC question

Originally Posted by BluePete

I thought this was going to be about me

We can reinstall you if you like?

Matt

Originally Posted by ThEGr33k

Get a bootable copy of windows XP go into bios and set the CD to first boot device (or above the HDD at least). Let the comp boot up.

It should go to a gray screen with blue boarders, once all the drivers are loaded (along the bottom) it should come up with a list, there should be a option something like 'new instalation'. Click the letter corresponding to that.

Then (if i remember right) there should be an screen asking which partition to install it on. right when this comes up delete all the old partitions and format the disk. Then go on and install XP, the comp will restart, when this happens go back into the bios and set the HDD back to first boot device. Then XP will start installing, this will take between 30-60 mins!

When its installing and it asks you to setup the language make sure you select UK for keyboard and things! (otherwise @ will be where " is and visa versa ).

Then when all this is done, fresh comp!

Its been a few months since i did it but thats the basics of it. Pretty streight forward.

P.S. DO NOT try to install XP throught XP, it has to be done through the boot menu! Trust me the auto run in windows doesnt work.

Hope this helps.

make sure you back all the stuff up you want before you do this or it will be overwritten

It sounds like the floppy disk doesn't have the right information to boot the computer from (MBR).

If you start the computer up, and open up a Command Prompt (Windows XP: Start > Run > cmd.exe Older Windows: Start > Run > command.com). Then stick the floppy in, and type the following:

fdisk /mbr a:

That should make the floppy bootable.

Personally, I'd throw the Packard Bell discs away, but that's my personal opinion. IMO, you're far better with an official MicroSoft disc rather than a hardware retaillers customised version of the software.

Floppy disks are always bootable. If its not booting chances are that the boot order has the HDD before the Floppy disk.

Originally Posted by ThEGr33k

Floppy disks are always bootable. If its not booting chances are that the boot order has the HDD before the Floppy disk.

Oh contrare. You can't just shove any floppy disk in the drive & expect the machine to boot. The boot strap has to be there, the boot sector has to point to the boot strap (well, technically a mini-OS capable of executing the boot sequence). There's a reason why the Windows dialog gives you the "Bootable" option when formatting floppy's.

Remember, there's 2 levels of the OS before you even get to a command prompt, let alone Windows.

If the message coming up is "Invalid Disk (Abort/Retry/Ignore)" (or words to that effect), the media inserted is not bootable. One way to fix this, is to make the media bootable (again, FDD's aren't always bootable), the other is to change the BIOS settings to ensure the order of drives is correct.

IMO, running Fdisk & telling it to replace the MBR on a floppy is easier to do than guide someone through the BIOS options, as each BIOS manufacturer has different terms, different layouts, and different ways of even getting into the BIOS.

Very odd... ive never in my life done any of that, N' ive done a lot of work with this sort of crap. *Shrugs*

Originally Posted by ThEGr33k

Very odd... ive never in my life done any of that, N' ive done a lot of work with this sort of crap. *Shrugs*

Chances are, the disks you've used have always been formatted as bootable disks.

Try JUST formatting one with FAT32, and making sure NON of the options are ticked, that should get you just a basic disk, as the come normally. Make sure you're machines set to boot from floppy, and see what happens.

Surely you've seen the "Invalid/Non System Disk" message before. If there's no OS on it, there's nothing that the machine can do with it.

All i have done is put a bootable program on there and the computer does the rest... Ghost for example.

Originally Posted by ThEGr33k

All i have done is put a bootable program on there and the computer does the rest... Ghost for example.

Ah, that's why then, you're Ghosting. That would format the disk before it does anything, then it would setup the disk for booting.

Anyway, I think this is bordering on a derail.

[fizzwheel]

Originally Posted by Baph

Personally, I'd throw the Packard Bell discs away, but that's my personal opinion. IMO, you're far better with an official MicroSoft disc rather than a hardware retaillers customised version of the software.

As long as the Microsoft disk has the relevant hardware drivers on it then yes, but as its Packard Smell then it probably wont and you'll then end up fannying around with drivers to get everything to work.

I'd echo whats been said above. Change the bios so it boots of CD bung the XP cd in the cdrom drive and bob is your mothers brother. Just backup everything needed before you start.

Messing about with floppy disks and Fdisk is just over complicating things. I'd only be b*ggering around with that if Windows wouldnt boot and I wanted to try and recover data off the disk.