mcb Posted January 14, 2002 Share Posted January 14, 2002 how can I install XP, starting from a clean, formatted hard drive? I know the cd's not bootable, and i cant just run Setup.exe from a prompt. What should I do? Will making the 5-disk boot set work? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseph Zollo Posted January 14, 2002 Share Posted January 14, 2002 ...The CD is bootable, at least mine is :D. If its not booting from that CD Drive, go into your BIOS and make sure that your CD-ROM drive is the primary boot device. If thats still not working get a Windows 98 CD and select "Start Computer with CD-ROM Support". That will load you into a DOS prompt with your cd rom drive accessable. Take out the windows 98 cd and put in your XP CD, then do a "dir /p" command, find the name of the exe file and type it in at the cdrom drive prompt. Example... H:/>setup.exe Hope that helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RossDundas Veteran Posted January 14, 2002 Veteran Share Posted January 14, 2002 I use an old Win98 Bootdisk (which you can find an image file on the net somewhere for) that has a CD rom driver on it to boot into DOS. The install will then take much less time if you copy it to a partition on your HD (you only need the contents of the i386 folder unless your doing really freaky network voodoo). Once your ready to get the install process you just change to the i386 directory. For example my XP install directory is on my D drive so i type: C:> d: D:> cd d:winxp D:WINXP> cd d:winxpi386 d:WINXPi386> winnt.exe setup will then run a DOS based portion of the setup by copying necessary files to your install partition and then booting XP in the NT phase of the setup mode. When this process is complete the install will proceed as normal as if you had done an upgrade within an older version of windows. :smart: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MxxCon Posted January 14, 2002 Share Posted January 14, 2002 or d/l install floppy disk set from ms. it's free Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rudy Posted January 14, 2002 Share Posted January 14, 2002 dont download the crappy bootdisk ;) instead just go in dos and go to x:i386winnt.exe (something liek that not sure) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcb Posted January 15, 2002 Author Share Posted January 15, 2002 okay, i tried the winnt.exe (just to experiment withoug formatting), and it went to the blue setup screen, but gave the error: 'Cant find spot to put Swap file', or something like that. should that be okay once i'm reformattted? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rudy Posted January 15, 2002 Share Posted January 15, 2002 might be, or it might be the wrong file, not sure, the file might be winnt16.exe or something like that just try them (i know its winnt and something after) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loki_rising Posted January 15, 2002 Share Posted January 15, 2002 cd into the i386 dir and type winnt. that is it. It will complain about you not having smart drive install. it will work slowly but it will go Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purush Posted January 15, 2002 Share Posted January 15, 2002 You can most certainly boot from your CD. Please check and ensure that your XP CD is correct with all the 15 or so files in it. You need Roxio's Easy CD preferably the platinum version. Get to the following site (http://www.windowsxp.nu/bootcd/) and print out the instructions. I have done it successfully, and you can do it. You need a lot of patience, but you CAN DO IT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcb Posted January 15, 2002 Author Share Posted January 15, 2002 yeah, ive looked at those instructions..looks like a pain in the arse. i started trying, but will all the additional software i had to get, and directions, it was just too much to bother. if the winnt works though, it'll be pure gold...or mirthril Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElGato Posted January 15, 2002 Share Posted January 15, 2002 Get yer boot floppy here, http://www.drd.dyndns.org/index2.html, and make sure its got SMARTDRV or it will take hours instead of minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcb Posted January 15, 2002 Author Share Posted January 15, 2002 ummm..which one to get/which do you mean? i have XPpro, if that helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger H. Veteran Posted January 15, 2002 Veteran Share Posted January 15, 2002 if you need a windows 98 boot disk then let me know.. if you don't need it then boot to DOS and then load smartdrv.exe (from the a:/> type smartdrv) when it's loaded (if you've never done it then you wouldn't know... so you wont get any confirmation or anything) It just comes back to the a:/> anyways.. change to the cd-rom drive (eg: d: ) and then change to the i386 folder (cd i386 ) and then type winnt and that's all to it... you'll be done within an hour Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dazzla Veteran Posted January 15, 2002 Veteran Share Posted January 15, 2002 not much to add apart from to point out the importance of smartdrv.exe, it really will take hours upon hours. You cant really go wrong with the official MS boot disks. Thats what i used. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcb Posted January 15, 2002 Author Share Posted January 15, 2002 oh, wait... so youre saying that smartdrv is on the 98 boot disk? solid. ive got that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphoid Posted January 15, 2002 Share Posted January 15, 2002 Um, this thread is wrong from the start. The XP CD is bootable, and has something more then any boot disk can offer, the recovery console... - daph Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dazzla Veteran Posted January 16, 2002 Veteran Share Posted January 16, 2002 Originally posted by Daphoid Um, this thread is wrong from the start. The XP CD is bootable, and has something more then any boot disk can offer, the recovery console... - daph not every XP cd is bootable *cough cough* :s :roll: , you can use the 98 boot disk, but running setup like this doesn't allow you to do a clean install onto a NTFS drive, you need to install to Fat32 then convert if you want NTFS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RossDundas Veteran Posted January 16, 2002 Veteran Share Posted January 16, 2002 you can also format using XP's setup utility :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcb Posted January 16, 2002 Author Share Posted January 16, 2002 which setup util? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger H. Veteran Posted January 16, 2002 Veteran Share Posted January 16, 2002 Originally posted by Daphoid Um, this thread is wrong from the start. The XP CD is bootable, and has something more then any boot disk can offer, the recovery console... - daph Ok.. yes you're right but he may not have burned it correctly (like what i did the first time) or he maybe have extracted it using ISO buster and then just dragged the files to his CDRW and use XP's burner to burn it or he maybe have gotten an ISO without the Boot.ini section in the header so when he burned it the CD wasn't bootable. And MCP have you tried anything we've been saying? Help us by letting us know where you're stuck or what's the problems you're having! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcb Posted January 16, 2002 Author Share Posted January 16, 2002 Originally posted by mcb how can I install XP, starting from a clean, formatted hard drive? I know the cd's not bootable, and i cant just run Setup.exe from a prompt. What should I do? Will making the 5-disk boot set work? Thanks. that's what i asked, and assuming what was said will work, in regards to winnt.exe will work, i'll be fine i think. my question was answered. i couldnt actually try it since XP's installed, and i havent reformatted yet. i think its a good idea to figure out exactly what to do before I'm sitting there with a blank HD. thanks to all who gave advice. hopefully this thread helped/helps others too as it developes further. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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