Trying to re-install Windows XP

Hi Levinll2, We cannot help without knowing the model of your desktop.

 Given the number of times I've asked for the PC model, I'm getting the feeling Levinll2 is trying to use a Dell XP Reinstallation CD to install the OS on a non-Dell system.

That won't work because the Dell CD is tied to Dell's BIOS and will only allow Windows to be installed on a Dell system.

When I boot my machine to the Windows XP Home Edition Reinstallation CD, I don't get a choice to do anything other than install the software(which generates an error). How does open the recovery console after booting from this CD?

How does open the recovery console after booting from this CD?

Read me

The Dimension E520's earliest BIOS came out in 2006 while XP Service Pack 2 was released in 2004. It should not be old enough to be supplied with a Windows XP with only Service Pack 1 CD.

Moreover XP reaches End of Life in April and should not be reinstalled.

• End of Life – April 2014 (Microsoft)
• White Paper Mitigating Risk: Why Sticking with Windows XP is a Bad Idea. (IDC Analyze the Future)

This machine has the capabilities of running Windows 7. For more details on upgrading this system to Windows 7 or 8.1 see here:

http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/

http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/driver-sets/dimension-desktops/

Note if you must stay with XP you should know the risks in running an unsupported OS. Also you will need to bring your XP Reinstallation CD up to Service Pack 3 level and include the SATA drivers.

My legacy XP Reinstallation Guide Step 6:

http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/

Will instruct you how to do this.

Natuakuc4 is reading my mind! :emotion-3:

Once you told us what system this was, it reminded me of the issue with XP SP1 and pci.sys which caused installation problems and had to be fixed in XP SP2.

I used SP1 years ago, but don't remember any specific issues with it. I do remember that the pre-SP1 version couldn't accommodate the then-large hard drives of greater than 137gb in size.

I used SP1 years ago, but don't remember any specific issues with it. I do remember that the pre-SP1 version couldn't accommodate the then-large hard drives of greater than 137gb in size.

The E520 on CNET reviews came with a 750 GB drive, its probably related to the problem:

http://reviews.cnet.com/desktops/dell-dimension-e520-core/4505-3118_7-32205750.html

The XP CD needs to be slipstreamed to include Service Pack 3 or preferably XP ditched in favour of Windows 7/8.1.

It's possible to install the SP2 version of XP and then add SP3 after the fact. I did that regularly, and in fact I have never used slipstreaming.

After updating the BIOS I once again booted to the XP disc that came with my dell machine.

Below is the following error message that appeared as the install process began.

It's still a 7B error which means SATA Operation (SATA Mode) is set incorrectly in BIOS.

BIOS must be set to RAID Autodetect/ATA in order to install XP. So reboot, open BIOS setup and change that setting. Be sure to save the change before exiting setup.

Then immediately reboot and go back into BIOS setup again. If SATA Operation is not still set to RAID Autodetect/ATA, then the motherboard battery may be dead and needs to be replaced.

After updating the BIOS I once again booted to the XP disc that came with my dell machine. Below is the following error message that appeared as the install process began.

XP requires a boot device, and if the boot device drivers aren't present on the install disk (and they often aren't), they must be added just as the install disk boots via the boot device drivers wizard (which can be started by pressing the F6 key).

I did as you suggested, and the change is still selected.

However I am still getting the 7B error when trying to re-install XP.