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#1
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Can't install w2k
Hello. I've got a Compaq P3 I'm trying to upgrade to Win2k. I boot from the
w2k CD, delete and recreate the C: partition and format using NTFS. Sometimes during format (I've tried several times) the process stops with an error stating "Setup was unable to format, disk may be damaged). I've tried this on three different disks including a brand new one, all of which work fine in other computers. Sometimes the format completes ok, but then during setup the process stops and says "setup was unable to copy such and such file (always a different one) you can skip this file etc. etc. at which point I quit setup. I know these disks are good, and my media is good (tried three different media). What could be the problem? I've cleared CMOS and upgraded the BIOS. Thanks! PK |
#2
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"zim" Ran in the back door and shouted
.com: Hello. I've got a Compaq P3 I'm trying to upgrade to Win2k. I boot from the w2k CD, delete and recreate the C: partition and format using NTFS. Sometimes during format (I've tried several times) the process stops with an error stating "Setup was unable to format, disk may be damaged). I've tried this on three different disks including a brand new one, all of which work fine in other computers. Sometimes the format completes ok, but then during setup the process stops and says "setup was unable to copy such and such file (always a different one) you can skip this file etc. etc. at which point I quit setup. I know these disks are good, and my media is good (tried three different media). What could be the problem? I've cleared CMOS and upgraded the BIOS. Thanks! PK Don't know what your problem is, [could be a flaky stick of ram among other things], but here's a work around: Partition and format the disk in the "other" PC with FAT32, then put the HDD back in the target PC. IF all goes well, you can then convert the FAT32 to NTFS. I would try one of those DOS-based memory testers though, if you have a bad stick of ram, it *will* cause you grief later on.... -- MrToad o] |
#3
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"zim" wrote in message .com... Hello. I've got a Compaq P3 I'm trying to upgrade to Win2k. I boot from the w2k CD, delete and recreate the C: partition and format using NTFS. Sometimes during format (I've tried several times) the process stops with an error stating "Setup was unable to format, disk may be damaged). I've tried this on three different disks including a brand new one, all of which work fine in other computers. Sometimes the format completes ok, but then during setup the process stops and says "setup was unable to copy such and such file (always a different one) you can skip this file etc. etc. at which point I quit setup. I know these disks are good, and my media is good (tried three different media). What could be the problem? I've cleared CMOS and upgraded the BIOS. Thanks! PK Make sure you use the 'fdisk /mbr' command to clear the master boot record. Many OEM MFG's put &hit in the boot sector that can interfere with a clean install. -- "I don't cheat to survive. I cheat to LIVE!!" - Alceryes |
#4
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"zim" wrote in message .com... Hello. I've got a Compaq P3 I'm trying to upgrade to Win2k. I boot from the w2k CD, delete and recreate the C: partition and format using NTFS. Sometimes during format (I've tried several times) the process stops with an error stating "Setup was unable to format, disk may be damaged). I've tried this on three different disks including a brand new one, all of which work fine in other computers. Sometimes the format completes ok, but then during setup the process stops and says "setup was unable to copy such and such file (always a different one) you can skip this file etc. etc. at which point I quit setup. I know these disks are good, and my media is good (tried three different media). What could be the problem? I've cleared CMOS and upgraded the BIOS. Thanks! PK For IDE drives, how about an "old school" approach? * Create a DOS boot disk and copy DEBUG.EXE to it. (If you have an old Win98 setup disk, you can use it. The Win98 setup disk, or rescue disk, will already contain DEBUG.EXE.) * Boot using the DOS boot disk. (Watch the prompts - if you're using the Win98 setup disk, you don't want to go the path of installing Windows. Just get to the DOS prompt.) * Run DEBUG.EXE from the command line. * Enter the following series of commands. (I've used all upper case and all the prompts for clarity.) A:\DEBUG -F 200 L1000 0 -A CS:100 1C5A:0100 MOV AX,301 1C5A:0103 MOV BX,200 1C5A:0106 MOV CX,1 1C5A:0109 MOV DX,80 1C5A:010C INT 13 1C5A:010E INT 20 1C5A:0110 (carriage return) -G Program terminated normally -Q A:\ The boot sector will be completely erased. No partitions, no nothing. BTW - at address 1C5A:0109, you can use "80" for the first HD, "81" for the second HD, "82" for the third HD, etc. When you go to install Win2K, it won't see any old disk information and think it is factory fresh. |
#5
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you anti-virus disabled in mobo bios ?
"zim" wrote in message .com... Hello. I've got a Compaq P3 I'm trying to upgrade to Win2k. I boot from the w2k CD, delete and recreate the C: partition and format using NTFS. Sometimes during format (I've tried several times) the process stops with an error stating "Setup was unable to format, disk may be damaged). I've tried this on three different disks including a brand new one, all of which work fine in other computers. Sometimes the format completes ok, but then during setup the process stops and says "setup was unable to copy such and such file (always a different one) you can skip this file etc. etc. at which point I quit setup. I know these disks are good, and my media is good (tried three different media). What could be the problem? I've cleared CMOS and upgraded the BIOS. Thanks! PK |
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