Rob wrote:
> Thanks for the response.
>
> I'm new to running a system reinstall. Can I run a disk utility without an
> OS? How do I do so? The cd is clean and I've had problems with the cd drive
> in the past. Could this contribute?
>
> Rob
>
> "Tim" wrote:
>
>> Rob wrote:
>>> Hello,
>>> My hard drive on my dell inspiron 1100 laptop was shot, so i replaced it
>>> with a new seagate 40 gb hard drive. When I was trying to boot XP (SP1) off
>>> the cd, it got to installing the system files about 75% and then it said it
>>> couldn't copy p3.sys. If I skip that file, then it will get stuck on another
>>> file. Any Suggestions?
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>> Rob
>> Start with the easy stuff...is the CD dirty? Have you tried cleaning the
>> CD drive? Perhaps your new HD is defective...run a disk utility on it.
>> UBCD is pretty good: http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/
>>
>> Tim
>>
Hmmm...having problems with the CD drive in the past would have been a
good thing to mention up front ;-) Yes, that is likely the cause of the
problem...depending on your definition of "problem."
Yes, you can run a disk utility "without an OS." In the example of UBCD,
the PC boots from the CD...it contains its own OS. Some of them boot a
Linux kernel (I *think* this is what UBCD has). It doesn't matter as
long as it can access the file system of the hard drive. But in your
case, with the new information you provided I wouldn't bother trying to
run a disk utility until you try a new CD drive.
Tim