Help, XP ate my pc!!!

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jen
  • Start date Start date
J

Jen

uggggggg ok, this morning i got XP to install on my
machine..since it wasn't running right and needed a clean
install of something, i decided on XP upgrade cd with
clean install option.

I clean installed, but it didn't. All my files were there,
just not working. So after talking with CS in the live
chat from inside XP option, they gave me a link to
download a XP start up disk program, to make a set of
start up disks to use, since my pc was not booting from cd
rom. I downloaded the program, made the 6 disks, and
popped them bad boys in, rebooted...and my troubles began.

half way through the first run, the ps gave an error that
there was something missing on one of the disks..so i
exited out, went back into windows, and made the disks
again..all 6 of em. Back out into DOS, booted from floppy,
reformatted hard drive to NTFS system as instrusted, and
popped in my win 98 cd to verify i had wondows beofre, and
moved on.

THEN i get this error. AFTER the hard drive has been
converted and formatted (wiped out completely of
EVERYTHING) the error said. and i quote
"the following value in .SIF file used by setup is
corrupted or missing. Value 0 on the line
[SourceDisksFiles] Setup cannot continue. To exit setup
press F3"

After a reboot, i get this message "NTLDR is mising" and
an a: prompt.

My pc is fried....there's nothing on it but DOS....DOS
isn't seeing the cdroms... and my floppy's are corrupted.

I've gone into DOS, reformatted the harddrive to a DOS
partition, deleting the NTFS partition hoping to at least
put 98 back on, but i can't get past the DOS prompt.

Someone pleaseeeeee tell me my pc isn't fried???


Jen
 
Jen said:
uggggggg ok, this morning i got XP to install on my
machine..since it wasn't running right and needed a clean
install of something, i decided on XP upgrade cd with
clean install option.

I clean installed, but it didn't. All my files were there,
just not working. So after talking with CS in the live
chat from inside XP option, they gave me a link to
download a XP start up disk program, to make a set of
start up disks to use, since my pc was not booting from cd
rom. I downloaded the program, made the 6 disks, and
popped them bad boys in, rebooted...and my troubles began.

half way through the first run, the ps gave an error that
there was something missing on one of the disks..so i
exited out, went back into windows, and made the disks
again..all 6 of em. Back out into DOS, booted from floppy,
reformatted hard drive to NTFS system as instrusted, and
popped in my win 98 cd to verify i had wondows beofre, and
moved on.

THEN i get this error. AFTER the hard drive has been
converted and formatted (wiped out completely of
EVERYTHING) the error said. and i quote
"the following value in .SIF file used by setup is
corrupted or missing. Value 0 on the line
[SourceDisksFiles] Setup cannot continue. To exit setup
press F3"

After a reboot, i get this message "NTLDR is mising" and
an a: prompt.

My pc is fried....there's nothing on it but DOS....DOS
isn't seeing the cdroms... and my floppy's are corrupted.

I've gone into DOS, reformatted the harddrive to a DOS
partition, deleting the NTFS partition hoping to at least
put 98 back on, but i can't get past the DOS prompt.

Someone pleaseeeeee tell me my pc isn't fried???
Click to expand...

Boot with the CD..

Follow the Install like it is a Clean Install.
When it asks you what partition to put XP on, DELETE any and all partitions
you want gone. Then CREATE a NEW partition there and continue with the
install.
(When it asks you for the qualifying product, put in the proper CD..)

Finish.

Before connecting to ANY Internet - log in and turn on the firewall.
First connection to the Internet - UPDATE your pc at
windowsupdate.microsoft.com.

Get some antivirus software, keep it up to date.
Get some Adware/Spyware killing software and run it frequently.

Enjoy.
 
Jen;
Why won't the computer boot from CD?
Is it that old that it lacks the capability?

You need to enter the BIOS and set hard drive as a boot device before
hard drive.
Check your motherboard/computer manual or contact the manufacturer for
details.

As long as you can boot to CD, you do not need the floppies.
Follow this for a Clean Installation:
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/cleanxp.htm
 
Jen said:
uggggggg ok, this morning i got XP to install on my
machine..since it wasn't running right and needed a clean
install of something, i decided on XP upgrade cd with
clean install option.

I clean installed, but it didn't. All my files were there,
just not working. So after talking with CS in the live
chat from inside XP option, they gave me a link to
download a XP start up disk program, to make a set of
start up disks to use, since my pc was not booting from cd
rom. I downloaded the program, made the 6 disks, and
popped them bad boys in, rebooted...and my troubles began.

half way through the first run, the ps gave an error that
there was something missing on one of the disks..so i
exited out, went back into windows, and made the disks
again..all 6 of em. Back out into DOS, booted from floppy,
reformatted hard drive to NTFS system as instrusted, and
popped in my win 98 cd to verify i had wondows beofre, and
moved on.

