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Help Installing XP on Aopen Mini PC!!!!!!!

B

BillyBatson

Diamond Member
I purchased an Aopen Mini Pc for my sis. FInally got allt he parts and put it together and all is well except for the fact i can't install an OS. I have it set to first boot cd-rom but when i put the windows XP pro cd in and start it up it spins up the cd and then gives me the error

"Invalid Disk, please insert system disk and try again" or something to that effect.

I have seen this before and i used a floppy to boot but this system does not have a floppy drive or any way to connect a floppy drive other than a USB one which i will not buy.

How do i install XP!?

i also do not want to buy a laptop ata6 to sata/ide cable and use my desktop to install the OS sine the aopen is an intel pentium M comp and mine is an AMD 64 comp


-edit-
OK so i don't thinkt he cdrom is being detected. I took off the cover and made sure the connector connecting the HDD and the cdrom was seated right. Started it up and the drive clearly recieves its power through the connector and is able to eject disks when you press the button and feeds into it right so there is power there but in the Bios it only shows the HDD

what could be the problem?
 
I'll assume the CD Disk is Good and bootable.

Set the BIOS to only boot from the CD Drive.

Try another CD OS Disk if you have one. Or any other bootable CD.

Try another CD Drive in the Aopen Mini PC, the one you have may be defective.

pcgeek
 
Is the CD drive even recognized in the BIOS? Do you have any other bootable CD's to try out?

My first guess would just be a bad or loose cable. In any event, it's really a pre-OS issue - if the drive works (and the disc is good) it's going to boot from it. There's not really anything to configure apart from the BIOS.
 
hmm well i have 2 XP pro cd's and i tried both. I have no way of connecting another cd drive since it is a laptop cd drive with a propriatary connector but what i can do it remove the casing ans make sure it is connected properly do the connector cuz there is a chance it is not since you connect the peice as you push the top half onto the botton half but i will have to wait until tomrorow to try
however if it says invalid disk does that not mean it is reading a disk?

all 3 boot devives are set to cdrom
there is no cable it is a 1 peice of card mount that moutns to the cdrom and the HDD and conencts to the mobo
 
Originally posted by: BillyBatson
Originally posted by: sourceninja
I always try a ubuntu live CD before I install windows, just to make sure everything is working properly.
Click to expand...

eh i don't have one
Click to expand...


You can download the CD from here. It's an ISO image; you can burn it into a CD after downloading and boot with it.
 
OK so i don't thinkt he cdrom is being detected. I took off the cover and made sure the connector connecting the HDD and the cdrom was seated right. Started it up and the drive clearly recieves its power through the connector and is able to eject disks when you press the button and feeds into it right so there is power there but in the Bios it only shows the HDD

what could be the problem?
 
Check your connections to the CD and the motherboard. Also, if the HDD and CD are on the same channel, be sure the master/slave/cable select jumper is set correctly on both. Cable Select usually will work, but you may have to "force" the system to recognize the CD by setting the HDD to master and CD to slave. Of course the best config is to have them on their own, separate channels.
 
ok keep in mind these are laptop parts, there is no master/slave/CS options on the laptop cdrom, there are 4 extra pins on the HDD but there is no jumper or any markings to indicate what they are for. also the conenct is fine, there is a propreitary pcb board that connect both tot he HDD and cdrom and then slides down and connnects to the motherboard
 
Originally posted by: nweaver
disconnect the HDD and see if it detects the CD Rom in the BIOS
Click to expand...

Do what ^^^^ said and then you will know the CD drive is good or not. To the other poster the OP the laptop components do in fact have master and slave configuration pins on them. ( that is what those Extra 4 pins are for. ) You may need to search and find out how to configure them. It sounds like they are both set as masters on the same channel.

The CD Drive may have internal jumpers and may not be user friendly, and on some soldering is required.

pcgeek11

 
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