cant load windows without winxp cd

[HiroPhrozeN]

hi, i cant seem to load windows from my harddrive the only way i can is by setting boot priority to cdrom and loading windows that way. here is what happened. i originaly had windows on my master harddrive (160gig WD ide hdd) on the C:\ partition with the rest on D: i also have another 360gig WD ide drive. now i bought a SATA harddrive, a WD raptor 36gig. now i installed windows on that drive and formated my old windows on the C:\ partition so C: was free again i did this with partition magic pro. now it wanted to reset my computer so i let it and then after it formated i could not get my computer to boot windows. it says failed to boot from cd even though i switched to my raptor for first boot priority.

now i asked some one about it and they said my mbr was still on C: drive so i needed to go to recovery console and change it so i did that and still i could not boot E: windows. frustrated as hell i again wiped C: partiton and my fresh windows on my raptor so it would hopefully fix the problem but it didn't, i restarted my computer to install some drivers and it said could not boot from cd. so the only way i can get into window (and works fine ) is to boot from the win xp cd. but u know doing that every day will piss me off.

any help is welcomed. the only thing i know personaly that i could try is buying another harddrive so i can play around with drive letters and get my raptor to be C: and not E:
some thing interesting also is that on my C: drive is 4 files - a .rnd file, biosinfo file and 2 text doco's containing vga display info. but i again changed my master boot after i got pissed and installed windows again.

sorry for spelling.

 

[mechBgon]

1) Unplug your network cable and/or wireless NIC. If your Windows CD isn't already equipped with Service Pack 2, then download the whole SP2 installation file and save it on a CD.

2) Remove all Parallel ATA drives from the computer, and all USB drives/card-readers/thumbdrives too. Make it so the Ratpro is the only hard drive in there during the next steps, you can add the others later.

3) start Windows Setup from the WinXP CD, get to where it shows all the partitions, delete them all, then press the F3 key twice to EXIT from Windows Setup.

4) now start Windows Setup a second time from the WinXP CD and this time carry on all the way through all phases of Setup.

5) if your CD doesn't have SP2 already, then install Service Pack 2 immediately with the CD from step 1, before any drivers (including mobo or video drivers). After rebooting, install motherboard drivers, then reboot, then install video drivers, and reboot again. Then get antivirus software installed, hook up to the network, activate Windows, and go get all your Windows Updates (might take several rounds at Windows Update).

6) At this point, with one HDD in the system, if it isn't booting without help from the CD, then you have a configuration error in your BIOS, so post your motherboard brand/model if you need help with that.

7) If everything's working as it ought to (so far), then shut down and add your Parallel ATA drive, then try to boot up. If it freaks out, then go into the BIOS and reestablish the HDD boot priority; somehow SATA always gets demoted to second place when there's a PATA drive added.

 

[HiroPhrozeN]

what do you mean when u say del all partitions. wont that wipe all my files?

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: HiroPhrozeN
what do you mean when u say del all partitions. wont that wipe all my files?

Yes it will wipe all your files. Move them to one of your Parallel ATA drives for safekeeping while you're doing the routine.

 

[HiroPhrozeN]

hmmm not enough room. i only have about 50gig free out of 550gig, i was thinking about buying another hdd coz i dont wanna risk merging partitions and then have files go missing. seems like its the only way sigh, i am spending way too much money on this computer lol