I have a Windows XP laptop that was receiving errors at bootup, saying that it was missing a file. I tried just starting the laptop up with the windows xp cd and repair the install. The laptop would get to the point in the install where it says starting windows (before I could pick new install or repair) and it would error out saying "windows has been shutdown to prevent causing damage to your computer". Then it suggested doing a chkdsk /f on the drive to scan and fix the errors on the hard drive. I booted UBCD4win and was able to browse the hard drive and run a chkdsk. I still can't get past that one point in the windows repair. I then reformatted the drive using the UBCD because I didn't have any important data on the laptop. However I still cannot get passed this part in the windows install startup to select install windows. Any ideas on what tests to run to see if this hard drive is totally a lost cause? I also have tried starting Bart's PE but it fails to load all the way and gives me the same error as stated above.
Windows XP cannot install after reformat
- Thread starter eSietsema
- Start date
If it's a sata hard drive then most likely you will need the sata controller driver at the beginning of the install. On some systems without the driver preloaded it will bluescreen or cause other issues. However, look in the bios to see if you can change the sata controller setting from ahci to IDE mode.