This is a strange problem. I used to format and reinstall windows the old-school way (boot disc, FDISK, win98 install cd), however the bootable CD method with win2k/xp is great. However I've run into a problem - my Windows XP CD won't boot up anymore. Here's the steps I've taken:
- changed my boot order so that it boots off the CD
- pressed a key when prompted to run the setup on CD
But the CD gets stuck on the next screen, after saying "Setup is inspecting your computer's hardware configuration..." and I'm left with a blank screen. Not even 6 months ago I formatted and it was perfectly fine, even with the same CD. And yes, it's a legit copy of WinXP. My brother's non-legit copy doesn't work either. Both are SP2 though his is Corporate Edition whereas mine is XP Pro (is there a tangible difference?)
Additionally my Win2k CD boots up fine, and I can do a 2k install. I tried installing XP from the 2K desktop, but it can't do an upgrade to XP (which I'd prefer not to anyway) and when I do a full install it installs it to the same drive without formatting.
Why in the world it won't just boot off the XP cd, I have no idea. I haven't changed any hardware in my computer (it's a laptop) since the last install so I can't think of what could be triggering the hanging in the installation process.
Also I don't have a floppy drive, but I may just purchase one if this problem doesn't let up. Can anyone help me? I'm about to pull my hair out!
- changed my boot order so that it boots off the CD
- pressed a key when prompted to run the setup on CD
But the CD gets stuck on the next screen, after saying "Setup is inspecting your computer's hardware configuration..." and I'm left with a blank screen. Not even 6 months ago I formatted and it was perfectly fine, even with the same CD. And yes, it's a legit copy of WinXP. My brother's non-legit copy doesn't work either. Both are SP2 though his is Corporate Edition whereas mine is XP Pro (is there a tangible difference?)
Additionally my Win2k CD boots up fine, and I can do a 2k install. I tried installing XP from the 2K desktop, but it can't do an upgrade to XP (which I'd prefer not to anyway) and when I do a full install it installs it to the same drive without formatting.
Why in the world it won't just boot off the XP cd, I have no idea. I haven't changed any hardware in my computer (it's a laptop) since the last install so I can't think of what could be triggering the hanging in the installation process.
Also I don't have a floppy drive, but I may just purchase one if this problem doesn't let up. Can anyone help me? I'm about to pull my hair out!
