SATA, Motherboard, etc...I really need help.

[Asmo]

I will give you the low-down on the past 3 days of fiddling with my computer and why and what I have come up with and what I need help with.

-My old EIDE Hardrive broke.

-I went and bought a new one (WD SATA 500gigs)

-I go to install it, massive problems, which lead to hours of tinkering (SATA isnt detected, etc)

-Discover that the drive is too fast, so i put the jumper on it to make it slower.

-Everything works fine, the drive is formatted from my friends computer.

-Decide to install XP SP1

-NTLDR is missing, no matter from which boot device we use.

-Call Tech Support. They refer me to nLite for Slipstreaming and transforming Xpsp1 disc into a XPSP2 disc

-Everything goes well, I download nLite, the SP2 package.

-I start the slipstream according to everything the Nlite guide asks.

-Error message after the slipstream: File appears to be a non valid Win32 file (something like that)

What do i do?

I really need help with this,

And if someone can help me with the NTLDR dilemna, without having to use nLite, extra points...

I just want my computer insalled and up and running.

Thank you

[Fernando 1]

@ Asmo:

Welcome at MSFN Forums!

It is not easy to hep you, because you didn't give any information about your pc system (name and vendor of the system/mainboard, chipset specification).

Nevertheless I try to give some tips:

1. The "NTLDR is missing" message is nothing to warry about. It just means, that the computer tried to boot your new hdd, but didn't find the needed Master Boot Record (MBR), which is needed to continue the boot procedure.

2. It is not enough to format the hdd, it should be set as active (=bootable). This will automaticly be done by Windows Setup, if you install Windows XP.

3. Why did you integrate the SP1 resp. SP2 into the XP CD? You should integrate the actual XP Service Pack 3.

Greetings!

Fernando

Edited April 25, 2009 by Fernando 1

[Fernando 1]

Sorry, double post....

Edited April 25, 2009 by Fernando 1

[Asmo]

I'm using a K8V-X ASUS motherboard.

So your saying, instead of slipstreaming SP2 i should slipstream SP3?

[Fernando 1]

So your saying, instead of slipstreaming SP2 i should slipstream SP3?

Yes.

[Asmo]

So your saying, instead of slipstreaming SP2 i should slipstream SP3?

Yes.

Thank you, I'll get back at you on this.

[johnhc]

Asmo, very interesting that some tech support is recommending nLite. What is the source CD you are using? Do you have a legal Windows copy and a valid key? If you have more problems, please give us more information. Have you set your BIOS correctly concerning your new HDD? Have you installed text mode drivers for your SATA drive. You install these using F6 when not using nLite and can include them with nLite and not use F6, in fact you cannot use F6 with nLite unless you disable OEM Preinstall on the Unattended-General tab. If you have more trouble using nLite, please attach (not paste) your Last Session.ini. Make sure to always start with a fresh copy of your CD files/folders, do all your work in one nLite session and integrate only one SP. Please report when you have a solution, so others can benefit. Enjoy, John.

[Asmo]

I am using the Windows XP SP1 disc

And yes it is valid as i have the box right in front of me.

I have set BIOS in 700 different ways trying to solve this, but ultimatly, they are in the most optimal set up.

Text drives? i dont think i know what those are.

Right now, i was planning on slipstream SP3 to my SP1 disc using nLite, but the SP3 file is an .iso, which i dont think can install Xp to my fresh HD

What is all this talk about f6?

When or where do i press it? (lets say i dont use nLite and IS able to use it)

[johnhc]

Asmo, text mode drivers. The first phase of Windows install is called text mode because there is no graphics support - just primitive text mode. When Setup first starts (to install Windows after booting CD), it will issue a message to press F6 if you need to install mass storage drivers. Windows does not come with text mode drivers for SATA drives, so you need to find them and load them using F6 (or nLite.) Normally you would go to your MB's site and find the F6 drivers and DL them. Then you write them to a floppy and hit F6 during install. Some MBs have a utility to create the floppy. If you do not have a floppy drive, then you need to integrate them into your CD and this is where nLite comes to the game. Perhaps this is why tech support recommended nLite. Do you have a floppy drive, or at least a connection on your MB so you can borrow of buy one? The SP3 you DL from MS DL Center is not an ISO. Go to the Center and DL a copy. Enjoy, John.

[Fernando 1]

Text drives? i dont think i know what those are.

TEXTMODE drivers are drivers, which are needed to detect and manage mass storage controllers (where the hard disk drives are connected to). You can easily identify an XP textmode driver by looking into the driver folder for a file named TXTSETUP.OEM.

Right now, i was planning on slipstream SP3 to my SP1 disc using nLite, but the SP3 file is an .iso, which i dont think can install Xp to my fresh HD

The ISO file has to be burnt onto a CD itself and is only usable, ifyou are going to update a running pre-SP3 XP version. If you want to slipstream SP3 into your XP CD (to have the XP3 version of XP from scratch), you have to download the EXE version of the SP3 package and to slipstream it into the XP CD. You can let nLite do it.

What is all this talk about f6?

When or where do i press it? (lets say i dont use nLite and IS able to use it)

When you are going to install Windows XP by booting off the CD, you will see the F6 option on the bottom of your screen shortly after the begin of the installation procedure. Usually it is not necessary to load/integrate any textmode driver, because the XP in-box IDE drivers are able to detect and to manage SATA hdd's (unless the SATA Controller has been set to AHCI or RAID within the BIOS).

If you are using a non-nLited XP CD and should realize, that Windows Setup does not recognize your SATA hdd, you have to restart the installation, to press F6 when prompted and load the needed driver from the floppy disk.

The driver integration method by using a tool like nLite is much safer than the F6/floppy method.

EDIT: I'm sorry, johnhc was a few minutes quicker with his response.

Edited April 26, 2009 by Fernando 1