Member Avatar for Timm

Hi All

I have friend's PC which was reporting errors and had to be rebooted regularly. We decided the best option was to reformat the machine and start again. So after backing up all data I reformatted his hard drive and then reinstalled Windows Professional from the genuine CD. It loaded but not successfully and as a result I noticed the nasty window "recovered from a serious error message" to send Microsoft, which I didn't. I therefore decided to try and repair the installation using the tool on Microsoft Windows XP professional installation (after install). This appeared to work again, however when I rebooted I noticed errors. I decided to totally reinstall and reformat the hard drive and start again. This time different files were reported as not being accessible and when the system booted it again had errors and after I tried to close the system I had a big blue screen of death. So again I tried to format and install Windows XP.

The computer now boots from the Windows CD but then the it asks me to insert a genuine Windows CD (which it has just booted from). I have tried to use the repair choice on the menu which gives me a DOS prompt and limited commands. From this prompt I can see the C drive. When I boot using a DOS boot disk I can only see the A drive B drive and the two CD drives which are labelled X and Y, yet when I boot from the Windows CD they are labelled E & F.

I do not know what to do next to try and install Windows X P. Any help please would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Tim

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by Thong_Ispector

Dani AI

Generated

The symptoms you describe (frequent crashes before/after install, different files reported missing, and a BSOD during multiple reinstall attempts) point more toward hardware or media/driver problems than a simple setup setting. Before trying another full install, run a short hardware-first checklist so the installer isn't repeatedly fighting bad RAM, a failing disk, or an unsupported controller.

Start with these targeted diagnostics

  • Run a bootable memory tester (Memtest86+) and let it complete several full passes; even one failing stick will corrupt installs.
  • Run the hard-disk manufacturer's bootable diagnostics and a full SMART/surface test. If the drive shows bad sectors or SMART errors, replace it.
  • If tests pass, run a full chkdsk /r from the recovery environment to repair the file system and mark bad sectors.

Address the CD/drive and driver confusion

  • Different boot environments assign drive letters differently (text-mode setup, WinPE/GUI setup and DOS boot disks all behave differently), so the E/F versus X/Y letters are not by themselves the problem. The problem is when setup cannot read the i386 files or drivers it needs.
  • Confirm the CD is a full retail/OEM install (not an “upgrade” media that expects a prior OS). Temporarily disconnect any extra optical/USB drives so only one CD-ROM is present; try a different physical drive if available.
  • If the motherboard uses SATA/AHCI, switch to IDE/compatibility mode in BIOS for the install or supply the mass-storage driver during text-mode setup (F6) or by slipstreaming the driver into the CD.

If hardware checks out and you still get the prompt, try a known-good XP disc or burn a fresh ISO at low speed and use another burner/drive. If problems persist despite clean media and good RAM/HDD, the optical drive or the motherboard controller is likely faulty and should be swapped for further isolation.

Notes on earlier replies: ’s BIOS/boot advice and ’s point about the install media type are useful — run the hardware tests above first so reinstall attempts aren’t masking a failing component.

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Member Avatar for alan marsden

check bootup settings in your bios should be as follows

HARD DRIVE 1. FLOPPY DISK 2. DISABLE ALL OTHERS

Member Avatar for Thong_Ispector

I would check the Install CD and make sure it is clean.

I would pay close attention when it asks to insert Windows CD..
Is it asking for a copy of 98 or another Win CD as in upgrade install of XP?

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