AMD X2 Driver fails to install.

[InsiderGamer]

I have an AMD X2 4400+ processor and recently tried installing the latest AMD patch for dual core CPU's, but the installation fails. It asks to install on drive F (which is my primary and only hard drive) but during the install, it prompts me, saying "There is no disc in drive" (it's cut off) and after I press Cancel, it says it could not find C:\boot.ini, which is obviously true as C is my DVD drive.

How can I solve this? Is my installation of the driver messed up? Is there any way to re-assign the letters of my drives? I do know after running 3DMark05 after "installing" that, my score remains about the same (15 points less).

I appreciate any input,
~IG

 

[Zebo]

Your OS install is wacked..About 30% of programs will not install but on C to aviod noobs who try and install someplace else. Personally I don't like this choice being made for you but that just way it is.. Bottom line - You need to have OS and registry on C partition.

 

[InsiderGamer]

Do you know how to do this easily without messing up my computer? I really don't want to reformat. I'm reading there are some easy ways to change the drive letter assignments through Disc Management, but it says it should be avoided with drives that contain system files (ie. your OS?). Is this correct?

Thanks for any help you guys can spare,
~IG

 

[Zebo]

There is no way.. other than reinalling OS the long way..can't change it. Did you have another drive connected while doing install? Sometimes, I hav'nt fiqured out why microsoft gets confused.

 

[n7]

It seems that whenever there are PATA & SATA HDDs used to together, XP always defaults the C:\ letter to the primary master PATA HDD...& i'm guessing you have a SATA HDD with XP on it, right?

If so, reformat, but this time unplug the PATA HDDs while installing XP



Edit: I didn't notice you mentioned that you only have the one HDD...very odd.

 

[InsiderGamer]

I just got my new PC on Wednesday (all built for me). It has one Seagate 250 GB /w NCQ hard drive, a BenQ DW1640 CD/DVD Rewriter and a Mitsumi all in one "floppy" drive.

All I did was boot the thing up from my brand new Windows Home OEM disc and Windows set its own letter assignments. Very annoying.

~IG

 

[Markfw]

Well, you shuld have whoever built it for you do it again, for free the right way. Or take it back and get your money back, as they sound like idiots.

 

[n7]

Originally posted by: InsiderGamer
I just got my new PC on Wednesday (all built for me). It has one Seagate 250 GB /w NCQ hard drive, a BenQ DW1640 CD/DVD Rewriter and a Mitsumi all in one "floppy" drive.

All I did was boot the thing up from my brand new Windows Home OEM disc and Windows set its own letter assignments. Very annoying.

~IG

Bingo.
The problem is that All-in-One card reader/floppy.

That'd be why your drive letters got all screwed up.

 

[InsiderGamer]

I don't quite understand, why would that mess it up? And how would I now fix it?

~IG

 

[Furen]

This is what I'd try (dunno if it'll work):

Create a ram disk. Set this drive as your drive C. Copy your boot.ini from your F drive to the C drive and try installing. If it installs properly then you can just copy the added parameters (/setpmtimer, I think) to the boot.ini on your F drive.

 

[lopri]

Originally posted by: Furen
This is what I'd try (dunno if it'll work):

Create a ram disk. Set this drive as your drive C. Copy your boot.ini from your F drive to the C drive and try installing. If it installs properly then you can just copy the added parameters (/setpmtimer, I think) to the boot.ini on your F drive.

Smart idea but I don't think this method is very practical to OP.

 

[Furen]

Originally posted by: lopri

Smart idea but I don't think this method is very practical to OP.

Better than a reformat, I'm sure.

 

[alcalde]

It is the Mitsumi drive, as N7 said. I've got one in the system I just put together. For those who don't know, this is a combo floppy drive and 7-in-1 memory card reader. It transfers the floppy data via standard floppy connector, and the memory card data via USB. Windows sees the two memory card slots as USB storage devices and assigns them drive letters. On your system, Windows must have seen the Mitsumi before the hard drive and assigned them letters first. My system has the Mitsumi, the same DVD burner you have, a Samsung SM352B CD combo drive, and two SATA hard drives. I'm only just test-installing XP at the moment just to see if everything works, but I noticed that it assigns the Mitsumi card slots letters before the IDE optical drives, but after the SATA hard drives. If your hard drive is PATA, that would make sense and be the explanation.

Since I'm just about to re-install XP anyway and start installing all my old apps, I'll try to see if I can chance the drive letter of the system partition first (which is C for me). I can't mimic your exact condition, but I can see if I can change the drive letter.

Here's another idea for you though! Disconnect the USB cable from the Mitsumi to the motherboard before booting, or better yet, disable the USB in BIOS so you don't have to physically unplug anything. My guess is that the drive will get assigned "C". You might need to disable the optical drive as well, depending on whether it is getting assigned a letter before or after the hard drive. However you do it, if the hard drive is the only visible device, it might very well come up as "C". Then you could install the driver, reboot once in case the driver install needs to do something on reboot, then shut down, reenable whatever devices you had to disable, power up, and you should be ok (I hope).

If that works, that'll be the first time I've been able to answer something on here! Then someone can tell me why Cool 'N Quiet isn't working on my system...

-Joe

 

[sandorski]

Could be the drive mentioned or SATA/PATA, but I had a similar thing happen to me without either of those situations.

New system build, previous drive with WinXP was replaced by an empty new drive which was going to hold WinXP64. Kept an old drive connected as Slave which had no Active partitions, it was just a drive I installed games on used for MP3 and Downloads storage. Windows comes to select Partition to install on/Format/Partition drives. I setup the Partitions on the new drive, select which one to install OS on, etc. When everything is done, OS Partition is drive F:, old drive takes C/D. When I go into Windows and tried installing the X2 driver, same situation as the OP. :|

Couple days later after trying a few things to set OS Partition as C: without redoing everything(can't be done btw ), I finally broke down, unplugged my Slave drive, re-installed OS. My OS partition took C:, remainder of drive took D:, after Windows was installed Shutdown, plugged Slave drive in, booted up, everything was dandy.

So, try that, only have the drive you'll install Windows on, a CD/DVD drive, and floppy plugged in. Unplug all other Storage devices. 4tw

 

[ND40oz]

Originally posted by: alcalde

Here's another idea for you though! Disconnect the USB cable from the Mitsumi to the motherboard before booting, or better yet, disable the USB in BIOS so you don't have to physically unplug anything. My guess is that the drive will get assigned "C". You might need to disable the optical drive as well, depending on whether it is getting assigned a letter before or after the hard drive. However you do it, if the hard drive is the only visible device, it might very well come up as "C". Then you could install the driver, reboot once in case the driver install needs to do something on reboot, then shut down, reenable whatever devices you had to disable, power up, and you should be ok (I hope).

Bingo, this is the approved solution for anyone that has a card reader in their system when installing xp.

 

[n7]

Yes, you will need to reinstall most likely, & when you do, unplug that card reader (or disable USB in teh bios).

When i reformat, i have to unplug my IDE HDDs, or they will always be assigned C:\, which i want my SATA Raptor to be.

All will be well once you reinstall.

 

[InsiderGamer]

Yep, thanks guys for your support. I bit the bullet and reformatted, but not before taking out the USB cable from the Mitsumi drive to the mobo. Windows automatically assigned my HDD as C:\ and I installed the Mitsumi drive afterwards.

Thanks again,

~IG