Win XP install CD won't boot up

tuzz

Member
Feb 20, 2001
77
0
0
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!
 

Chusher3

Member
Mar 1, 2001
108
0
0
Goto your hard drive manufacturers website and download a bootable wipe tool, do a full format, write whole drive to zero, then use your XP cd, should do the trick
 

tuzz

Member
Feb 20, 2001
77
0
0
A full format *may* work but I don't really have the time, as the harddrive has 50+ gb of data on my non-OS partition (D: in Windows), and Linux installed on another partition.
 

MrChad

Lifer
Aug 22, 2001
13,507
3
81
Hmm, the install CD is booting, but the setup executable is hanging. Since you've tested with another CD, I'm going to guess that this is a hardware issue.

1. Make sure there are no USB devices connected.
2. Try reseating/replacing the IDE cables on your optical and hard drives.
3. Try removing any unnecessary hardware (i.e. everything except an optical drive, system hard drive and a video card).
4. Try running Memtest.
5. Try replacing your optical drive.