On boxing day I had the fun of watching my PC die. It looks like some network drivers got corrupted, and decided to screw everything up. I went fo rthe reinstall option, as I had cunningly put the OS on a separate partition, however now when I run the install it loads up the files, but then denies they are there when the PC restarts :-(
Open to any suggestions, as I need to get the bugger up and running before Fishcon. Do I need a new XP disc (and if so does anyone have one I can pinch on NYE?), or do I need to fiddle with the HDD setup (the main on is a SATA drive...)
Always immediately before a con...always...
I think you need to go
I think you need to go through the steps in a bit more detail. What files are missing when you restart? What hard discs do you have and what's on each?
I have a pretty decent XP
I have a pretty decent XP disk if required.
it denies even seeing an
it denies even seeing an install ready to go on the HDD. The section has been formatted.
Nibbles...might be worth trying it...are you in the office tomorrow?
Do you get it to boot from
Do you get it to boot from that partition? Is that how you're booting it up?
Have you given the windows
Have you given the windows installer drivers for your SATA controller? XP doesn't come with them out of the box, so you'll have to have them on a floppy and hit some magic key combination during install to get windows to load them. I guess it's probably not this, since it sounds like the installer is copying to the disk fine - you normally wouldn't be able to do that without drivers, but it's worth double-checking.
More likely, this actually sounds like a weird problem I had one time when the BIOS was enumerating the disks in a different order to windows. It can happen (apparently) if you have disks spread across two controllers (say, a PATA and a SATA one,) and results in the windows installer not being able to find the files it just copied to your disk because the first stage text mode install uses the BIOS's enumeration, but once it bootstaps into windows proper for the GUI install tool it makes up its own mind - if it makes it up differently (which it shouldn't do,) you have a problem. The solution for me was to, as you say, mess around with HDD settings in the BIOS until it worked. If you have two disks, it might be worth unplugging the other one as a quick test; if that solves it, it may well be the same problem I had.
Ohh...good one. There are
Ohh...good one. There are IDE drives plugged in as well. I'll try disconnecting them tonight to make it all a bit simpler. As you say it's copying to the drive OK. When I first installed it aeons ago there were no IDE drives plugged in. Hadn't thought of that...
Rob - it was booting from the partition previously, so no issues there.
HELP! Ok, tried unplugging
HELP!
Ok, tried unplugging the IDE drives last night, but the same thing. It's happily loading the files to the SATA drive, but when it comes to boot from disc it fails and restarts. I have to assume the disc I have is not working...
Simpson hasn't been able to find his XP disc. If anyone is going to Rob's NYE party this evening, and has an XP Professional install disc please could they bring it along. I need to get the OS installed this weekend, otherwise I won't have time to get the Steam downloads done before Fishcon.
I'm going to my party this
I'm going to my party this evening and have one.
Cheers to Byrnie for the
Cheers to Byrnie for the disc. I now have a mainly working PC. I'll be OK for Fishcon, which is the main thing.
Problem I now seem to have is that this version does not like the CD Key I used to use (which passed Windows Authentication). I've found one for the purposes of installing, however its going to run out in 30 days. it refuses the old one as invalid/incorrectly typed (it's not, checked many, many times)...
So any suggestions on getting a new key, or disabling the 30 day countdown?
Hmm. It's likely down to one
Hmm.
It's likely down to one (or both) of two reasons. Either:
a) You've now got SP2, which blacklists a whole load of known dodgy keys, or
b) The key you have is for a different version of XP. Most of the dodgy installs back in the day were corporate edition, so there's a good chance that's what your key's for. If Byrnie's given you Ultimate or Pro then you'll need a new key.
If you're still pre-SP2 and just need a valid key for whatever version you now have, I can probably rustle one up for you - I'm sure I still have the blue-list generator kicking around somewhere.
If you're post SP2, then it's a bit more painful, and I'm not really an expert on it - I'd bought XP by that point to avoid exactly this sort of hassle. It seems to have doubled in price since I did that though, so you probably don't want to do the same.
If you can't get your install sorted, and you want to go down that route, I certainly know where a working, up-to-date XP image could be acquired, although it'll (obviously) mean another reinstall.
Um... we're denizens only here, right?
I have come up with a
I have come up with a cunning plan. (and yes, Denizens only)
The disc Byrnie got me will see me through Fishcon, however I've just downloaded a copy of XP Corporate, and I'll use that to reinstall before I get overly busy. The key was indeed for a corporate edition...
OK, reinstalled and fully
OK, reinstalled and fully operational. Many thanks for all who helped.
I'm just doing the Steam install/download. For any who are going to get it, today the Valve Complete Pack (which includes Left 4 Dead, HL2 + everything, and loads of other shit) is under £40.
Crikey!
Crikey!
Indeed...sale ends today
Indeed...sale ends today though. I have just set up Steam to rape a chunk of bandwidth, and get all the games downloaded quicksharp!
This will have me with the following installed
UT3
Defcon
HL2 + everything (inc Deathmatch)
Left4Dead
Team Fortress 2
I believe that installs will be brought for other possibles (COD4, GRID, WIC). I'll make sure I have some of the classics with me (SOLDAT!, T:V, XMP...he he he )
LOL, nice Pete. I think
LOL, nice Pete. I think you're sorted. Make sure you get the HL2 mods listed above. They're free and didn't take long to download.