trouble installing winxp

collegeguy · Post by **collegeguy** » Tue Sep 10, 2002 4:49 pm

got a computer with a new hard drive and just formatted it. i am trying to install xp and cant get into setup.
i fire up the comp, i have a 98 startup disk that i made from another comp, and i select startup with cd rom support. then i type E:/setup and i get the following error: This program cannot be run in DOS mode.
does anyone know how i can fix this? please help.
thanks in advance.

mnosteele52 · Post by **mnosteele52** » Tue Sep 10, 2002 4:52 pm

If it's an original XP disk then you can boot right from the disk.

richardc · Post by **richardc** » Tue Sep 10, 2002 4:56 pm

instead of typing setup
type smartdrv.exe and load that
then change directories to e:\i386
then type winnt.exe

that should start the install

collegeguy · Post by **collegeguy** » Tue Sep 10, 2002 5:11 pm

thanks for the reply. unfortunately it did not fix the problem.
when typing smartdrv.exe, i got an error. bad command or file name
i typed dir and didnt see that file on the disk, i dont know if its supposed to show up in the directory or not. if u have any idea why this is. help me out please. i know the disk works. i used it to install on my other comp.

richardc · Post by **richardc** » Tue Sep 10, 2002 5:23 pm

Is smartdrv.exe on your StartUp floppy/disk?
mnosteele52 is right about booting from the CD if you BIOS is setup that way.
To see if smartdrv is working, you can add parameters to the command line:
/C Writes all cached information to
the hard disk.

/S Displays additional information about
the status of SMARTDrive.

/? Displays online help about SMARTDrive

there is no I in smartdrv.exe

Norm · Post by **Norm** » Tue Sep 10, 2002 5:28 pm

2 choiices that will work. (There are more, but 2 is enough)

1. Change BIOS boot order to CD 1st., and reboot with the XP CD in the drive. This can be tricky, as you'll need to change the boot order back to IDE 0 1st after the first reboot of the XP install.

2. Copy smartdrv.exe from a Win98 machine to your Win98 floppy and do as instructed in above post by richardc.

smartdrv.exe can be found in c:\windows\command on a Win98 machine.

richardc · Post by **richardc** » Tue Sep 10, 2002 5:35 pm

If you still can't find smartdrv.exe, try here:

http://dos.li5.org/#disks

collegeguy · Post by **collegeguy** » Tue Sep 10, 2002 5:45 pm

ok put smartdrv.exe onto the floppy and ran it
A:/smartdrv.exe and comp returns
A:/>
so i type in e:/i386 and then i get bad command or file name.
i was messing with the boot order earlier, and it wouldnt let me change. i only had the option of disabling the drive when i selected it and hit enter.
i guess is the computer supposed to return the line A:/ after i run the smartdrv.exe file?

collegeguy · Post by **collegeguy** » Tue Sep 10, 2002 5:47 pm

and i dont think it should matter if its an original cd should it. ive already used it to install on a new hard drive that i bought awhile back. please keep the suggestions coming. i am clueless.

chester · Post by **chester** » Tue Sep 10, 2002 6:44 pm

install windows 98 first!!!!! or windows me
this would take a while
after windows 98 or me is in
then
change the bios to read from cd rom
if that dont work well u should still be able to apply xp by inserting the disk in the cd rom while in windows ..it should run automatically if it dont open it and run the setup ., you then can choose upgrade or clean
and while set up runs watch if and see if it will let you format and delete the old partition and choose fat 32 or nfts
well you know the rest..!!!!

just a suggestion!!!! since you need a windows system to read your xp disk
i have ntfs file system....

richardc · Post by **richardc** » Tue Sep 10, 2002 7:30 pm

norm is our DOS guru but AFAIK
to change directories it type this
starting from A:\ with CD ROM support and smartdrv.exe loaded

e:
cd i386
winnt

Note: cd means change directory

collegeguy · Post by **collegeguy** » Tue Sep 10, 2002 7:36 pm

i have noticed something that may change this whole scenario.
first: hard drive was disabled in bios. the reason is that because when its enabled, it doesnt ever get past the pci listing whether or not a boot disk or an os disk is in any drive. as for changing the boot order in bios, it wont let me in the boot tab. i dont know if i should do it somewhere else, but once i select a device and click enter, i have the option of disabling it or calling it a different device.
i guess i need to get the hard drive to get past the pci listing mainly. but if u have any suggestions, id appreciate it.
thanks in advance, and thanks for all the help so far.

richardc · Post by **richardc** » Tue Sep 10, 2002 7:44 pm

Maybe if you told us what kind it is, someone might know exactly how to set it up. Is it new or old? Make? etc.

mnosteele52 · Post by **mnosteele52** » Tue Sep 10, 2002 7:47 pm

What kind of pc is this? I have never seen a BIOS that wouldn't allow you to change the boot order.

Norm · Post by **Norm** » Tue Sep 10, 2002 7:52 pm

Ok, here we go... First in answer to your question, (yes when you run smartdrv.exe you will notice nothing. It just loads a driver so your HD's run better under Dos)

1. Shut your machine off. Put the XP CD into the CDRom drive. Put the Win98 startup disk (with smartdrv.exe on it) into the floppy drive.
Start the machine.

2. When asked if you want CDRom support, hit [enter]
3. Once it boots to the A:> look at the lines on your screen above the A:> prompt, they will tell you what drive letter your CDRom(s) are using.

4a. Type
smartdrv
Then hit [enter]

4b. Type
x:
then hit [enter] (where x is the letter of the CDRom with the XP CD in it)
5. Type
cd i386
(then hit [enter])
6. Type
winnt
(then hit [enter])

Make sure all spaces, and colons match what I've posted.

