Cannot install

  • Thread starter Thread starter Cody
  • Start date Start date
C

Cody

I reinstalled windows xp home to secondary harddrive.

We ended up having a a windows installation on both both the mater hardrive
and the slave harddrive, we wanted to only have one installation on only the
slave harddrive and we were planning on making it the master and the main
harddrive the slave.

He decided that he would just manually delete all the files off of the first
harddrive, the one we wanted cleared, instead of reformatting it he just used
a live linux disk accessing the harddrive and deleting them.

We switch the harddrives jumpers so that we had the correct master, slave
setup.

After this when we try to boot our computer on the second screen that comes
up after it tests the memory and checks for IDE drives we get a "NTLDR is
Missing
please press [Alt+Ctrl+Delete] to restart your system.


So now we cannot access windows. We use the live linux cd and try and find
out what could be wrong without much luck.

We think that a reformat of both drives and reinstallation onto the right
drive in the right order would be better, we use the windows repair and
reformat both of the harddrives in ntsf format.

We reboot and still get "NTLDR is Missing".


Now this second part could be tied in with this problem or not were not
sure. When we insert the windows xp home cd and try and install windows we
get to where it asks us if we wish to install,repair, quit, we continue with
the install. We get to the next screen, license agreement, sure, next, now we
get to a screen that says something around "Setup cannot find CD, or is not a
valid windows CD". Hmm ok that's weird, I know this is a valid CD and it just
booted off the windows CD in-order to get to this setup, so how can the setup
not find the CD"..

Well I know this is a scrambled mess, much thanks if anyone can help. No
matter, we would just like a clean install of windows, not worried about
losing information as you can see we previously formatted and we have are
information we want to save on a external harddrive.

Any help is great, Cody.

Please posts here or contact me at (e-mail address removed)
 
Cody said:
I reinstalled windows xp home to secondary harddrive.

We ended up having a a windows installation on both both the mater hardrive
and the slave harddrive, we wanted to only have one installation on only the
slave harddrive and we were planning on making it the master and the main
harddrive the slave.

He decided that he would just manually delete all the files off of the first
harddrive, the one we wanted cleared, instead of reformatting it he just used
a live linux disk accessing the harddrive and deleting them.

We switch the harddrives jumpers so that we had the correct master, slave
setup.

After this when we try to boot our computer on the second screen that comes
up after it tests the memory and checks for IDE drives we get a "NTLDR is
Missing
please press [Alt+Ctrl+Delete] to restart your system.


So now we cannot access windows. We use the live linux cd and try and find
out what could be wrong without much luck.

We think that a reformat of both drives and reinstallation onto the right
drive in the right order would be better, we use the windows repair and
reformat both of the harddrives in ntsf format.

We reboot and still get "NTLDR is Missing".


Now this second part could be tied in with this problem or not were not
sure. When we insert the windows xp home cd and try and install windows we
get to where it asks us if we wish to install,repair, quit, we continue with
the install. We get to the next screen, license agreement, sure, next, now we
get to a screen that says something around "Setup cannot find CD, or is not a
valid windows CD". Hmm ok that's weird, I know this is a valid CD and it just
booted off the windows CD in-order to get to this setup, so how can the setup
not find the CD"..

Well I know this is a scrambled mess, much thanks if anyone can help. No
matter, we would just like a clean install of windows, not worried about
losing information as you can see we previously formatted and we have are
information we want to save on a external harddrive.

Any help is great, Cody.
Click to expand...


You cannot install Win2k on the slave drive, then change it to master and
expect it to work.

I would simply configure the drives to the way you wish to use the machine,
then start over with a fresh installation
 
philo said:
Cody said:
I reinstalled windows xp home to secondary harddrive.

We ended up having a a windows installation on both both the mater hardrive
and the slave harddrive, we wanted to only have one installation on only the
slave harddrive and we were planning on making it the master and the main
harddrive the slave.

He decided that he would just manually delete all the files off of the first
harddrive, the one we wanted cleared, instead of reformatting it he just used
a live linux disk accessing the harddrive and deleting them.

