AlfromMd

I will see if I can get that disk tonight. But, I have a question, If the product key doesn't activate, how will I continue use of the OS? Thanks Again! Al

The computer that I am using here (Windows 7) belongs to a friend and I don't feel comfortable about downloading XP onto their machine. I do have access to an original Windows XP Pro disk - I guess I could use that to try to load and if successful I can use the product key from my son in law. Would this be a preferred way to go, knowing it is a Windows disk?

Is there a WINNT.SIF in the I386 folder? I don't know - where would I look for it?

Exactly at 2:20 on the video. The last thing I see before the Technical Information page is Setup is starting Windows

If I get it right what you experience is the following: You insert the boot CD your son-in-law sent you and can boot from it. When loading the cd, it ends with the STOP code previously mentioned. It also has the following: Check to be sure you have adequate disk space. If a driver is identified in the stop message, disable the driver or check with the manufacturer for driver updates. Try changing video adapters. Check with your hardware vendor for any BIOS updates. Disable BIOS memory options such as caching or shadowing. If you need to use safe mode to remove or disable components, restart your computer, press F8 to select Advanced startup options, and then select safe mode. You see a number of screens in white text over blue background (this is what is called "text mode" part of the setup) You are (possibly) asked to partition/format the hard disk no A number of files are copied from the CD to the hard disk (you see theis files enumerated in the bottom of the blue screen)yes The text mode part ends and you are asked to take the CD out of the drive and reboot.see above Is the above accurate? If NO, describe what you are currently experiencing. Then WHAT happens? (please describe what happens)

Could you answer my questions? Maybe (just maybe) if I understand waht is happening, I can help you. I do not know what, if any Bios updates have been used on the laptop prior to my purchase. I bought it from an IT guy that installed a fresh hard drive with Windows XP Pro and it has worked fine for 2 years or so. When the system crashed, I tried to reboot using the existing hard drive without success and tried to reload XP Pro on that drive. I wound up with a hard drive with 2 copies of XP Pro that did not work. The folks at Dell and Microsoft explained that they were eager to sell me Windows 7 and forget XP. I decided to replace that hard drive as I know there is something corrupt on it and it would probably continue to haunt me. My son-in-law is an IT tech guy that lives in another state. He sent me a copy of Windows XP Pro with a fresh key. This is where I am stuck now. When I try to boot from the CD he sent me, I get the message that I posted at the beginning of this thread. When I turn the lap top on with out the cd, if I hit no keys at all, I just get a flashing cursor that will do nothing - or, if I hit F2 it goes to System Info Menu - or, if I hit F12 it takes me to the boot menu.

I suspect that I have a bios issue. The bios on my laptop is version A02. The current version is A17. Is that something that I can download on a cd and run it in my laptop?

jaclaz, Thank you for pointing out the article to read - I am now searching for my original XP disc. And, in answer to: Well, it must have booted before to allow you the now botched install That was with the old install on the hard drive I have replaced. Al

I have copied the chipset and storage drivers to cd along with Windows XP. The laptop will not boot from cd. I've tried the F12 and asked to boot from cd - nada. I also tried the Windows XP only cd - won't try to boot from that either. I need to put this away for now and head out to work, back on it tomorrow morning. Thanks for the input - I really appreciate it! Al

I've downloaded the XP disc into my C drive. The chipset and mass storage drivers are telling me "This DriverPack can only be downloaded via BitTorrent". Is this another file I need to d/l before I can proceed? .

Thanks for the suggestion! To do that, do I find the drivers I need and download them to the existing XP disc I have? Or do they need to be in any specific loading order on the disc? Like I said earlier, I'm not tech savvy - the drivers that I need to download, is that for wireless, mouse, sound, etc? Thanks!

I cannot boot in safe mode. I am trying to install the XP from a burned CD and I need to ask the source if the Service Packs have been included. The drivers have not yet been integrated, can that be done without an existing OS? Thanks! Al

Hi Folks, My name is Al, I'm new here and was referred by a friend. I have a Dell Latitude D830 laptop which I purchased used about 2 years ago. It was then loaded with Windows XP PRO. About 2 months ago I ran my regular defrag and the results were to the effect of: System32/DLLsomethingorother - Windows crashed. I did not have XP on a back up disc and my only solution (without purchasing Windows 7) was to find another copy of XP with a valid key - I did. I was unsure of how to completely erase my old hard drive - which I suspect has some nasties in it so I purchased a new WD Scorpio Blue Internal Hard Drive. Upon attempting to install XP. I am now faced with the following issue: "A problem has been detected and windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer" Technical information: *** STOP: 0X0000007E (OXC0000005, 0XF76130BF, 0XF7A5F208, 0XF7A5EF080 *** pci.sys - Address F76130BF base at F760C000, Datestamp 3b7d855c My question here is this: I am not tech savvy at all. Is there somewhere that will show me step by step instructions on how to remedy this situation, or will I need to resort to having it repaired or replaced? Thanks! Al