Can't boot from XP CD

[Andy]

hi all

Recently my girlfriend's fairly old PC started having problems - blue
screen, not starting, freezing etc. About 3 weeks before this I'd put
more memory in it and a PCI>USB card, no problems on install and it
worked fine after install.

After about 3 weeks XP started to complain that some drivers were
corrupt/missing (isapnp.sys, pci.sys). I replaced both of these from
the XP disk on one of the rare occasions it did start correctly, then
it was fine for a week.

This morning it apparently decided enough was enough and gave errors
about the registry and (I think) lpsass.exe when my girlfriend tried
starting it. Just a blank screen when booting from the HD, safe mode
gets as far as c\windows\system then hangs. So I decided to reinstall
XP, changed the BIOS to boot from cd only, but now I can't even boot
from the XP CD - it says it can't find the boot record for the CDROM.

any advice?

 

[HillBillyBuddhist]

| hi all
|
|
| So I decided to reinstall
| XP, changed the BIOS to boot from cd only, but now I can't even boot
| from the XP CD - it says it can't find the boot record for the CDROM.
|
| any advice?


If you are unable to boot from the CD you can obtain a file from Microsoft
used to create a six floppy disk set of "Setup Boot Disks."

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;[LN];Q310994

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[Raymond]

hi all

Recently my girlfriend's fairly old PC started having problems - blue
screen, not starting, freezing etc. About 3 weeks before this I'd put
more memory in it and a PCI>USB card, no problems on install and it
worked fine after install.

After about 3 weeks XP started to complain that some drivers were
corrupt/missing (isapnp.sys, pci.sys). I replaced both of these from
the XP disk on one of the rare occasions it did start correctly, then
it was fine for a week.

This morning it apparently decided enough was enough and gave errors
about the registry and (I think) lpsass.exe when my girlfriend tried
starting it. Just a blank screen when booting from the HD, safe mode
gets as far as c\windows\system then hangs. So I decided to reinstall
XP, changed the BIOS to boot from cd only, but now I can't even boot
from the XP CD - it says it can't find the boot record for the CDROM.

any advice?

I've experienced a similar problem in being unable to boot from the Windows
XP CD
even though I'd set the BIOS to do so. I also downloaded the six floppy
setup floppies
and these didn't work either. It takes ages to run the floppies and you
eventually get to a screen
where you have to choose an installation. Choose any of them and the
computer freezes.

To solve the problem I resorted to taking the hardrive out of my machine and
attaching it to
another machine which would boot from CD. I successfully installed Windows
XP and
returned it to my own computer. It's bit of a faff, but everything works
fine now.

Hope this might help.

Raymond

 

[Guest]

I had the same challenge. CD was not being read so I diud the six floppies
and it triggered the CD but then ask me to put the CD into the drive and hit
enter. Still no go. I had tried earlier installing xp pro from another
machine. No problem. But it will hnot read in the origional machine. It tells
me its an ivallid disk.

Any ideas?