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BritishUser
26 Posts
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6526
December 22nd, 2006 09:00
Problems reinstalling Windows XP
I recently upgraded my Hard drive but wanted to keep my old HD for a backup. However, I am having trouble reinstalling windows onto it. Here is the what I am doing in sequence
1. I replace the old HD in the machine.
2. I put the Windows XP Operating System CD in the drive and press F12 and then any key to start installation.
3. A message comes up saying 'Press F6 if you need to install a 3rd party SCSI or RAID driver' which I ignore because the drive is SATA.
4. A page appears with the following options:
i)To set up Windows XP now press Enter
ii)To recover a previously installed version of XP press [...]
iii)Quit [...]
I choose the first option
5. I press F8 to agree to Terms etc.
6. A page appears showing the partitions:
-: Partition1 [FAT] 78MB
E: Partition2 [NTFS] 52000MB
D: Partition4 [Unknown] 2039MB
Unpartitioned space 1043MB
Unpartitioned space 8MB
C: Partition3 [Unknown] 1435 MB
7. I then try to reinstall Windows on to Partition2 and agree to reformat the drive etc and then get the following message:
"Setup was unable to format Drive C. The hard disk may be damaged. Make sure the disk is on and properly connected to your computer. If the disk is a SCSI disk, make sure your SCSI devices are properly terminated. See your computer or SCSI adapter documentation for more information.
Setup cannot continue To Quit Press F3.
BritishUser
26 Posts
653
0
Posted December 23rd, 2006 07:00
I'll give it a go, but I'm sure I've already tried it and it said the repair could not continue or something. This is slightly concerning because I'm planning on formating my current drive as well due to a partition mistake. All I did with the old drive was to run the Windows Reinstallation CD on it and it failed to reinstall, but also wiped all data from it. If the same happens to my new drive I'm stuck without any drive at all.- Have you tried deleting the partition and recreating it; then installing?If that does not work, I would use a 3rd party formatting utility such as partition magic, and then select "install leaving partition in tact" which is the last option on the format menu.
BritishUser
26 Posts
653
0
Posted December 24th, 2006 14:00
Unfortunately, I can't use partition magic because the HD won't boot and therefore I cannot download partition magic onto the machine.I just assumed that to format the drive and reinstall Windows all I had to do was insert the Windows Reinstallation CD and follow instructions. I'm worried that if I do that with my new HD I'll ruin that as well.- That's too bad. Perhaps you could attach the hard drive to another bootable computer to repair it.Normally your correct. That procedure, to reinstall, `should` work.I use a device such as this one http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16812232002 to attach hard drive to my computer and work on them. Perhaps a good investment if your doing that kind of thing.Happy Holidays!
BritishUser
26 Posts
653
0
Posted December 25th, 2006 07:00
The computer is bootable, just not the HD, so I suspect if I attach it to another computer the same will happen.Anyway, season's greetings and thanks for your help.
mrwebguy
12 Posts
653
0
Posted December 22nd, 2006 21:00
Message Edited by mrwebguy on 12-22-200605:28 PM