THEN i get this error. AFTER the hard drive has been
converted and formatted (wiped out completely of
EVERYTHING) the error said. and i quote
"the following value in .SIF file used by setup is
corrupted or missing. Value 0 on the line
[SourceDisksFiles] Setup cannot continue. To exit setup
press F3"

After a reboot, i get this message "NTLDR is mising" and
an a: prompt.

My pc is fried....there's nothing on it but DOS....DOS
isn't seeing the cdroms... and my floppy's are corrupted.

I've gone into DOS, reformatted the harddrive to a DOS
partition, deleting the NTFS partition hoping to at least
put 98 back on, but i can't get past the DOS prompt.

Someone pleaseeeeee tell me my pc isn't fried???
Click to expand...

Oh..

And take out any Floppy Disks in the drives during this entire process.
 
Thanks Shenan,
I've tried that 4 times already. Both with XP and WIN98
cd's. My DOS isn't reading the cdrom drives. It searches
them, but finds nothing. That's why the support people
gave me the link to make the floppy's.. when I do use the
floppy's now, it eventually makes it to the cd rom, and
after deleting partitions, and making the new one, it
gives an error that setup cannot continue, and it boots me
out to the DOS prompt.

-----Original Message-----
Jen said:
uggggggg ok, this morning i got XP to install on my
machine..since it wasn't running right and needed a clean
install of something, i decided on XP upgrade cd with
clean install option.

I clean installed, but it didn't. All my files were there,
just not working. So after talking with CS in the live
chat from inside XP option, they gave me a link to
download a XP start up disk program, to make a set of
start up disks to use, since my pc was not booting from cd
rom. I downloaded the program, made the 6 disks, and
popped them bad boys in, rebooted...and my troubles began.

half way through the first run, the ps gave an error that
there was something missing on one of the disks..so i
exited out, went back into windows, and made the disks
again..all 6 of em. Back out into DOS, booted from floppy,
reformatted hard drive to NTFS system as instrusted, and
popped in my win 98 cd to verify i had wondows beofre, and
moved on.

THEN i get this error. AFTER the hard drive has been
converted and formatted (wiped out completely of
EVERYTHING) the error said. and i quote
"the following value in .SIF file used by setup is
corrupted or missing. Value 0 on the line
[SourceDisksFiles] Setup cannot continue. To exit setup
press F3"

After a reboot, i get this message "NTLDR is mising" and
an a: prompt.

My pc is fried....there's nothing on it but DOS....DOS
isn't seeing the cdroms... and my floppy's are corrupted.

I've gone into DOS, reformatted the harddrive to a DOS
partition, deleting the NTFS partition hoping to at least
put 98 back on, but i can't get past the DOS prompt.

Someone pleaseeeeee tell me my pc isn't fried???
Click to expand...

Boot with the CD..

Follow the Install like it is a Clean Install.
When it asks you what partition to put XP on, DELETE any and all partitions
you want gone. Then CREATE a NEW partition there and continue with the
install.
(When it asks you for the qualifying product, put in the proper CD..)

Finish.

Before connecting to ANY Internet - log in and turn on the firewall.
First connection to the Internet - UPDATE your pc at
windowsupdate.microsoft.com.

Get some antivirus software, keep it up to date.
Get some Adware/Spyware killing software and run it frequently.

Enjoy.
Click to expand...
 
I bout the pc last year at a pc shop, they put a new
mother board in a new case, put in my brand new still in
the box 40 gig hard drive and new burner, as well as the
cdrom from my old pc and floppy from my old pc in it....so
it's not really that old.. the old cdrom is about 4 years
old now as is the floppy.

I've configured the BIOS (originally set to skip the cdrom
and floppy to boot) to start with the cdrom, then floppy,
then the IDE. That didn't work, so i changed it to cd
rom, cd rom, IDE... no luck, so i tried, floppy, cdrom,
IDE, no luck. It's now set back to cdrom, floppy, IDE...

I'm trying the start up disks again, skipping the NTFS
section if i can...
 
Jen;
As long as CD is before hard drive it should boot to CD.
Since the option is available in BIOS it is capable.

Insert the Windows XP CD
Reboot
There will be a message "Press any key to boot to CDROM"
The message will only be visible for a few seconds and you must press
an key at that time.
Or you could just tap a key about once a second during boot.
 
All fixed now, spent about an hour and a half on the phone
with tech support and we copied the setup files from the
cd to the c drive and installed from there. And wow, it
works! I'm so thrilled, i thought my pc was a gonner!

Thanks for all the advice! :)
Jen
 
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