Optiplex GX280 won't load Windows files

[footprint]

Hi all,

I'm currently trying to resurrect this machine for a client.

I have tried 4 different OS disks including a Dell recovery drive, and in all cases, as the machine starts copying files, it fails the CDAUDIO.SYS file then about a hundred others, which appear to all relate to media management.

Have changed the RAM and used various disks, but it always fails at this point. I can hit <esc> and not install/copy the file, but once it finishes copying and begins tha actual install, it fails.

Does anyone have any ideas as to other things to try please?

Thanks

[thepastimer]

Hmmm... It probably has nothing to do with your RAM. Do you have the analog CD audio cable connected? I know its never used anymore, but sometimes the computer is forced to use it because the digital doesn't work.

[footprint]

No the analog audio cable isn't in place.

[thepastimer]

If you have one floating around see if it helps.

[footprint]

It doesn't have a place to attach one. This is a slimline Phillips DVD RW utilising a very weird connnection

[thepastimer]

Oh! Its probably SATA. hmm... SATA doesn't need the analog...
Do you have the cable plugged into the SATA0 port on the motherboard? If its in 1 or so on it might not work.

[thepastimer]

Wait... I forgot to ask, its a slim drive so its external? If so thats your problem.

[footprint]

It isn't external. It is the normally fitted drive in this machine though there is a model I believe uses a slimline Samsung according to Dell. The whole thing hinges on the fact that it will not load a set of drives in the file copy process and they are the same files irrespective of whether it's being loaded with Windows XP pro or home, or Windows 7.

[jbennet]

Bad cd drive is most likely

Those machines use laptop drives, and they tend to wear out very quickly.

[thepastimer]

Bad cd drive is most likely

Those machines use laptop drives, and they tend to wear out very quickly.

laptop cd drives? I was under the impression that this was a micro tower. Am I wrong?

[jbennet]

Oh right do you have the vertical model?

The GX280 comes in SMT (tower) and SD (desktop horizontal) types.

http://www.dell.com/html/us/products/optiplex/GX280sd_3d_model.html

We used to have GX270s (desktop horizontal ones) in college, and they used those slimline laptop-size dvd drives (you know, the kind of flimsy ones that are like half height) because thier cases are very small.

http://images.dola.com.au/photos/act/4546/4546-175.JPG

see?

[footprint]

laptop cd drives? I was under the impression that this was a micro tower. Am I wrong?

yes, it's a small desktop in a slimline CD drive as would normally be fitted in a laptop... In fact we have given up trying to resurrect it.

[jbennet]

thaught so. Seems (upon further inventigation) that some models use the slim drives and some dont.

[caperjack]

if you open the case you will see that you could hook up a ide'sata fullsize cdrom drive ,most have ide /or sata connection motherboard with the case open ,at least i could with the older 240's

[footprint]

Not sure what that would achieve. The issue is loading windows, not fitting a new CD/DVD. As it is we have recycled the machine into it's component parts and got a laptop for the client.

[jbennet]

What it would achieve, is the solution!

We deduced that as the XP disk, nor the ram or hard disk was at fault, then the optical drive must be causing read errors

[footprint]

No pastimer, you are not wrong this is a micro tower.

The humorous side of this is that I've actually tried it with a USB DVD as well, I have also tried fitting up a normal DVD. They are not the problem the problem is with the software and the way it is presented to the hard drive. It does not like it, whether I provide the software via the on-board DVD offboard DVD the replacement DVD or USB DVD.

So as noted above, I have recycled the machine in favour of a proper, reliable, beautiful box that I made myself, and I know Will never had this problem.

Thanks for all your assistance guys

[footprint]

and just as a "by the way", can I strongly suggest that the use of the expression "in my opinion", can actually make a lot of sense.

Thanks again

[caperjack]

and just as a "by the way", can I strongly suggest that the use of the expression "in my opinion", can actually make a lot of sense.

Thanks again

lol

you never in any of you post mention hooking up other drives ,even when people suggested it was bad disk or drive ,Looking back through the post i think you had a bad harddrive ,in "my opinion"

[thepastimer]

What it would achieve, is the solution!

We deduced that as the XP disk, nor the ram or hard disk was at fault, then the optical drive must be causing read errors

Thats what I had figured.