Windows XP Help

[BenBilly]

Hello

Thanks for viewing this post so my question is I have bought a zoostorm pc maybe seen in some of my other post. Anyway basically I have been installing Windows XP because it dosent come with an operating system anyway cut to the chase the installation has been looping round and round. Firstly it will format the hard drive and copy the files into the windows folder. But then it says your computer will now reboot and windows setup will continue, but after it restarts it goes back to formatting the hard drive and so on. I need your help as soon as possible.

Thanks Ben

 

[johnb35]

Do not boot back into the cd. After the first format and copying files and then it reboots, go into the bios and change the boot order to hard drive and then save changes and exit. It should then boot to continue installing XP.

 

[Havoc]

After it reboots for the second time, You are not hitting the enter key are you ? just let it run by it's self ...

 

[BenBilly]

Thanks for replying no I havent been pressing enter on reboot and what do I change in the system BIOS this is what I see in BIOS features.

Boot option

SATA SM: ATAPI iHAS120 D

SATA PM: WDC WD3200BPVT -22JJ5

or just disabled

or there is the storage boot selection these are the options for that

UEFI and Legacy

Legacy only

UEFI only

Thanks Ben

 

[johnb35]

Change it so that this is first boot device.

SATA PM: WDC WD3200BPVT -22JJ5

 

[Jiniix]

John is right.
It's set up so that it will always try and boot from your #1 device, which is set to your DVD drive.
Either remove the disk or change the HDD to the #1 device. There's nothing wrong with having the DVD drive as the main boot device, as long as you don't keep an OS disk in the tray. (Game installers and such will just be skipped and it'll proceed to option #2, which is your HDD)

 

[BenBilly]

But when I change the boot option to that after the reboot it says "disk read error press ctrl+alt+del to restart" do you recon its a dodgy hard drive and I should send the pc back.

Thanks Ben

 

[johnb35]

John is right.
It's set up so that it will always try and boot from your #1 device, which is set to your DVD drive.
Either remove the disk or change the HDD to the #1 device. There's nothing wrong with having the DVD drive as the main boot device, as long as you don't keep an OS disk in the tray. (Game installers and such will just be skipped and it'll proceed to option #2, which is your HDD)

The reason why I said that is that there are some people having issues like this. Sometimes it will still boot to the cd even if you don't press a key. Not sure if its a stuck key or some other issue but changing the boot order will definitely fix it.

 

[johnb35]

But when I change the boot option to that after the reboot it says "disk read error press ctrl+alt+del to restart" do you recon its a dodgy hard drive and I should send the pc back.

Thanks Ben

Check the bios for the sata controller setting and make sure its set for IDE/compatibility instead of ahci/raid.

 

[BenBilly]

I have gone into my BIOS but I cant find the sata controller. Should I film what happens and what the BIOS looks like so you get a better idea.

 

[johnb35]

What is the model of motherboard you have? Should be stamped on it somewhere.

 

[Jiniix]

Can I ask how you install Windows XP? Don't spare any details.
When I accidentally have the wrong setting of IDE/AHCI/RAID enabled, it will always boot Windows, but once the first loading screen is done (the black 'Loading Windows' screen), it'll bluescreen.
When I see the error you get, it means somethings messed up on the HDD.
Doesn't mean the HDD is broken, could mean that Windows either isn't installed correctly or that some important files have gone missing.