Windows XP Home Edition Reinstall problems

G

Guest

I'm trying to reinstall Windows XP Home Edition and am running into problems.
The computer has SP2 installed, but the CD is older than that so it won't
reinstall from the CD.
I followed the instructions in Microsoft KB article 900871 to integrate the
SP2 files into the Windows XP installation folder. This seemed to work OK.
However, when I ran the upgrade from the installation folder, I received
numerous (94) file copy error messages. These were for all kinds of files
(.dll, .icm, .reg, .asp, .htm, .ocx, .mar, .inf, .exe & .sys). I kept
telling it to continue anyway.
Then when it restarted as part of the upgrade process, after the restart I
get an error message that states "file hpt3xx.sys could not be found" and it
won't let me continue.

Does anyone have any idea what the problem is here?
 
P

Pegasus \(MVP\)

RicRob said:
I'm trying to reinstall Windows XP Home Edition and am running into
problems.
The computer has SP2 installed, but the CD is older than that so it won't
reinstall from the CD.
I followed the instructions in Microsoft KB article 900871 to integrate
the
SP2 files into the Windows XP installation folder. This seemed to work
OK.
However, when I ran the upgrade from the installation folder, I received
numerous (94) file copy error messages. These were for all kinds of files
(.dll, .icm, .reg, .asp, .htm, .ocx, .mar, .inf, .exe & .sys). I kept
telling it to continue anyway.
Then when it restarted as part of the upgrade process, after the restart I
get an error message that states "file hpt3xx.sys could not be found" and
it
won't let me continue.

Does anyone have any idea what the problem is here?
Click to expand...

"Re-install" means this:
- Back up your data files.
- Boot the machine with your WinXP CD.
- Allow the system partition to be formatted.
- Follow the prompts to install WinXP.

Is this what you did, or did you attempt to install WinXP
over the top of your existing installation?

What actually is the purpose of re-installing WinXP? This
is important to know because it affects the method you
should use.
 
S

smlunatick

I'm trying to reinstall Windows XP Home Edition and am running into problems.
The computer has SP2 installed, but the CD is older than that so it won't
reinstall from the CD.
I followed the instructions in Microsoft KB article 900871 to integrate the
SP2 files into the Windows XP installation folder. This seemed to work OK.
However, when I ran the upgrade from the installation folder, I received
numerous (94) file copy error messages. These were for all kinds of files
(.dll, .icm, .reg, .asp, .htm, .ocx, .mar, .inf, .exe & .sys). I kept
telling it to continue anyway.
Then when it restarted as part of the upgrade process, after the restart I
get an error message that states "file hpt3xx.sys could not be found" and it
won't let me continue.

Does anyone have any idea what the problem is here?
Click to expand...

How are you trying to re-install XP? Are you trying to re-install XP
while still running XP or are you letting the PC boot with the XP
install CD?
 
J

JS

You can create a slipstreamed CD that includes SP2, all you need is the
original XP CD, SP2 download file and a CD burner.
Auto Streamer Download Site:
http://fileforum.betanews.com/detail/1092632287/1

Windows SP2 Download
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...be-3b8e-4f30-8245-9e368d3cdb5a&DisplayLang=en

How to get a free SP2 CD.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/updates/sp2/cdorder/en_us/default.mspx

How to create a Slip Stream version of Windows XP
http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/slipstream.htm
http://www.theeldergeek.com/slipstreamed_xpsp2_cd.htm

JS
 
K

Ken Blake, MVP

I'm trying to reinstall Windows XP Home Edition and am running into problems.
The computer has SP2 installed, but the CD is older than that so it won't
reinstall from the CD.
Click to expand...


You are trying to do the reinstallation incorrectly, and that's why
you get the error. If you do it correctly, it formats the drive,
wiping out whatever is there, and what starts out there makes no
difference at all.

You're trying to do the installation from within Windows, and that's
what is wrong. Just boot from the Windows XP CD (change the BIOS boot
order if necessary to accomplish this) and follow the prompts for a
clean installation (delete the existing partition by pressing "D" when
prompted, then create a new one).

You can find detailed instructions here:
http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

or here
http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org/how_do_i_install_windows_xp.htm

or here http://windowsxp.mvps.org/XPClean.htm
 
G

Guest

I am trying to perform an "in-place upgrade (reinstallation) of Windows XP"
as described in Microsoft kb article 315341, which uses the term
"reinstallation" in it's title for this procedure.
 
G

Guest

Thanks for the response. I'm trying to perform an "in-place upgrade of
Windows XP", so I'm trying to do it while still running XP to avoid starting
from scratch.
 
