Clean Install Windows XP home Help Please.

[John]

Hello,

I am performing a clean install of Windows XP Home Edition Upgrade
w/SP2 included that I just bought. Shortly after I insert the CD I get
a STOP: 0x0000006F (session3_initialization_failed) error message.

The computer is a Toshiba Satellite M35x-S349 notebook. I first used
Webroot Windows Washer to clean/wipe off the hard drive. Any
suggestions? I just had the DVD-RAM drive replaced do to the drive
would not shut down. The drive light stayed on even without a CD in
the drive.

I call Microsoft and their suggestion was that I was using a Wireless
keyboard/mouse or a CD drive problem. I am not. This computer does
have internal wireless. I turned it off but, same error as before.
Before I wiped out the HD I did try a DVD in the computer and it worked
just fine.

The only other thing I can think of is a problem with SP2 and some of
the hardware. Microsoft says no....

Thanks,

John

 

[Bob Harris]

You can test the DVD drive and the associated BIOS setup to boot from CD by
trying any other bootable CD.

Bootable CDs include:

windows 98 and above
Norton products (antivirus, utilities, systermworks)
Any of several CD images of LINUX operating systems, free from the following
website:

http://www.frozentech.com/content/livecd.php

I have had good luck with KNOPPIX bootable CDs detecting all my hardware,
including SATA hard drives, NIC cards, as well as hard drives:
http://www.knopper.net/knoppix/index-en.html

If some CD other than the XP CD can successfully boot the PC, then the DVD
drive is OK and the BIOS is properly configured for this option. But, if
nothing else can boot the PC from a CD, then check the BIOS setup and the
DVD drive, cables, etc. Also, be sure that the DVD drive is recognized in
the POST (power on self test).

As for the hard drive, did you (1) erase/overwite files, or (2) erase
partitions. While the XP CD will partition a raw disk, it might have
trouble id there was some unusual pre-existing partition, that is other than
FAT32 or NTFS. You might try running the XP recovery console from the CD
and check for pre-existing partitions, and if necessary, delete all of them
and create one or more new one(s).

 

[Guest]

Did you format the drive yet? Just an idea. I'm having a problem with my PC.
I need to wipe out a virus and load the OS again. I'm almost positive that I
need to format it first. The problem is that you can't format a hard drive
that has the active operating system that's being used presently. You'll get
a message saying there are files that Windows needs to operate correctly, so
you can't format this drive, or something to that nature of that message.
Good Luck!
attilathehun1

 

[JerryM \(ID\)]

John, you have to boot with the CD installed.

Go into your BIOS and set the CD drive to boot before the hard drive does.
Then reboot with the CD installed.
All the tools are there to install XP.

Delete all the partitions to clean the hard drive,
Then Create new partitions and format them in NTFS.
Continue the installation.

Good luck,
Jerry