Installing XP Pro on Hard Drive

Boris wrote:
"Shenan Stanley" wrote in
:

Boris wrote:
I'm updating the OS on an old P4, 1.6MHZ. It's currently running
Windows 2000 Pro, but I want to install a retail version of Windows
XP Pro on it. The problem is that I can't get the machine to boot
from CD. All attempts have failed over the last two evenings.

I've installed a barely used 160GB Western Digital hard drive as the
master, and set to boot from a Windows 98SE startup floppy. The
floppy creates a ramdrive D, and I can then log to the CD-ROM, and
if the Windows XP CD is in it, I can read all the files just fine.

From the floppy I need to fdisk, but there's where my memory fails
me. It's been a long time since I've had to use DOS to partition a
hard drive. I can't remember if once I creat a primary DOS
partition (just one large partition) do I need to set it active?
If so, do I reboot first, and then set active, or set active before
a reboot? Also, do I then need to format, or should I log on to
the Windows XP CD, and run winnt from the i386 folder?

I have gotten the message that smartdrv.exe is not on my system.
Where can I find this file, and where should I copy it to, before
attempting setting up Windows?

Your CD drive and/or the Windows XP CD you are trying to utilize
and/or hard disk drive and/or controller and/or cables need to be
checked.

One of those things is crapping out on you.

I base this off your initial posting and all of your follow ups.

Going by this and all your other responses - I am supposing you want
a 100% clean installation. Windows 2000 and all files will be wiped
from the drive - never to return.

The prior OS has *no* bearing at this point. Just the fuctionality
of the hardware.

If your BIOS gives the option to boot from your CD drive, if your CD
drive and cables are good, if your hard disk drive and cables are
good and if there is no issues with your controller card - all of
this should work with nothing more than the Windows XP CD and a few
changes in the BIOS and a keyboard/mouse. (Assuming things like the
video card allows you to see the screen, of course.)

You may have another option, however - although I stand by your need
to check the things above (download the Western Digital utilities CD,
burn it and run the full diags.)

Download and creat the 6-boot Floppy diskettes. Put in the Windows
CD, but boot off the floppy diskettes. (You said you have a floppy
drive - this is why I suggest this.)

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310994

If after using the 6-boot-diskette option, you still cannot get
things installed - there is a hardware failure on the machine - see
above...

Admittedly - it would be the first time I would have seen anyone use
the floppy diskettes with Windows XP Media Center Edition - but since
it is just Professional with a few extra features and a few less
features... (So get the professional edition CDs.)

Also - SP1 or SP2 - I am unsure if there are SP3 floppy diskettes.
Although if this is an original STAMPED CD - you'll likely have one
or two and not SP3.


I finally got it installed after 3 tries, using different tactics. I
took nearly 20 pages of notes so I didn't go down the same dead end
twice.

This version was XP Pro, SP1a, so when finally installed, I also
installed SP3 from a CD I had made when SP3 came out. I use it to
update all my XP machines.

Some info...I did check to see that the XP CD was bootable on another
machine, and it was. I also installed a known good CD-ROM in this P4,
but the P4 still wouldn't boot from CD. I tried new cables,
reinstalled the secondary controller, etc., but nothing worked. Any
CD, audio or otherwise, will invoke the the appropriate Windows
autoplay program, and I can navigate to the CDs files in Windows
Explorer. This indicates that the CD-ROM and cabling is good, but it
still won't boot from CD when set to do so in the BIOS. Sounds like
BIOS problem to me.

What I was trying to do was install XP Pro, SP1a, from CD, onto a
(used) Western Digital 160GB, 8MB cache, hard drive. The Gateway P4
already had Windows 2000 Pro installed on an 80GB drive, and was
running fine.

Here's what worked for me:

removed the 80GB drive
connected 160GB drive to primary IDE channel,as single drive
the only CD-ROM was connected to seconday IDE channel as single drive
there is a floppy drive

set BIOS to start from floppy, then hard drive
put Win98SE Startup disk into floppy
started machine
Win98SE Startup floppy installed ramdrive
executed FDISK and created DOS primary partition on 160 GB hard drive
activated DOS partition
executed FORMAT
created large FAT32 partition
put Windows XP Pro CD in CD-ROM
logged onto i386 folder
executed 'winnt'
Windows XP Pro Setup began
told me I didn't have smartdrv.exe, and would take a while
I continued without smartdrv.exe
copied some files, and then took another 2 hours to get to:

Then:
"The MS DOS portion of Setup is complete
Remove floppy A and hit enter.
Windows Setup will continue."

I removed floppy A
Hit Enter
I got, "Invalid boot disk, please insert boot disk into A"

Floppy was still out

I restarted the machine, which was set to boot from hard drive after
the floppy

C came up
C showed:
$LDR$ 245,920
$WIN_NT$ ~BT DIR
$WIN_NT$ ~LS DIR
COMMAND COM 93,880
NTDETECT COM 47,580
NTLDR 233,632
TXTSETUP SIF 454,830

5 file(s) 1,075,842 bytes
2 dir(s) 130,568,660 MB free

I restarted and went into BIOS
I reset BIOS to boot from IDE
I rebooted

Windows XP Pro Setup began where it left off
allowed me to convert FAT32 to NTFS
the machine restarted a few times
the Windows XP Pro licensing screen came up!

The install finished successfully.

My video was poor. When moving windows across the screen, they moved
really slow, like they were 'stickey'.

My audio was warbly.

I installed SP3, and all problems were solved.

I made an XP Startup floppy.

Machine is working fine, but still won't boot from CD. I could do a
reset on the BIOS via a jumper on the motherboard, but think I'll
leave well enough alone.

Wow! Glad you worked it out. Made me think of this, though:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RouXygRcRC4