Please Help Me!!

one solution is to do a clean reinstall of win xp.. there are instructions in "dell support", "reinstall guide".. click "product support", above, then "reinstall guide"..  yes, you can "re-install win xp" (assuming you do not have a problem with the hardware).. 

that is the simple solution.. you will lose all your "data" on your harddrive..  (you should backup any data that you do not want to lose)..

alternatively, you can call dell-tech, and they will walk you through the process.. just tell them that you want help with doing a clean reistall of win xp.. however, it is not difficult to do it yourself.. just follow the instructions in dell support, "reinstall guide"..

you need to have a firewall running before reconnecting to the internet after doing a clean reinstall of win xp.. you can use win xp's built-in firewall, the "internet connection firewall"..  if you want to use win xp's "internet connection firewall", look for instructions in win xp's "help and support", in the index (start/"help and support"), after having installed win xp..

win xp's "internet connection firewall" is not compatible with AOL, so, if you use aol, and you cannot manage to install a firewall from disks before reconnecting to the internet, use the AOL browser, not internet explorer, to go to a website, download and install a firewall, first thing..

if you want to use the kerio 2.15 firewall, here is the link.. i f you are using AOL, you could write down the url address, and then type it into the aol browser's address bar: http://eu.download.kerio.com/dwn/kpf/kpf2-en-win.exe .

here is the phone number for dell-tech, "home and home office" division: 1-800-624-9896

p.s. you didn't mention which model dell you have..

 

 

Message Edited by redwolfe_98 on 07-12-2004 04:42 PM

Hey I tried to re-install and it keeps giving me a fatal error.  Any other ideas?

ellis2184,

Make certain that you have set your CD-ROM drive as the first boot device in BIOS when you reinstall. See this. If you have done that and still receive a fatal error message, please post the exact wording of the message you receive.

No Luck.   The error says " An Error has been encountered that prevents setup from continuing.

 

Setup failed to install the product catalogs.  This a fatal error.  The setup log files should contain more information.

 

Then it says setup failed to remove the product catalog.

 

PLEASE HELP!!!

did you adjust the bios settings, moving the cd-rom drive up to "first boot device", and then rebooting the computer with the win xp cd in the cd-rom drive, where you then would see on the screen, "press any key to boot from the cd", and then, did you "press any key" so as to boot from the win xp cd, where the computer started loading files from the win xp cd?

 

Message Edited by redwolfe_98 on 07-12-2004 06:23 PM

ellis2184,

This may be helpful. If not, you may be forced to run FDISK on the hard disk, boot with an emergency boot diskette (if your system has a floppy drive) and format the hard disk before attempting to reinstall Windows just to start with a clean C:\ partition.

It doesn't ask me to hit a key to boot from cd-rom it just goes straight to the setup and then fails.  How do I make a diskette?

ellis2184,

You can download the files for a boot floppy from here. The procedure for FDISK is given here. Once FDISK is complete, boot again with the boot floppy and at the DOS prompt enter format c: and click . Once the disk is formatted, you should be able to install XP, although I am concerned that you are not seeing the "Press any key to boot from CD..." prompt. That prompt should appear regardless of what is installed on your hard disk.

"when all else fails, follow the instructions.."  if you are not seeing the message on the screen to "press any key to boot from the cd", when the computer is booting up with the win xp cd in the cd-rom drive, it is likely that you did not follow the instructions to adjust the settings in the bios setup, moving the cd-rom drive up to "first boot device".. look at the instructions in dell support/reinstall guide..

also, i would use dell's harddrive "debug" instead of "fdisk".. debugging the harddrive is a good idea, imo, if it is the first time that you have ever reformatted the computer since dell computers come from the factory with a small, dos partition on them.. the harddrive debug program will give you a clean harddrive..

after you run the harddrive "debug" program (if you choose to do that), when you reboot the computer with the win xp cd in the cd-rom drive, the computer will automatically boot from the win xp cd so as to install win xp..

after the computer boots from the win xp cd, just follow the simple prompts, doing a full format with "ntfs" as opposed to a "quick format"..

if you want to use the harddrive "debug" utility, follow the instructions to create a floppy disk with the program on it, and write down the instructions for using the program.. here is the link for information about the harddrive "debug" program.. you can locate the harddrive debug program in "dell support" by using "search", searching for "debug"..

http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/kb/en/document?dn=1011054&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19

p.s. you still have not mentioned which model dell that you have..i am assuming that you have a relatively new computer.. to access the bios settings on older dells, press the "delete" key as the computer is booting up instead of the "F2" key.. use the arrow keys to navigate in the bios settings, and the +(plus) and -(minus) keys to move the cd-rom drive up to "first boot device", or "1"(one), in the boot-sequence settings, in the bios setup..

 

 

Message Edited by redwolfe_98 on 07-13-2004 03:10 AM

Redwolfe_98:

  Is the debugging something you should do whenever you re-install the OS? Or, is it used in certain cases?I had never heard of it before.

Thanks.

Message Edited by possumall on 07-13-2004 08:56 AM

using the harddrive debug program when doing a clean reinstall of win xp is optional..

http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/kb/en/document?dn=1022509&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19  What is debug and how do I use it?

http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/kb/en/document?dn=1011054&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19  How do I use the MS-DOS® debug script to remove my DOS or non-DOS partition?

Thanks..everything you always wanted to know about debug..but were afraid to ask.

Thanks alot I found just what I needed and by changing the name of one of the files I was able to fix windows without having to format the hard drive.  Thanks again.