OT, but OS Forum not helping Update Fixed, Thanks

Pliablemoose

Lifer
Oct 11, 1999
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Putting together a system with a friend, but Windows keeps reformatting the HD in an endless loop. Never had this happen before any ideas?
 

iamwiz82

Lifer
Jan 10, 2001
30,772
13
81
did you keep the CD in the CDROM and so it keeps endlessly booting from CD rather than HDD?
 

Amused

Elite Member
Apr 14, 2001
56,836
17,635
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Originally posted by: iamwiz82
did you keep the CD in the CDROM and so it keeps endlessly booting from CD rather than HDD?

I bet this is it, and he doesn't have the HDD in the boot order in the BIOS. :)
 

Pliablemoose

Lifer
Oct 11, 1999
25,195
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XP, and yes, I've left the CD rom in, but if I take it out after the intial format, it says Not formatted.

Feel like a tool, just installed XP on 2 HD's yesterday:eek:
 

BooneRebel

Platinum Member
Mar 22, 2001
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Can you boot from a floppy and see the hard drive as C:? Run fdisk & check to see if the hard drive partition that you've installed Windows on is the active partition.

Does it have multiple hard drives?
 

Pliablemoose

Lifer
Oct 11, 1999
25,195
0
56
Fat 32 or NTFS? NTFS

Can you boot from a floppy and see the hard drive as C:? Run fdisk & check to see if the hard drive partition that you've installed Windows on is the active partition.

Does it have multiple hard drives?

Yes, will try, no multiple HD's, but it one of them new fangled 8 meg buffer HD's & the 8 megs keeps showing up when it's attempting to format the HD, asking me if i want to format it...

 

JetBlack69

Diamond Member
Sep 16, 2001
4,580
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I assume it is a WD hard drive, try using the utility that came with the drive on a floppy disk.
 

Pliablemoose

Lifer
Oct 11, 1999
25,195
0
56
Originally posted by: JetBlack69
I assume it is a WD hard drive, try using the utility that came with the drive on a floppy disk.

OEM version:( no software

Guess I can download it

 

alm99

Diamond Member
Apr 16, 2000
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I had this problem, when it asks you if you want to reformat the hdd say yes and will it fix this problem. It will then format the hdd and go on and complete the setup from the bluescreen to the winxp desktop
 

Pliablemoose

Lifer
Oct 11, 1999
25,195
0
56
I had this problem, when it asks you if you want to reformat the hdd say yes and will it fix this problem. It will then format the hdd and go on and complete the setup from the bluescreen to the winxp desktop

Tried that, keeps reformatting

No matter what the boot order, it keeps reformatting.

Could Windoz be looking @ the buffer as the active partition & cause the reformatting?
 

BooneRebel

Platinum Member
Mar 22, 2001
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Since it's seeing it as a 8MB partition, then yes, it could be. And since the drive will clear that buffer every time it's cycled, that could explain while your in a loop. But if you use a floppy boot disk you should be able to see the XXGB partition and set this as the active partition.
 

Pliablemoose

Lifer
Oct 11, 1999
25,195
0
56
Ouch, going to have to repeat grammar school on this one, the drive label documented CS, MA, & SL. Gave up & was about to pop in a 120 GB WD I just had lying around (what a treat when I opened it, it was supposed to be a 2mb buffer, but found a red note that said they gave me a 8mb buffer HD instead).

Anyway, the jumper setting wasn't listed on the label for "only drive on cable" but the install help card for the retail drive I had did, moved the jumper, & it naturally started booting from HD... DOH:eek:
 

Mutilator

Diamond Member
Aug 22, 2000
3,513
10
81
Do you have a 98 floppy or CD that you could use to boot up the system and fdisk/format via dos? It'll be FAT32 but you can always convert it to NTFS once you get in Windows.
 

Ness

Diamond Member
Jul 10, 2002
5,407
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I would try using Fdisk on a floppy to partition and format the drive, and don't mess with the windows setup trying to do it, because clearly the windows setup is screwey.


Why would windows pick up an 8mb buffer as a drive but not a 2mb buffer on any other drive?
 

Mutilator

Diamond Member
Aug 22, 2000
3,513
10
81
Originally posted by: Pliablemoose
Problem fixed it was a jumper setting, thanks for the help though:D
So you check the obvious stuff last like me huh? ;)
Kinda like last week when my Dad was complaining that his router wasn't working right... I went and spent probably an hour checking settings and trying to figure out why only one PC would get on the net at a time... and when it did it would take the cable modem's IP. Then I finally checked the back of the router only to find the cable connection was hooked into the uplink port instead of WAN port.
rolleye.gif

His response? "I didn't touch the cables."
Well someone did. :p
 

spiridion

Senior member
May 14, 2001
212
0
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Originally posted by: Mutilator
Originally posted by: Pliablemoose
Problem fixed it was a jumper setting, thanks for the help though:D
So you check the obvious stuff last like me huh? ;)
Kinda like last week when my Dad was complaining that his router wasn't working right... I went and spent probably an hour checking settings and trying to figure out why only one PC would get on the net at a time... and when it did it would take the cable modem's IP. Then I finally checked the back of the router only to find the cable connection was hooked into the uplink port instead of WAN port.
rolleye.gif

His response? "I didn't touch the cables."
Well someone did. :p

yes.. this happens to me all the time. why is it i look for the most technical thing to be wrong first? also the cable moving on it's on phenomena...elves..
 

KC5AV

Golden Member
Jul 26, 2002
1,721
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Someone said once that there are only 3 kinds of problems in networking... cables, cables, and cables.