Network installation for WinXP?

[Bateluer]

I've got a system here that I'm helping a friend fix, old AXP 1700 based system. It seems to have faulty DVD-ROM drives.

When I boot off my legal XP/2K CDs, they get to the point where the installation begins tranfering the initial files. At anywhere from 5% to 25% into it, it reports that it failed to copy a file correctly. Hitting retry results in the same thing, hitting retry again results in a BSOD and reboot. Hitting skip this file jumps right to the BSOD and reboot.

I've tried both my legal Win2k and WinXP CDs and they both fail. I've also DLed ISOs for both 2K and XP, since I have a legal key for 2K and the owner of the system has his legal XP CD key. Every burn attempt fails in the same manner.

I've thought about trying a linux distro like Ubuntu, but the owner of the system isn't exactly a tech savvy person and wants windows so his games will run.

At the moment, the system has an empty hdd, previous attemps allowed me format the hdd from the 2K/XP installations. I am not too familiar with XP network installations, but I would think that the system would need an OS already installed.

Could a small FreeDOS partition/installation allow access to a network CDROM drive to install XP?

 

[spherrod]

could also be faulty memory - can you run memtest on the system without a problem?

 

[Spinne]

I agree. Bad memory is probably the problem, or a bad BIOS setting. Check the BIOS. Try upping the memory voltage some.
Your easiest fix though is to put his hdd into your machine, install XP, boot into it, and then put the hdd back into your friend's machine. Yes, it works.

 

[nweaver]

you can network boot off a floppy, check Bart's Boot Disk

 

[Bateluer]

Thanks for the replies. After I get all my equipment in one spot, (I'm in the process of moving into a new apartment), I'll burn Memtest86 to a CD and run it, see what comes up.

 

[Aarondeep]

The HD could also be defective. If memtest comes up negative try using a different HD and see if it works.