So difficult!!!

**The_Other_One** · 12-07-2005, 02:21 AM

OK, loads of problems/questions with this machine... Perhaps someone could be of some assistance...

Basically, at work, we got this Dell in that wouldn't boot proporly. They asked us partition the drive into 3 sections. 1 has XP Media Center, 2 has XP in Persian, 3 has 98 in Persian. The first two were no problem at all. The problems arose when I tried to install 98... I made sure the final partiton was Fat32, but even so, the darn thing keeps saying the drive is compressed or something. Even once when it did start installing, the machine locked up...

So I tinker around with partitions, trying fdisk and such. Finally, I'm told just to try and get XP MCE and XP Pro back on it. OK, so I try to boot from the restore partition...it won't boot

Now I was sure I left that damn 5g partition on there, but for some reason, it won't load it anymore! Was there something on the main partition that caused it to start when you pressed CTRL F11 that got erased? I tried to just set that partition active, but still I got something like could not load kernal...

Any clues? I installed XP on it but I've not had time to really work on it. I left my power addaptor at work for my laptop, so I might run up there tommarow to pick it up, and I could work on this system some more, but I'm quite baffled

Oh, and just for the heck of it... I did try to simply install an 8G drive JUST for 98. But of course, this freakin new dell ONLY has 1 IDE controller and two IDE DVD drives

StrangleHold · 12-07-2005, 04:46 AM

Think to make it work right, you have to install 98 on it first!!

**The_Other_One** · 12-07-2005, 03:56 PM

I tried it and got the exact same error! Actually... It did start the install rather than just going back to the prompt, but that's when it locked up. I only got so far as "Preparing your computer to install windows" or something like that. At 100%, it froze.

Either way, I still can't access the restore partition for some reason!

StrangleHold · 12-08-2005, 03:17 PM

You dont think by mistake, that you might have tried to instal 98 on the restore partition the first time around?

12-07-2005, 02:21 AM	#1 (permalink)
The_Other_One Super Moderator Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Lexington, NC Age: 23 Posts: 12,368	So difficult!!! OK, loads of problems/questions with this machine... Perhaps someone could be of some assistance... Basically, at work, we got this Dell in that wouldn't boot proporly. They asked us partition the drive into 3 sections. 1 has XP Media Center, 2 has XP in Persian, 3 has 98 in Persian. The first two were no problem at all. The problems arose when I tried to install 98... I made sure the final partiton was Fat32, but even so, the darn thing keeps saying the drive is compressed or something. Even once when it did start installing, the machine locked up... So I tinker around with partitions, trying fdisk and such. Finally, I'm told just to try and get XP MCE and XP Pro back on it. OK, so I try to boot from the restore partition...it won't boot Now I was sure I left that damn 5g partition on there, but for some reason, it won't load it anymore! Was there something on the main partition that caused it to start when you pressed CTRL F11 that got erased? I tried to just set that partition active, but still I got something like could not load kernal... Any clues? I installed XP on it but I've not had time to really work on it. I left my power addaptor at work for my laptop, so I might run up there tommarow to pick it up, and I could work on this system some more, but I'm quite baffled Oh, and just for the heck of it... I did try to simply install an 8G drive JUST for 98. But of course, this freakin new dell ONLY has 1 IDE controller and two IDE DVD drives __________________ Desktop * Athlon X2 4200 \| 2G RAM \| 160G HD \| 7600GT Laptop1 * C2D T5550 \| 3G RAM \| 120G HD \| Intel x3100 Laptop2 * C2D T5250 \| 2G RAM \| 160G HD \| Intel x3100

12-07-2005, 04:46 AM	#2 (permalink)
StrangleHold Diamond Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: In a realm of unknown Wonders Posts: 7,502	Think to make it work right, you have to install 98 on it first!! __________________ NZXT Apollo Athlon 64 X2 5600-3.3ghz. Gigabyte GA MA770 DS3 G Skill DDR2 1066-944mhz. 4gbs. PNY 8800GT/VD964 Cooler W/D Sata 3.0 500gb RE2 Humans are curious creatures and by nature insane. Lock us all in a room together and within hours we're dividing into groups, creating Gods and plotting on how to kill one another.

12-07-2005, 03:56 PM	#3 (permalink)
The_Other_One Super Moderator Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Lexington, NC Age: 23 Posts: 12,368	I tried it and got the exact same error! Actually... It did start the install rather than just going back to the prompt, but that's when it locked up. I only got so far as "Preparing your computer to install windows" or something like that. At 100%, it froze. Either way, I still can't access the restore partition for some reason! __________________ Desktop * Athlon X2 4200 \| 2G RAM \| 160G HD \| 7600GT Laptop1 * C2D T5550 \| 3G RAM \| 120G HD \| Intel x3100 Laptop2 * C2D T5250 \| 2G RAM \| 160G HD \| Intel x3100

12-08-2005, 03:17 PM	#4 (permalink)
StrangleHold Diamond Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: In a realm of unknown Wonders Posts: 7,502	You dont think by mistake, that you might have tried to instal 98 on the restore partition the first time around? __________________ NZXT Apollo Athlon 64 X2 5600-3.3ghz. Gigabyte GA MA770 DS3 G Skill DDR2 1066-944mhz. 4gbs. PNY 8800GT/VD964 Cooler W/D Sata 3.0 500gb RE2 Humans are curious creatures and by nature insane. Lock us all in a room together and within hours we're dividing into groups, creating Gods and plotting on how to kill one another.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode