Can't instal XP professional

[kramer.newsreader]

Hi. I'm trying to install Windows XP on my box. It's an AMD 64 3000+
with 1 GB memory and on board nvidia geforce graphics and nforce sound
and LAN.

I have an IDE hard drive that is partitioned into 3 regular partition
and one extended partition as per microsofts instructions:

http://windowssdk.msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms684871.aspx

The hardware works. I successfully boot into Linux and everything runs
just fine. I've also done a memory check. No problem there either.
I'm sure that the hd is supported by Windows because I had Windows
installed on it in partition #2 previously (before my mb died and I had
to buy a new one).

The problem is that I boot into the XP boot disk and it displays the
message

'"Setup is inspecting your computer's hardware configuartion"

Then it hangs.

Any ideas?

 

[Guest]

Hi. I'm trying to install Windows XP on my box. It's an AMD 64 3000+
with 1 GB memory and on board nvidia geforce graphics and nforce sound
and LAN.

I have an IDE hard drive that is partitioned into 3 regular partition
and one extended partition as per microsofts instructions:

http://windowssdk.msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms684871.aspx

The hardware works. I successfully boot into Linux and everything runs
just fine. I've also done a memory check. No problem there either.
I'm sure that the hd is supported by Windows because I had Windows
installed on it in partition #2 previously (before my mb died and I had
to buy a new one).

The problem is that I boot into the XP boot disk and it displays the
message

'"Setup is inspecting your computer's hardware configuartion"

Then it hangs.

Any ideas?

what partitions are they? ext3 and NTFS? probably would try and run xp
recovery.

Flamer.

 

[kramer.newsreader]

My partitioning scheme is as follows:

1: ext2
2: ntfs
3: reiserfs 3
4: extended
5: -> logical reiserfs
6: -> logical ntfs

Like I said partition 2 already has Windows XP installed, but it
doesn't boot probably because it was installed under a totally
different architecture (Athlon XP rather than 64).

 

[John]

Hi. I'm trying to install Windows XP on my box. It's an AMD 64 3000+
with 1 GB memory and on board nvidia geforce graphics and nforce sound
and LAN.

I have an IDE hard drive that is partitioned into 3 regular partition
and one extended partition as per microsofts instructions:

http://windowssdk.msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms684871.aspx

The hardware works. I successfully boot into Linux and everything runs
just fine. I've also done a memory check. No problem there either.
I'm sure that the hd is supported by Windows because I had Windows
installed on it in partition #2 previously (before my mb died and I had
to buy a new one).

The problem is that I boot into the XP boot disk and it displays the
message

'"Setup is inspecting your computer's hardware configuartion"

Then it hangs.

Any ideas?

Perhaps you need a driver for your MB or even the hard drive controller.
Also it could be that the drive's partition table is in an
unrecognizable state as far as the XP installer is concerned. You know
that if ultimately you are successful that XP will replace the MBR and
you will need to re-install either your Linux boot loader or some other
boot loader?

John

 

[John]

My partitioning scheme is as follows:

1: ext2
2: ntfs
3: reiserfs 3
4: extended
5: -> logical reiserfs
6: -> logical ntfs

Like I said partition 2 already has Windows XP installed, but it
doesn't boot probably because it was installed under a totally
different architecture (Athlon XP rather than 64).

Is the ext2 partition the active partition? If so that is your problem,
the XP installer can't read ext2. If the NTFS partition is a primary and
set as the active partition maybe you will have some success in
installing at least. How you get a dual boot will be Linux's and your
problem from there. The MBR will still get over-written however so be
prepared to remedy that after the install.

John

 

[kramer.newsreader]

Sorry correction about my partitioning scheme (although it doesn't
really matter for the purposes here. It's actually as follows:

1: ext2
2: ntfs
3: linux swap
4: extended
5: -> logical reiserfs
6: -> logical reiserfs
7: -> logical ntfs

Is the ext2 partition the active partition?

Not really sure. In my grub.conf (Linux bootloader config file), it
sets the active partition to the one that is booting e.g. partition 5
if linux is booting partition 2 if Windows. Not really sure how to set
the active partition outside of a boot loader (as the bios will boot
from the cd). It shouldn't really matter, though. The XP install cd
is include partition management tools that allow partitioning and
formating

If so that is your problem,
the XP installer can't read ext2. If the NTFS partition is a primary and
set as the active partition maybe you will have some success in
installing at least.

How you get a dual boot will be Linux's and your
problem from there. The MBR will still get over-written however so be
prepared to remedy that after the install.

This is no problem. I'll just boot from my Linux LiveCD and reinstall
grub which will write over the MBR, but grub is happy to load the
windows boot loader when asked.