P

Pegasus \(MVP\)

If you wish to perform an "In-Place Upgrade" then why
would you call it a "Reinstallation" in your Subject field?
It sends everyone off into the wrong direction!
 
G

Guest

Thanks, I'll give this a try. What exactly is meant by the term
"slipstream"? Is it the same as "integrating" SP2 with the older XP version?
The link for where to get the SP2 download is the one that I used to do the
integration.
 
G

Guest

Reformatting the drive is something I'm trying to avoid. I think what I'm
trying to do is also referred to as a "repair installation".
 
G

Guest

The Microsoft Knowledge Base article (315341) title is "How to perform an
in-place upgrade (reinstallation) of Windows XP", so apparently Microsoft is
also using the term incorrectly according to you.
 
G

Guest

You must boot to the cd to do a repair, a format is NOT required!
You can't perform a repair while within windows. certain files will not
overwrite while open, a boot to the cd is required.
 
K

Ken Blake, MVP

Reformatting the drive is something I'm trying to avoid. I think what I'm
trying to do is also referred to as a "repair installation".
Click to expand...


OK, I understand now. It would have been clearer if you had that
originally. I hate the term "repair installation," which I think just
confuses people. They call it a "repair installation," but I think
it's not any kind of installation at all, but rather just a "repair."
I wish "repair" was the term they used instead.

In that case, the easiest way to do this is to make a slipstreamed CD
including SP2, and doing the repair from that. Read here:
http://forum.aumha.org/viewtopic.php?t=7262

By the way, the word "slipstreaming" was originally used to refer to
the practice of many software manufacturers of including updates to
their product on the distribution CD without any real announcement of
what they were doing or differentiation of the various kind of CDs. It
was always a disparaging term because it was poor practice. It was
used as a way for the manufacturer not to have to print a different
box, manual, etc. for the updated version, and to sell older stock
that didn't appear to be outdated, but actually was. That saved them
money, but it left the customer unable to tell whether he was buying
the new version or the old.

Somewhere along the line, people started creating their own updated
versions of some software, by merging the update files with the
original CD. Someone got the bright idea to call it by the same name
"slipstreaming," without realizing that the name was originally used
in a disparaging way.

The term stuck. I dislike the use of the word this way, but the
original meaning has been lost, so I long ago gave up trying to fight
it. Since everybody now uses it simply to mean a version with the
upgrade incorporated in it, I reluctantly go along.

So these days a slipstreamed copy of XP simply means an installation
CD that you've made yourself that incorporates an upgrade, such as
SP2.
 
J

JS

Yes, for all practical purposes after you create the 'Slipstreamed' CD of
XP, that new CD behaves as if it were an Windows XP SP2 CD.

JS
 
G

Guest

That's interesting, because this Microsoft knowledge base article 315341 must
be incorrect if what you say is true. In the method 1 described in the
article it clearly does not have you booting from the CD.
 
G

Guest

So let me see here, your method is not working, so we tell you how to do it
right, then you go about telling us whats wrong with our method, obviously
without trying it, your gonna wait a long time to get help again, with this
attitude.
 
D

Daave

That's not fair to RicRob. He was correctly pointing out that it is not
necessary to boot from a CD in order to perform a repair installation:

"How to perform an in-place upgrade (reinstallation) of Windows XP"
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315341

Of course, this whole thread would have been much shorter had he stated
that intention more clearly to begin with. (Too many people incorrectly
assumed he wanted to perform a clean install.)

The only reason his method isn't working is that he first needs to
either uninstall SP2 or slipstream it into a new disc.
 
J

JS

You have the correct location (Link) for the SP2 download, just ignore the
wording that it's for networked computers, this file is large because it
contains everything whereas if you go to the Windows Update site your PC
will be analyzed and only the components you need for your PC will be
downloaded and automatically installed. Since you already have SP2 installed
Windows Update reports that and does not download anything.

Don't worry about the SP2 file size as even though it does contains a lot of
things you may things never need, they will not be installed on a PC if not
required. Just download the file, make a note as to the location (folder)
you downloaded the SP2 file to and then create the slipstream .ISO file in a
separate folder. Since I have multiple XP CD(s) (SP1 and original Win XP) I
usually name the .ISO file using the last part of the key code, this way I
can tell what XP CD was use to create the file.

Keep in mind that the final step is to use the .ISO file to make a useable
Windows XP CD that now includes SP2. Therefore you will need software that
can create a CD from an ISO file. (Nero or Easy CD Creator).

JS
 

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