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General discussion

New Build Frustrations

Sep 28, 2004 3:46PM PDT

After numerous hardware troubles my new PC lives! Well kind of...I can't figure out how to load the OS. I ran the software for my hard drive. It formatted and partitioned with no problem. It said to load the OS in the CD-ROM drive, set it to boot on the CD-ROM drive, and reboot. However, I got nothing. So I made an MSDOS boot disk on my other XP machine. I got the A: prompt but when I try to use the format command I get a message saying that it cannot be run in DOS mode. Even trying to access the C: drive while running the DOS disk gives me a bad drive message. The drives (hard and CD-ROM) are recognized in BIOS. Even if I get the hard drive to run DOS how do I get the OS loaded from the CD-ROM that DOS fails to recognize also?
Here are system particulars:

P4 2.4 gig CPU
ASUS P4P800 SE mobo
Hitachi CD-ROM drive GD-7500
OS will be XP if I can get it loaded.

Not sure what other info you might need. Thanks for the help. I can't even think straight any more. Sorry for rambling

tim

Discussion is locked

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Re: New Build Frustrations
Sep 28, 2004 9:45PM PDT
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Re: New Build Frustrations
Sep 29, 2004 1:46AM PDT

Thanks for the Website but I can't even get to step one. When I set my CD as priority boot device I get nothing.

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Is that a shiny silver XP CD?
Sep 29, 2004 1:48AM PDT

And tell in gory detail the IDE cable type, the CDRW jumper setting, the BIOS VERSION and more...

Bob

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Re: Is that a shiny silver XP CD?
Sep 29, 2004 2:15AM PDT

The disk is one that I bought in conjunction with the mobo and is marked as "For distribution only with a new PC." The IDE cable is the typical 40 pin and came with the ASUS mobo. The CD-ROM jumper is set to cable select and BIOS recognizes it as the secondary IDE master. The BIOS is ver. 2.51. The light on the front of the CD-ROM does come on during boot. Is that gory enough? Thanks.

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Re: Is that a shiny silver XP CD?
Sep 29, 2004 2:26AM PDT

"The IDE cable is the typical 40 pin and came with the ASUS mobo. The CD-ROM jumper is set to cable select and BIOS recognizes it as the secondary IDE master. The BIOS is ver. 2.51. The light on the front of the CD-ROM does come on during boot. Is that gory enough? Thanks."

That's close, but for 40 pin and CONDUCTOR cables the correct setting would be Master.

http://www.pcguide.com/ref/hdd/if/ide/confCable-c.html

The GD-7500 was made in or about 2001 and if it's that old, may not like to boot CDs anymore. Try a newer drive. Reference at http://www.hitachi.us/supportingdocs/support/manuals/gd7500,0.pdf

Bob

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Re: Is that a shiny silver XP CD?
Sep 29, 2004 7:59AM PDT

Well Mister Bob you have done it again. I bought a new cd drive, against my wishes or at least that's what I'll tell my wife, and it booted the install cd right up. You're the man....again. I am very grateful.

tim

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Always good news.
Sep 29, 2004 8:15AM PDT

Best of continued good luck!

And have fun!

Bob

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Re: New Build Frustrations
Sep 29, 2004 3:32AM PDT

I will think that your XP CD is bootable since you mentioned that you can install XP using the CDROM as the primary boot sequence.
If you can start Win XP, then, there already is an operating system in your hard disk, else, there seems to be aproblem with your Win Xp CD.
You can try creating a boot floppy disk.
For Win XP
1. Go to my computer.
2. Insert floppy in your FDD
3. Right click on drive A
4. Select format, a new window will appear
5. Check create a DOS start-up disk
6. re-boot computer but boot from created floppy
7. When A> (a prompt) appears, type sys c: then enter
8. You had created a bootable HDD
FOr Win 98
1. Create a start-up disk
2. Boot computer from created start-up disk
3. When A> appears, type format c:/s, the /s switch directs the floppy to copy the system (command.com) to your hard disk, which is in this case is Drive c
4. or, considering that your HDD is already formatted, when the A> appears, just type sys c:
In the examples, you created a bootable hard disk but there is no additional operating system in it like WIn Xp, win 98, etc.
FOr Win Xp, you need to boot from the CD to install it.
FOr Win 98, boot from start-up disk, select "start computer with CD Rom support"
Insert your Win 98 CD to the CDROM, change drive to the CDROM drive, D> or E> maybe, then type "set-up", without the " ".