New HDD - New XP Pro install problem

  • Thread starter Thread starter Guest
  • Start date Start date
G

Guest

Hi,

I have been trying to get this working for 2 weeks now and have searched
every forum on the net and have now ended up here. Hopefully someone can
help. I am desperate ;)

Here is the short version of what happened.

1. HDD died and lost everything.
2. Replaced it and passed all diag tests.
3. Got new XP Pro CD and tried to install. Got to 99% and it started saying
that it could not copy certain files. I had retried a few times then skipped
them and then as expected the install failed.
4. Tried to install again while planning to do entire drive format. Now PC
will not boot from Windows CD????
5. Downloaded XP set-up disks and made floppies. Got to "Insert Cd labeled -
Windows XP Pro Cd-ROM" . Inserted it, light flashes for a second and then
same message comes back on the screen.
6. As such it appears that the XP CD is damaged or something.
7. Seagate CD boots from CD fine, so not a CD issue.

So to my questions:

What the heck is going on with this CD?
Does MSFT only allow 1 attempt at install?
Is my CD drive somehow currputing the CD?
Should I just try and get another CD to try? Maybe XP home this time as that
is what was on the PC before it died. (I have checked system requirements and
they are fine)

Also, has anyone every had any success getting DELL to send them an XP CD? I
now have an XP home and also XP Pro license key with no working CDs.

Is there a way to get replacements?

Ok, enough ranting. Thanks for reading.

Appreciate any help.

Tony
 
Sounds like a bad CD drive. Often when like this they will spit-out one CD
with a vengeance, but for no apparent reason accept another.
 
Ian said:
Sounds like a bad CD drive. Often when like this they will spit-out one CD
with a vengeance, but for no apparent reason accept another.
Click to expand...

If that's the case, a copy of the CD might work.
 
So I have now replaced the CD drive with a brand new one and it does exactly
same thing as the last one.

I just re-wrote the hard drive with all zeros and it still won't start.

Sounds like I need to get ANOTHER copy of XP from somewhere. Or maybe I'll
just go for LINUX. I have almost had enough of this.

Thanks for the replies. Any more suggestions are welcome.

Tony
 
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