Read and follow instructions from there.

richardc · Post by **richardc** » Tue Sep 10, 2002 7:54 pm

@Norm
Couldn't have said any better myself.

Norm · Post by **Norm** » Tue Sep 10, 2002 8:09 pm

Originally posted by richardc
@Norm
Couldn't have said any better myself.

You could have said it a bit better.
How's he going to insert the CD if the machine is off ?

oops

Ok, one minor detail to work around. I'm sure you'll figure it out collegeguy

richardc · Post by **richardc** » Tue Sep 10, 2002 8:16 pm

Nope - couldn't have.. I missed that too.

collegeguy · Post by **collegeguy** » Tue Sep 10, 2002 8:56 pm

thank you guys soo much for the help
it didnt work yet
but still uve helped out a lot.
i have been following your instructions perfectly. you guys are saying to do the same thing but just typing the commands in different ways, and the computer is on to you. lol. anyway.
with norms most recent instructions, it says invalid directory. and yes i followed your instructions EXACTLY. 3 times.
if u have any other ideas, it would greatly help.

Norm · Post by **Norm** » Tue Sep 10, 2002 9:04 pm

What drive letter have you been using to access your CD with XP on it. ?

collegeguy · Post by **collegeguy** » Tue Sep 10, 2002 9:07 pm

e:
i have typed in dir, and it says winxp is in the drive, and i see the setup file and stuff in the directory, so im sure its the right drive.

Norm · Post by **Norm** » Tue Sep 10, 2002 9:09 pm

Do you also see a i386 directory on E: when you do a dir?

use this command for dir

dir /w/p

That will list across the page. and pause when the page is full.

richardc · Post by **richardc** » Tue Sep 10, 2002 9:10 pm

a little late on this one - just ignore

Norm · Post by **Norm** » Tue Sep 10, 2002 9:13 pm

Originally posted by richardc
@norm - I know you mentioned this but if your drive is normally E:\ when you load the CDROM support etc. doesn't it often move your your drive up one e.g. E:\ to F:\ , although some "modifed" bootdisks will make it X:\ ?

Was thinking that collegeguy should start at drive d:\ then e:\ etc and type "dir" at the prompt for each drive
to make sure that he has the right drive.

You are correct, but whatever Dos names the CDRom, it will be listed in the text above the A:> prompt once fully booted.

If there is 'one' HD on the system, it is usually d: (CDRom) gets bumped to e: because the ramdrive takes d:

collegeguy · Post by **collegeguy** » Tue Sep 10, 2002 9:53 pm

yes I386 is in the dir of the winxp cd.
im confused, is that all ur asking?

Norm · Post by **Norm** » Tue Sep 10, 2002 10:33 pm

Yes, that's all I wanted to know for now.

There should be a file called winnt.exe in the i386 folder. That is what you want to 'execute' from Dos. It will start the install. make sure you follow the directions in my earlier post, and 'execute' smartdrv.exe first, or the install will take hours.
(I mean hours too, I tried it once)

If you have winnt.exe in the i386 dir, then you must be making a mistake on the syntax. Retry my earlier instructions, and make sure you type everything as stated.
t the A:> prompt

smartdrv
e:
cd i386
winnt

With an [enter] after each line.
Note: winnt has 2 n's

collegeguy · Post by **collegeguy** » Wed Sep 11, 2002 12:34 am

yeah norm, its not working, but the winnt is in the i386 folder.
im almost positive im typing everything in right, ive done it 4 times, and very carefully. it does say this right before i get the A: prompt. does this mean anything to you?
Drive E: = Driver MSCD0001 unit 0
Drive F: = Driver MSCD0001 unit 1

i have tried both drives.

i cant get into the i386 folder. it keeps saying invalid directory.
i am now positive i have typed in everything right.

one thing that i notice also, is when i bring up the directory there is a
I386 (blank) <Dir> date time
does anything with that line look wierd?
im pretty sure its not me making an error. so what else could it be? what kinds of tests could i do to see what might not be working
i guess i could restore defaults in bios and try again assuming something got messed up in there. but im not sure.

Norm · Post by **Norm** » Wed Sep 11, 2002 10:12 pm

I didn't mean to come across as an a$$ saying "you must have made a mistake with the syntax" sorry about that. It's just that Dos is finicky that way, every character is critical. A mistake in the syntax was all I could attribute the problem to.

I don't know what to tell you collegeguy, setting bios to defaults may help.
Possibly a dirty CD?
Is it a copy/backup of the orig, or is it an orig CD (a copy may have got hosed when it was burnt) Some of my burnt CD's work on one machine, but not another.

Any luck yet?

collegeguy · Post by **collegeguy** » Thu Sep 12, 2002 1:28 am

no, not yet, i also have a win2k cd i can try. if not, ill just get a hold of an original 98 cd and upgrade. there has been many problems with this installation so far, and u have helped fix most of them. so thank you. ill keep trying things. i guess its mostly a guessing game now since the logical approach isnt working.

collegeguy · Post by **collegeguy** » Thu Sep 12, 2002 3:34 am

ok. i tried with the win2k cd, and this time, it lets me into e:/i386 so i browsed the cd on my other comp and assumed that the startup file was winnt32 so i typed that in, and got into the setup prompt. it installed some files to the hard drive, then asked me to take the floppy out and hit enter to reboot. so when i hit enter it reboots, but stops at the pci listing where it stopped before.
any ideas in light of this new info?

Norm · Post by **Norm** » Thu Sep 12, 2002 10:56 pm

Check your PM's collegeguy.
I replied to yours.

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