It *IS* Possible to Install XP from Dos

  • Thread starter Thread starter casey.o
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casey.o

I finally figured it out and managed to install XP Home SP2 from Dos.
I made a Dos boot floppy disk from Windows 98.

I first used Fdisk to partition, set active, and format the hard drive.

I temporarily moved the hard drive (I planned to use to install XP),
onto another computer that could read a USB flash drive. (I Used Windows
2000). I inserted my USB flash drive, which contains all the files from
my XP install CD. (I previously copied my "touchy" XP install CD to
this USB flash drive). I then copied everything from the flash drive,
to the harddrive, I planned to use. putting them in a folder called
"INSTALL".

I then placed that hard drive on the computer to which I wanted to
install XP.

I booted that computer from my Dos boot floppy, went to drive C:, to
C:\INSTALL\I386. Typed "Winnt". (winnt.exe).
After that, it was just a matter of following the prompts, and NOT
allowing the installer to change the format to NTFS.

XP is finally installed, after 4 days of trying to fight with this....

Now it's just a matter of cleaning up all the XP bloat and setting it to
classic mode. But that will have to wait, until I get the 80g hard
drive I ordered for this system. I just installed it to a 10g drive,
which I had laying around.

Now that I know how, it's a piece of cake!!!!
 
I finally figured it out and managed to install XP Home SP2 from Dos.
I made a Dos boot floppy disk from Windows 98.

I first used Fdisk to partition, set active, and format the hard drive.

I temporarily moved the hard drive (I planned to use to install XP),
onto another computer that could read a USB flash drive. (I Used Windows
2000). I inserted my USB flash drive, which contains all the files from
my XP install CD. (I previously copied my "touchy" XP install CD to
this USB flash drive). I then copied everything from the flash drive,
to the harddrive, I planned to use. putting them in a folder called
"INSTALL".

I then placed that hard drive on the computer to which I wanted to
install XP.

I booted that computer from my Dos boot floppy, went to drive C:, to
C:\INSTALL\I386. Typed "Winnt". (winnt.exe).
After that, it was just a matter of following the prompts, and NOT
allowing the installer to change the format to NTFS.

XP is finally installed, after 4 days of trying to fight with this....

Now it's just a matter of cleaning up all the XP bloat and setting it to
classic mode. But that will have to wait, until I get the 80g hard
drive I ordered for this system. I just installed it to a 10g drive,
which I had laying around.

Now that I know how, it's a piece of cake!!!!
Click to expand...



It would have gone a lot better if you loaded SMARTDRV


One installed though you can convert the drive to NTFS


http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307848
 
It would have gone a lot better if you loaded SMARTDRV


One installed though you can convert the drive to NTFS


http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307848
Click to expand...

I forgot to mention that I DID install smartdrv.exe. When I first
tried, it asked me to install it, I refused, and it took 20 hours to
just copy the files. Then it would not boot, because I had formatted
the drive using the original installed XP, and never set it to ACTIVE.
After all of that, I started over, adn used FDISK, which did a much
better job of partitioning and formatting. This time I copied smartdrv
to the floppy (from my Win98 computer), and made an antoexec.bat to load
it upon booting. Then, it took less than an hour to copy the files and
begin to install. That sure made a difference. I could not believe it
took 20 hours without smartdrv.

I plan to keep this dos boot floppy for future installs, and actually
copied what I posted on here as a text file to the floppy so I remember
next time. I dont install XP often, so I will forget. The last OS I
installed was Win2000, about 7 years ago, and Win98se on someone elses
computer around thazt same time.

I thought there is a way to convert to NTFS. I'm debating whethere I
want to install everything to the 80G drive when I get it, or just keep
the OS on this 10G drive, and install the 80G as a second (data) drive.
I think I'd prefer to keep my data drive on a Fat32 partition, so I can
access it from dos. But the OS probably would be better on NTFS. So,
maybe keeping this 10G drive for the OS might be smart, and gives me
another 10G drive space too.

thanks.....
 
Just in time for XP's wake.
Click to expand...

That's OK, I've been running Win98 since 1998, and that was dead long
ago. I never liked XP, but I'm finally getting used to it, and am
forced to use it because there are no longer any browsers that work
correctly in Win98.

I dont see myself ever going to any OS newer than XP. They dont
interest me in the least, and at my age, it dont much matter....
 
That's OK, I've been running Win98 since 1998, and that was dead long
ago. I never liked XP, but I'm finally getting used to it, and am
forced to use it because there are no longer any browsers that work
correctly in Win98.

I dont see myself ever going to any OS newer than XP. They dont
interest me in the least, and at my age, it dont much matter....
Click to expand...
How old are you? I don't like to pry, but I want to know when I
should figure it no longer matters to me!
 
I finally figured it out and managed to install XP Home SP2 from Dos.
I made a Dos boot floppy disk from Windows 98.

I first used Fdisk to partition, set active, and format the hard drive.
Click to expand...

That OK

Now Just copy XP install CD in partition D:

Boot to C:\

in C:\>D:\setup

And instill it to C:\
 
That OK

Now Just copy XP install CD in partition D:

Boot to C:\

in C:\>D:\setup

And instill it to C:\
Click to expand...



That will NOT work

wrong command...plus

and you need to load smrtdrv
 
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