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General discussion

Win XP setup problem

by bob47025 Jul 30, 2004 8:18AM PDT

I'm doing a clean install of XP and setup gets to the point where it is registering components and it hangs. It says 13 minutes left and just seems to just hang there. I've waited as long as 1 hour for it to try to finish, but the time still says 13 minutes left. Can anyone help ?

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10 Posts
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Re: Win XP setup problem/a question first
by Steven Haninger Jul 30, 2004 10:04AM PDT

Is this a first time installation of XP on this machine or a clean reinstallation? If XP is new to this one, my first thought is that it has encountered a hardware issue that it cannot handle and this can cause it to hang. It might be a motherboard device or some such. What I would do is remove all cards from the PC except video, disable all on board features such as sound, LAN, etc., and try again. If XP installs, put add in cards back one at a time and reenable motherboard devices the same way to see if you can make the culprit raise it's head.

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Re: Win XP setup problem/a question first
by bob47025 Jul 30, 2004 10:24AM PDT

This was a used drive that was given to me. I erased and reformatted it using the follwing command : " format c: \q\u ". Then I shutdown the computer, and restarted it with the XP cd in the cd-rom drive ( 1st in boot sequence ). It then started setup and everything went fine until the "registering components" part. When the time got to "13 minutes left" until finished , it just stayed there. After 1 to 2 hours, I shut it off and then back on. It restarted setup and continued to the same point.I then tried this cycle three more times before I gave up.

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Re: Win XP setup problem/a question first
by Stan Chambers Jul 30, 2004 10:34AM PDT

Bob: You'll get some help here if you can list the hardware in your computer, model #'s etc.
Google search for Aida32, download and install, then run.
It will list all the parts in the machine. Then post back to this thread.
Good luck.

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Better way to prep drive for XP
by Steven Haninger Jul 30, 2004 10:58AM PDT

You said the drive was used. XP does not need or want a formatted drive. It will partition and format for you. It would be best if all partitions removed with Fdisk or, better yet, a utility from the drives manufacturer that would fully test and erase it. This would help uncover unknown defects in your used drive that might cause problems loading the OS.

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Re: Win XP setup problem
by rockinghorseenterprises Jul 30, 2004 1:25PM PDT

You are likely having a driver problem. XP is trying to configure for your sound board, video, etc. XP is very particular about your add ons. Pain in the butt, but once you get it all, its great. When I installed XP I had to buy a new Sound board and video card to get past the warnings. Then I thought I had it, but My scanner turned out to be a major problem, crashing my install. When you install XP you should first remove everything that is not esential to running your computer. And for a clean install, you should have uninstalled windows. If you still have a windows version on your hard drive, at least start it long enough to uninstall unnecessary add-ons, especially a sound card or scanner. Set your video to standard VGA. Make sure there is plenty of room on your hard drive. Try XP again: if you eliminated the extra hardware it should be able to complete the install. Once you get XP running, add your extras one at a time. XP will warn you about drivers that are not certified for XP. You will have to follow the advice to have a trouble free system. Be sure to accept the option for auto update, and let XP install all critical updates. Good luck! I have been running XP since it was new. It has never crashed and when a program has been closed by XP I was always given a solution after alowing XP to report the problem. It's the best Windows yet, and in a class all by itself. But you have to use verified drivers to expect trouble-free operation. I almost returned it, instead of updating everything I had, but now I say it was worth it!

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Re: Win XP setup problem
by swisse Jul 31, 2004 9:16AM PDT

I run two OS in my computer: Win98(Fat32) and WinXP(NTFS). I installed Win98 first then XP. I have had no problem setting up these two OS. In Win98 I have an old video card - FAST AV Capture which only runs in the older Windows version, but not in XP. The XP installation went smoothly. I think the problem could be in the configuration of your computer. Could it be that you increased the speed of the CPU than allowed? Or could it be that you increased the timing of your RAM?

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Win XP setup. My two inputs.
by r. proffitt Forum moderator Jul 31, 2004 9:45AM PDT

1. Don't format the drive with DOS. You are setting yourself up for oddball failures. It should have been OK, but since it didn't, just use the NATIVE METHOD you see at ...

http://www.blackviper.com/Articles/OS/InstallXPHome/installxphome1.htm

2. Unplug all USB devices. No printers, scanners, cameras, etc. Such can cause a hang during that last stage setup.

2a. Remove what's not needed for the OS install.

Bob

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Re: Win XP setup problem
by Willy Aug 2, 2004 2:03PM PDT

Reading some of the other posts, you may want to test your system before starting the XP install. Instead, under "other services" try the compatibilty mode and see what if anything maybe hanging the install process to give a clue if h/w or such. Plus, just do a simple format using the command: format c: leaving out any switches.

good luck -----Willy Happy

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Re: Win XP setup problem
by katbrat Nov 27, 2004 8:37PM PST

I'm having this same exact problem. I have 4 brand new motherboards, all with new memory, hard drives, video cards, CPUs (AMD Athlons 1900 and 3000). I unfortunately cant run 3 of my systems yet until I get my 600w PSUs but I don't want the same thing to happen with each of those that I'm getting now, so I am working on the lesser of the 3, which can use the 300w PSU. Its stats are as follows:

* FIC AT31 mobo which only supports Win2000 & WinXP
* 512mb DDR PC2100/266
* 1900+ AMD Athlon CPU
* brand new Western Digital 80gb internal harddrive
* 5500 nVidia 256mb AGP card (which will be put into one of the other newer systems later)
* 3Com 10/100 LAN card
* 52x CD-RW

The installation seems quite slow to begin with but when it gets to registering components section, I get an INF error (something about installer), but I can click OK and then it moves to the halfway point and hangs. It looks as if the drive is writing, but it doesn't do anything.

Any help would be appreciated. Mind you, I am NOT a handware specialist, though not a n00b either to computers. Unfortunately my military husband is deployed for 5 months and I am getting frustrated trying to fix this and watch our 1, 3, and 4yr olds at the same time. *pulls hair* LOL

Thanks in advance all!!

- Kat -

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Re: Win XP setup problem
by Tinkerman Nov 29, 2004 7:31PM PST

Hi Bob47025,I had a similar problem and found the IBM/HITACHI Diskcheck bootdisk helpfull.It can be downloaded from the IBM website.

Regards Tinkerman.

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