[Suzie]

Please help me - I'm at my wits' end. I am trying to reinstall windows xp pro using the 6 floppy disks I have created. I get to the repair screen and then hit a blank cos I have no idea what the command should be to get it to work. I have spent the last 3 hours working thru article after article and just seem to be going round in circles! Anybody who can talk me thru it in non-technical jargon would earn my undying appreciation!!!

 

[BMR777]

This should be pretty straight forward.

When you see the "Welcome To Setup" screen, you will see the options below (This is where you stopped in your post)
This portion of the Setup program prepares Microsoft
Windows XP to run on your computer:

To setup Windows XP now, press ENTER.

To repair a Windows XP installation using Recovery Console, press R.

To quit Setup without installing Windows XP, press F3.

Press Enter to start the Windows Setup. do not choose "To repair a Windows XP installation using the Recovery Console, press R", (you Do Not want to load Recovery Console). I repeat, do not choose "To repair a Windows XP installation using the Recovery Console, press R".
Accept the License Agreement and Windows will search for existing Windows installations.
Select the XP installation you want to repair from the list and press R to start the repair. If Repair is not one of the options, read this Warning#2!
Setup will copy the necessary files to the hard drive and reboot. Do not press any key to boot from CD when the message appears. Setup will continue as if it were doing a clean install, but your applications and settings will remain intact.

This should help.
BMR777

 

[volito]

-First question how did you create the 6 floppy's?

-when you are booting from floppy what repair screne are you seeing ?

-For example is a black screne (dos)? with "A>" "flashing" or "windows advanced options"

-Or a blue screne that says "welcome to setup"?


-any reason why you are reinstalling if you don't mind?

 

[Suzie]

Apologies if I'm not doing this right its my first time on here. Anyways, I am doing this cos I tend to get carried away from time to time with deleting things and somewhere along the way I've managed to do something to windows which means I can't use word. Not only that i constantly have a screen which appears saying trying to install and then asking me to insert the windows cd which i do not have, so i thought if i tried to reinstall it that would solve it. I originally did as Brandon suggested but I was stuck when it asked for the CD!

 

[dj913]

The six disks are only boot disks, so that you can allow your cd-rom drive to operate without windows if your cd-rom drive isnt bootable so you can install or repair windows with the windows CD. If you dont have a windows cd do you have any system restoration or recovery disks? If so then you can use those to restore your computer. Otherwise you might try explaining your problem, and if you can start windows, and maybe we can help you try and solve it.

The Windows XP startup disk allows computers without a bootable CD-ROM to perform a new installation of the operating system. The Windows XP startup disk will automatically load the correct drivers to gain access to the CD-ROM drive and start a new installation of Setup. You cannot upgrade from a Windows XP startup disk.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...68-6e4f-471c-b455-bd5afee126d8&DisplayLang=en

 

[Suzie]

The problem I've got is that I think I have inadvertently deleted something - the result being that windows installer keeps trying to (unsuccessfully) install and tells me to insert my cd - which i do not have. This is only a recent thing however so I must have the working copy somewhere on my system mustn't I?

 

[Stu_computer]

Do a search for winnt.exe and winnt32.exe and if it comes up then the install files are on your hard drive (should be in a folder named I386). If you find it then post back and we can tell you how to make windows look there instead of asking for the CD.

 

[Suzie]

I found several folders called I386 but when I looked inside none of them had a file called either winnt.exe or winnt32.exe...

 

[Stu_computer]

Have a look in the I386 folders again, this time look for files that have an underline at the end ( like this file.ex_ ) if there a lot of files like that, then it's what we need. Make a note of the path ( like this C:\I386 ).

 

[Suzie]

I've checked all the I386 folders but still no Joy! :4-dontkno

 

[madley]

Are you trying to install windows without a windows disk?

Do you have a windows disk? cause without it you want be able to continue the install, those 6 floppies aren't enough.

 

[dj913]

Just do a search for those files in the i386 folder. (Go to start, search, for files or folders, type the name in file name, and for the location choose i386)

 

[Stu_computer]

Unfortunately, little can be done in this case. You have no Recovery CD and no support files to work with. Who ever sold you this computer has left you in a lousy position with no recovery solution.

Someone owes you a CD, see Microsoft Edge-to-Edge Hologram CD? When should I receive an Edge-to-Edge Hologram CD? What if I did not receive an Edge-to-Edge Hologram CD?

You can try downloading the latest releases of DirectX, Windows Media Player, and Internet Explorer, possibly one of these programs may install an updated file that corresponds to the missing file that you need. It will only be a temporary solution at best though, at some point you will require the CD.