Cannot install XP from dos

  • Thread starter Thread starter scriceal
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scriceal

New hard drive installed and trying to install Windows from dos. Will NOT
boot from the XP CD, just get a message saying "operating system not found".
I have gone into the bios and put the CD-Rom first, to no avail.

I can get as far as the i386 folder, type in winnt.exe and get a message
saying 'could not find a space for the swap file". I do not have a floppy
drive on this laptop to try booting that way. Is there any way to get XP
installed from dos?
 
scriceal said:
New hard drive installed and trying to install Windows from dos.
Will NOT boot from the XP CD, just get a message saying "operating
system not found". I have gone into the bios and put the CD-Rom
first, to no avail.

I can get as far as the i386 folder, type in winnt.exe and get a
message saying 'could not find a space for the swap file". I do
not have a floppy drive on this laptop to try booting that way.
Is there any way to get XP installed from dos?
Click to expand...

Are you sure your Windows XP CD is an *installation* cd and is not
defective?

How are you 'booting to DOS' and what version of DOS?

Have you tried the six Windows XP Setup floppy diskettes?
 
I have a purchased retail copy of Windows XP Pro

Originally after installing the hard drive I would get "operating system not
found" (of course) then found a setup disc that allowed me to get past that
with CD drivers and instructions to go into e:\i386 (XP CD on external drive)
and type in winnt.exe.

As first post stated: I do not have a floppy drive

Is it possible to install XP from a DOS prompt? The XP is in my CD drive,
the laptop recognizes the drive and reads the CD fine
 
I cannot boot from the HD - it is totally blank. The dos disk boots up from
the CD drive but the XP will not.
 
New hard drive installed and trying to install Windows from dos. Will NOT
boot from the XP CD, just get a message saying "operating system not found".
I have gone into the bios and put the CD-Rom first, to no avail.

I can get as far as the i386 folder, type in winnt.exe and get a message
saying 'could not find a space for the swap file". I do not have a floppy
drive on this laptop to try booting that way. Is there any way to get XP
installed from dos?
Click to expand...

The way it's designed to work is you create a 500 MB or larger FAT(32)
partition on the hard drive. Then copy the i386 folder to the FAT
partition. Then execute winnt from hard drive copy.
 
I believe you might have missed the message "to boot from CD press any key"
during the boot up process
?????

peter
 
I know that, if you put your winxpcd in the drive & get this msg it means
your PC is not booting from the winxp cd but trying to boot from a blank hd
 
I can get a utilities disk to boot from the CD drive - any idea why the XP CD
won't boot from the same drive?
 
I don't get this message - computer boots to CMOS/BIOS and then blank screen
with flashing cursor
 
Any scratches or anything on the CD? Do you have a second drive you can try?
It's rare but I've run across drives that have trouble booting from certain
cd's
 
I can get a utilities disk to boot from the CD drive - any idea why the XP CD
won't boot from the same drive?
Click to expand...

What is the "drive" boot sequence, in your BIOS? I have seen PCs
which needed to be told to try to boot off the CD drive when it is the
first drive in the sequence.

Also, how are the hard drive / CD drive set up?

Also, I would have the install CD "checked out" (aka read) on a
different PC. This could check the disk to make sure it can be read.
If it read, the CD drive is the cause as it may have a hardware
problem.
 
New here and just desperately chipping in. I am having a similar problem reinstalling XP on a Dell Dimension 4600. So many blue screens and previously unseen errors lately but would not perform System Restore. A couple of expensive and long calls to Dell resulted in the recommendation to reinstall XP.

CD in the drive, selected IDE CD ROM Drive in the Boot Menu List and without fail, over a dozen times, booted from hard drive instead. Never got the prompt to 'Enter' to boot from the CD: usually just brings up a page to choose Safe Mode etc. and sometimes just boots up straight away.

I can read the CD from the Run command and have used the same drive to back up data all afternoon, so I know they are generally ok. The man at Dell was tearing his hair out and seemed convinced I was doing something wrong. He gave up in the end and said he'll call me back tomorrow.

The CD is the original one that came with the PC.
 
I had an old Dell once that was a complete bugger to boot from the wincd it
took numerous attempts before finally doing it and installing correctly, I
never found out what the problem was, I had tried several wincd's
 
Another evening on the phone to Dell and still no joy. They tried to change the order of the options in the Boot Sequence Menu and couldn't. Tried time after time to boot from CD but it still just goes straight to the hard drive.

I desperately need to get this reinstallation done as the PC is being steadily torn apart by an infection that prevents me running the usual tools such as Spybot.

I think my wife is on the verge of blowing the holiday money on a Mac.

Is it not totally out of order that a Dell PC and Drive cannot boot an installation disk shipped with the PC? They seem unmoved by the whole affair.



DL said:
I had an old Dell once that was a complete bugger to boot from the wincd it
took numerous attempts before finally doing it and installing correctly, I
never found out what the problem was, I had tried several wincd's

"scriceal" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I can get a utilities disk to boot from the CD drive - any idea why the XP
>CD
> won't boot from the same drive?
>
> "DL" wrote:
>
>> I know that, if you put your winxpcd in the drive & get this msg it means
>> your PC is not booting from the winxp cd but trying to boot from a blank
>> hd
>>
>> "scriceal" wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
>> >I cannot boot from the HD - it is totally blank. The dos disk boots up
>> >from
>> > the CD drive but the XP will not.
>> > "DL" wrote:
>> >
>> >> Your PC is not booting from the win cd, its trying to boot from the hd
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> "scriceal" wrote in message
>> >> news:[email protected]...
>> >> > New hard drive installed and trying to install Windows from dos.
>> >> > Will
>> >> > NOT
>> >> > boot from the XP CD, just get a message saying "operating system not
>> >> > found".
>> >> > I have gone into the bios and put the CD-Rom first, to no avail.
>> >> >
>> >> > I can get as far as the i386 folder, type in winnt.exe and get a
>> >> > message
>> >> > saying 'could not find a space for the swap file". I do not have a
>> >> > floppy
>> >> > drive on this laptop to try booting that way. Is there any way to
>> >> > get
>> >> > XP
>> >> > installed from dos?
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>>
>>
>>
Click to expand...
 
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