We switch the harddrives jumpers so that we had the correct master, slave
setup.

After this when we try to boot our computer on the second screen that comes
up after it tests the memory and checks for IDE drives we get a "NTLDR is
Missing
please press [Alt+Ctrl+Delete] to restart your system.


So now we cannot access windows. We use the live linux cd and try and find
out what could be wrong without much luck.

We think that a reformat of both drives and reinstallation onto the right
drive in the right order would be better, we use the windows repair and
reformat both of the harddrives in ntsf format.

We reboot and still get "NTLDR is Missing".


Now this second part could be tied in with this problem or not were not
sure. When we insert the windows xp home cd and try and install windows we
get to where it asks us if we wish to install,repair, quit, we continue with
the install. We get to the next screen, license agreement, sure, next, now we
get to a screen that says something around "Setup cannot find CD, or is not a
valid windows CD". Hmm ok that's weird, I know this is a valid CD and it just
booted off the windows CD in-order to get to this setup, so how can the setup
not find the CD"..

Well I know this is a scrambled mess, much thanks if anyone can help. No
matter, we would just like a clean install of windows, not worried about
losing information as you can see we previously formatted and we have are
information we want to save on a external harddrive.

Any help is great, Cody.
Click to expand...


You cannot install Win2k on the slave drive, then change it to master and
expect it to work.

I would simply configure the drives to the way you wish to use the machine,
then start over with a fresh installation
Click to expand...


Hmm ok I understand that now thank you, now my main problem with this is..
after I did what I did, could you explain a way for me to do a Full Reformat
without a OS, because at this moment I am currently just using a live linux
boot cd. Also, about my earlier comment
Now this second part could be tied in with this problem or not were not
sure. When we insert the windows xp home cd and try and install windows we
get to where it asks us if we wish to install,repair, quit, we continue
with
the install. We get to the next screen, license agreement, sure, next, now
we
get to a screen that says something around "Setup cannot find CD, or is
not a
valid windows CD". Hmm ok that's weird, I know this is a valid CD and it
just
booted off the windows CD in-order to get to this setup, so how can the
setup
not find the CD"..
Click to expand...

If I could figure out how to do a Full Reformat, I'm still stuck behind this
problem of the windows setup saying it cannot find my disk, which it
obviously has by booting off the disk and entering the windows setup. Could a
full reformat possibly fix this problem I have or is this entirely something
else?

Thank you so far for all the help, Cody.
 
Oops left this out, I currently have the harddrives set up in the correct
sequence that I want them.
 
If you boot from the XP CD, it looks at your hardware setup, loads files,
agree with the agreement.
You are missing something in the next part
You go for the install; but you delete the existing XP partition.
You have to read it carefully; there is a D for delete, and L for continue,
yes L.
Your formatting is done( by the installation) once you allocate a partition
size; usually the whole HDD if windows has its way.
 
Mick Murphy said:
If you boot from the XP CD, it looks at your hardware setup, loads files,
agree with the agreement.
You are missing something in the next part
You go for the install; but you delete the existing XP partition.
You have to read it carefully; there is a D for delete, and L for continue,
yes L.
Your formatting is done( by the installation) once you allocate a partition
size; usually the whole HDD if windows has its way.
Click to expand...


Yes, the problem I am having though is that before it even gets to
You go for the install; but you delete the existing XP partition.
You have to read it carefully; there is a D for delete, and L for continue,
yes L.
Click to expand...

It says my windows xp home cd not in the drive or is not a valid windows xp
home cd.

I understand what your saying I've done this previously the right way, my
brother just wanted to try it out his way and it ended up to what seems to be
a complete disaster. I really have no idea what could cause windows setup to
boot, read my hardware and such, get to the agreement and get to the part
where it says "Enter" to install and "F3" to Exit. When I press I am shown
what I said a bit further back, "CD is not in the drive or is not a valid
windows xp home cd".

Much thanks for previous help, and more thanks for further assistance.

By the way, I tried calling windows tech support.. they seem to be worthless.
 
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