Jump to content

Setup stops responding at "Setup is inspecting your computer's hardware configuration..."

dearleader

By dearleader
in Windows XP

 Share

Recommended Posts

dearleader

dearleader

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I have burnt the ISO to a CD and tried booting from it. However, my original issue with the computer locking up after Setup is inspecting your computer's hardware configuration... is still there, so I cannot re-install from that disc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

jaclaz

jaclaz

Posted
Posted (edited)

Wait a minute.

You *somehow* have the XP installed AND it doesn't boot properly BUT by booting from a USB stick with WinSetupFromUSB you can boot the installed XP?

So you might be having some issues with hard disk and/or partition order, that the grub4dos in WinsetupfromUSB solves.

First thing check the BOOT.INI.

Open the BOOT.INI (you will need to set "show hidden files", then unhide it) in notepad

You should have the entry:

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

if the BIOS (as it often happens) has promoted the USB stick as first disk, you may instead have:

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

add at the bottom of the boot.ini the lines:

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional 1st disk" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

c:\grldr="grub4dos"

and put a copy of grub4dos grldr in your C: drive (you can copy the one in WinsetupfromUSB for the test).

Also, increase the timeout to 30 seconds or so, so that you have more time to make a choice.

Reboot (from the internal hard disk, without the USB stick) and try the added entry for windows and see if it boots, otherwise try the grub4dos one, you should get to the grub> prompt.

Report what happens, if you can get to the grub> prompt we can check what the situation is.

 

About offline install with WINT32, see:

https://msfn.org/board/topic/131021-winnt32-compatibility-error-from-vista/?do=findComment&comment=842405

jaclaz

 

Edited by jaclaz
Link to comment
Share on other sites
dearleader

dearleader

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I have edited my boot.ini and both options are visible in the boot menu. The entry for Windows XP reads rdisk(0) as it should.

Windows XP will still not boot, claiming that ntoskrnl.exe is missing or corrupt, but I can get to the grub> prompt.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
jaclaz

jaclaz

Posted
Posted

Good. :)

Try these commands:

geometry (hd0) [ENTER] <- this should give us some info on the size of the disk

cat --hex --skip=446 (hd0)0+1 [ENTER] <- this will provide the partition table (you will need to copy the hex output), or, if you can,  get my mbrview.g4b batch and run that:

https://msfn.org/board/topic/182116-winsetupfromusb-problem-installing-xp-on-legacy-system/?do=findComment&comment=1191284

then:

find --set-root /windows/system32/ntoskrnl.exe [ENTER]<- this should establish root to the disk/partition where the file is

root [ENTER] <- this should show current root (established above)

try also:

find --set-root /boot.ini [ENTER]<- this should establish root to the disk/partition where the file is

root [ENTER] <- this should show current root (established above)

Normally a XP is installed on first partition on first disk, that would be in grub4dos (hd0,0) and as arcpath multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS

jaclaz

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
dearleader

dearleader

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)

This is the output I get from these commands. 

grub> geometry (hd0)
drive 0x80(LBA): C/H/S=7297/255/63, Sector Count/Size=117226305/512
   Partition num: 0, active, Filesystem type is ntfs, partition type 0x07
grub> cat --hex --skip=446 (hd0)0+1
000001BE: 80 01 01 00  07 FE FE FF  3F 00 00 00  02 BB FC 06  ; Ç....■  ?....╗ⁿ.
000001CE: 00 00 00 00  00 00 00 00  00 00 00 00  00 00 00 00  ; ................
000001DE: 00 00 00 00  00 00 00 00  00 00 00 00  00 00 00 00  ; ................
000001EE: 00 00 00 00  00 00 00 00  00 00 00 00  00 00 00 00  ; ................
000001FE: 55 AA                                               ; U¬
grub> find --set-root /windows/system32/ntoskrnl.exe
 (hd0,0)
grub> root
 (hd0,0) Filesystem type is ntfs, partition type 0x07
grub>

 

Edited by dearleader
Typo
Link to comment
Share on other sites
jaclaz

jaclaz

Posted
Posted

Hmmm. :dubbio:

Everything looks fine.

There is only one partition, it is active (of course, otherwise you wouldn't get to the boot.ini choices), partition type is correct, and arcpath multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS corresponds to (hd0,0), and the file (ntoskrnl.exe) is where it should be.

Can you describe what happens when you boot from the USB stick with WinsetupfromUSB?

Which entry do you choose to boot the windows from internal disk? 

jaclaz

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Dietmar

Dietmar

Posted
Posted

@dearleader

When the install of XP hangs during boot of XP from CD @Setup is inspecting your computer's hardware configuration,

there may be an error with the geometry of your harddisk.

Use RMPrepUSB vers 2.1.739 and set there XP (NTLDR), NTFS, Force use of LBA calls

Dietmar

Link to comment
Share on other sites
dearleader

dearleader

Posted
  • Author
Posted

When I boot from the flash drive, I get a menu with the following options: 

0 ...Back to Main Menu

1 Auto-detect and use F6 SATA/RAID/SCSI Driver
2 Auto-detect and use F6 SATA/RAID/SCSI Driver

3 First part of Windows XP Professional SP3 setup from partition 0
4 Second part of Windows XP Professional SP3 setup/Boot first internal disk

I choose option 4, which loads Windows XP. Option 3 would start the installation again, and the other two are currently useless.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
jaclaz

jaclaz

Posted
Posted
10 hours ago, dearleader said:

When I boot from the flash drive, I get a menu with the following options:

I choose option 4, which loads Windows XP. Option 3 would start the installation again, and the other two are currently useless.

 

Ok.

Check the Winsetup.lst on your stick.

Should be something *like*:

Quote

title Second part of XP Professional setup/Boot first internal disk
savedefault
ls /shifthd.bat > nul || find --set-root --devices=hf /shifthd.bat
/shifthd.bat
if "%RDSK%"=="" pause Fatal error while swapping hard disk order, cannot continue! && configfile /menu.lst
pause --wait=1 Booting MBR on hd0 ...
chainloader (hd0)+1
rootnoverify (hd0)
 

The shifthd,bat basically re-orders disks.

Try the following (booting from the stick):

1) at the menu press C to get to the grub4dos grub> prompt.

2) run

geometry (hd0)

geometry (hd1)

the disk you have (when you boot without the stick) as (hd0) should be now (hd1) and the stick should be (hd0)

3) run:

map (hd0) (hd1)

map (hd1) (hd0)

map --hook

4) run again

geometry (hd0) 

The disk should have been swapped.

5) run:

chainloader (hd0)+1

rootnoverify (hd0)

boot

The above should be the same as what the winsetup.lst+shifthd.bat do.

jaclaz

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...