Error when attempting to do a clean install of XP

[Nad]

Hi there. I have been wanting to reinstall XP Professional on my PC however when I type the following in dos:

f:

cd i386

winnt

I get an error stating:

"An Internal error has occurred. Could not find a place for a swap file."

I dont know what the problem is because if i place the cd into my other pc's and run setup via dos, the setup program works fine.

Im not really sure on what i should do - use fdisk, delete C:, recreate it then attempt an install? The thing about that is when writing a floppy disc with windows 98 boot, i keep getting "Disc error in track x, head x. Address mark not found."

My HDD is 250 gig, partitioned as follows:

C: 20GB

D: 19.9GB

E: 99.9GB

F: 92.8GB

I am using 15 gig on C: (OS, apps and files) and about 20 gig on E:, backups.

I also have 1gig of ram if it makes any difference?

Thanks for reading and thanks in advance for any support!

Nad

Edited October 21, 2007 by Nad

[Ponch]

if i place the cd into my other pc's and run setup via dos, the setup program works fine.

Do try the same here ? Is F: the CD or a copy on a partition ?

+ What partitions are FAT32 and seen when you launch setup ?

[Nad]

F: Is the CD/DVD drive for the computer whilst in DOS.

All partitions are NTFS.

And this error occurs when I attempt to run setup (by executing winnt in DOS). For all other PCs i have tried it on, the setup program starts up fine, give me hte option to format partitions and choose which one I want to install it on etc.

Nad

[Fungus]

What program did you use to partition the drives?

I found the only one that works is Acronis disk director.

Otherwise windows just won't install.

[Nad]

FDisk was used when i first set up the computer about 1 year ago. Will partition magic do the job or does Acronis have some special features to evade this error?

Thanks for replies

Nad

[Ponch]

F: Is the CD/DVD drive for the computer whilst in DOS.

All partitions are NTFS.

I think your disk is too big (>137Gig) and not propery seen by your "launch system", that could be why there's a missing partition as well (F: that's now the CD). I can't think of a solution now cause that wine is very good , but I think that's the way to go. What DOS do you boot into to see NTFS partitions ?

[Nad]

The DOS from the Windows 98 Boot Disc

[twig123]

My question is... why are you booting from a floppy into DOS... when the XP CD is bootable?

[Nad]

My question is... why are you booting from a floppy into DOS... when the XP CD is bootable?

I use a backup copy of my XP disc. I lost my XP disc a while back and use a backup of it which I made after I purchased it using Nero.

Edited October 23, 2007 by Nad

[twig123]

Why 98 boot disk... instead of an XP boot disks??

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

Edited October 23, 2007 by twig123

[Ponch]

The DOS from the Windows 98 Boot Disc

From what I remember, that floppy can't read NTFS, so I can't understand why the CDROM is F: but can you see anything on the C: drive when booting that floppy ???.

[Nad]

Why 98 boot disk... instead of an XP boot disks??

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

I only have 3 floppys. Hmm, i might have to try that if I can get a pack of floppies (No one sells them these days).

Ill see if the BIOS allows booting from USB devices because I could copy the boot disc onto my USB memory pen and try it with that?

The DOS from the Windows 98 Boot Disc

From what I remember, that floppy can't read NTFS, so I can't understand why the CDROM is F: but can you see anything on the C: drive when booting that floppy ???.

Should a I try the tree command on C: to see if the above suggestion works?

Regards,

Nad

[twig123]

Why 98 boot disk... instead of an XP boot disks??

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

I only have 3 floppys. Hmm, i might have to try that if I can get a pack of floppies (No one sells them these days).

Um... Simple Solution...

Make the first 3 disks in the set.. start booting off the first... when it asks for #2 insert it.. #3 ditto.... then.. take them back to the system that is creating the disks... and resume making the rest, overwriting the first 3 disks... Much simpler than buying more useless floppys