 

[John]

Sorry correction about my partitioning scheme (although it doesn't
really matter for the purposes here. It's actually as follows:

1: ext2
2: ntfs
3: linux swap
4: extended
5: -> logical reiserfs
6: -> logical reiserfs
7: -> logical ntfs



Not really sure. In my grub.conf (Linux bootloader config file), it
sets the active partition to the one that is booting e.g. partition 5
if linux is booting partition 2 if Windows. Not really sure how to set
the active partition outside of a boot loader (as the bios will boot
from the cd). It shouldn't really matter, though. The XP install cd
is include partition management tools that allow partitioning and
formating



This is no problem. I'll just boot from my Linux LiveCD and reinstall
grub which will write over the MBR, but grub is happy to load the
windows boot loader when asked.

Set partition #2 as active in Linux before you shutdown. When XP
installs it expects to put its boot files on the active partition and
this must be a primary (not an extended container for logical drives
which is also a primary). The XP CD's primary purpose is to install the
operating system and so needs a place to put its boot files: boot.ini,
ntdetect.com & NTDLR. Not finding a suitable place to put these files it
just loops endlessly. Again drivers could also be a problem. You said
you changed the motherboard and I would assume you got the latest. Is XP
able to run on this MB without 3rd party drivers?

Don't forget that the MBR will be over-written when installing *any* MS
OS, keep a workable live CD on hand.

John

 

[John]

Sorry correction about my partitioning scheme (although it doesn't
really matter for the purposes here. It's actually as follows:

1: ext2
2: ntfs
3: linux swap
4: extended
5: -> logical reiserfs
6: -> logical reiserfs
7: -> logical ntfs



Not really sure. In my grub.conf (Linux bootloader config file), it
sets the active partition to the one that is booting e.g. partition 5
if linux is booting partition 2 if Windows. Not really sure how to set
the active partition outside of a boot loader (as the bios will boot
from the cd). It shouldn't really matter, though. The XP install cd
is include partition management tools that allow partitioning and
formating



This is no problem. I'll just boot from my Linux LiveCD and reinstall
grub which will write over the MBR, but grub is happy to load the
windows boot loader when asked.

Now that I think about it does the XP CD ask if you want to format the
drive?

John

 

[kramer.newsreader]

Set partition #2 as active in Linux before you shutdown. When XP

installs it expects to put its boot files on the active partition and
this must be a primary (not an extended container for logical drives
which is also a primary). The XP CD's primary purpose is to install the
operating system and so needs a place to put its boot files: boot.ini,
ntdetect.com & NTDLR. Not finding a suitable place to put these files it
just loops endlessly. Again drivers could also be a problem. You said
you changed the motherboard and I would assume you got the latest. Is XP
able to run on this MB without 3rd party drivers?

Nice idea but it doesn't work. The board is cool (it's a K8NGM2 which
should be okay). The bios is the latest version. I don't have the
latest RAID drivers, but I'm not using RAID and I can't get to the
point in the installation process where I could load that driver
anyway.

Now that I think about it does the XP CD ask if you want to format the
drive?

No. It should, yes, but it doesn't get that far. It just says that
it's detecting my hardware and then it hangs.

Funny thing, I tried to run the setup on the Windows CD under wine. It
ran, but then the installation app encountered an unknown error and had
to shutdown. I didn't really expect that to work anyway.

 

[kramer.newsreader]

Okay, so I haven't really solved my problem, but I think that I have a
work around ... I hope. I'm installing windows on an SATA hard drive
that I have. I just unplugged the IDE drive, booted from the CD and it
seems to be installing fine on the SATA drive. I figure that it ought
to work because when the IDE drive is plugged in it will boot before
the SATA and I think that I can configure grub to boot Windows from the
SATA drive. It isn't exactly the solution that I wanted, but it's okay
if it works. I'll let you know if it does and thanks for the help.

 

[Frank]

Okay, so I haven't really solved my problem, but I think that I have a
work around ... I hope. I'm installing windows on an SATA hard drive
that I have. I just unplugged the IDE drive, booted from the CD and it
seems to be installing fine on the SATA drive. I figure that it ought
to work because when the IDE drive is plugged in it will boot before
the SATA and I think that I can configure grub to boot Windows from the
SATA drive. It isn't exactly the solution that I wanted, but it's okay
if it works. I'll let you know if it does and thanks for the help.

Yes, let us know how it works out. I would not have set up the
partitions as you have them.

 

[kramer.newsreader]

If anyone is still reading this thread, I'm dual booting just fine.

I managed to set grub up to boot from either partition. The trick
there was switching the order of the drives in grub.

I was afraid that Windows would just refuse to boot with the Linux
drive attached, but it isn't so. Only the installation cd refused to
run with that drive attached. I still don't know why, but I'm dual
booting now, so it's all good.