Sex, Drugs, and Rock N Roll

[SkankinMonkey]

I've got some bad computer problems guys, I formatted my drive to install WinXP over again since it was acting up, then I get a few errors on my CD, so I do a low-level format on my drive and get my friends CD today.

I realized I needed to FDISK and didnt have a dos bootdisk so I downloaded FreeFDISK off the web, (version 1.10) and used that to repartition my harddrive. Everything went well to my knowledge.

So I pop in the XP bootable CD and startup the install, it loaded the drivers that it normally does when it boots up before actually installing, then it gives the last message that it does before it starts the installation (starting windows now or something like that). At this point it normally goes to the next screen and asks you a few questions about how/where you want to install windows. For me it went straight to a black screen, no error or anything. I tried a few more times with the same results, I even hotswapped my old cd with the newly burnt one.

I tested the disc on my roommates computer (shh) and it worked fine.

Any idea's?

Got a friend downloading mandrake 9 rc3 now, hopefully that will work till I can get windows working in some shape or form =/

 

[gamefoo21]

which xp is it? and did you do a fresh scandisk(surface scan) of your hd?

 

[mtxblau]

I may be incorrect, but you could simply leave the hard drive un-fdisked and there should be an option to fdisk the partition from the CD?

If not, I'm pretty sure (since this is true of 98 and 2000), leave the drive unfdisked, boot up via CD, then quit the installation, find Fdisk on the CD, and fdisk it from there.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[sizone]

if all else fails go back to 98

oh, and it was you hdd and your cd fucking up?

some part of your ide system might be whacked

try the usual trial and error proccess, diff. cable, diff. port, diff. drives then finally DIFFERENT BOARD AHHAHAHAHAHA!

 

[mal]

So what happened to the Sex, Drugs and Rock n Roll? :

:

 

[Falstaf]

So let me get this straight. Theres no sex, drugs or rock & roll tobe had here. I BEEN MISLED!

 

[Taelon]

Heck, I'm glad it isn't sex, drugs and rocknroll in here.

Skankin, a few thoughts as to your troubles...

You said you LOW-LEVEL FORMATTED YOUR HARDDISK? How the heck... low-level format is something modern harddisks don't even let you do nowadays, and never should've been done back when it was possible... Surely you meant something else?....

As for the WinXP install going to a black screen... by any chance, do you have a computer with both onboard video and a separate PCI or AGP videocard? Is it possible that your BIOS is set to boot the computer using the card as its primary display, but the WinXP install program switches to the onboard video instead? Does your monitor go into standby mode when the black screen appears?

Admittedly a rather far-out scenario, but nonetheless possible...

 

[SkankinMonkey]

a modern low level format is essentially to fill all sectors with zero's using some shitty maxtor program that they force you to use. my video is not onboard, its an abit siluro geforce 4 4200. and no, it doesnt go into standby, it just chills =/

 

[segasonic]

I had a similar problem and was pulling my hair out, in the end it turned out to be that the latest BIOS revision for my board didn't like Durons. I used an older BIOS revision and problem solved. Dunno if this is anything to do with your problem but I guess it's worth a look.

If it is you'll probably find an answer here (well, that's if you are using an AMD processor...)

Hope it's helpful.

 

[Gear]

Why don't you get a win98 bootdisk, then fdisk & format your drive. Start the bootcd and then rearrange all when winxp asks you for the drive you will do the installation.

 

[Vash]

I agree, www.bootdisk.de should be the solution for (almost) all of your installation needs... unfortunately even though the site resides in Germany they only have an english Win98 bootdisk - which means that I can install my Win98 with it but I can´t update it online since it downloads the updates only, then tells me something went wrong during the installation process, but marks the process as successful in the Registry! The next time, it searches for the follow-up-updates which it can´t install because the first revisions seem not to be installed... you get the point.

 

[Gear]

What happened? Did you finally install winxp?