Hi, I do some computer troubleshooting as a part time job, and I've been asked to create a harddrive image on a Dell Optiplex GX260. Seems like an easy job, but I've run into a couple of problems that I can't figure out.

1st problem:
After installing Windows XP SP2 and the necessary drivers, I try to install Symantec Antivirus Corporate Edition v10, but immediately after, and everytime I boot up the computer, I get a chain of application errors for rtvscan.exe, and autoprotect doesn't initiate.

Strange thing is I've done this for the GX270 without any problems, using the exact same procedures (with different drivers, of course). I thought it might be a conflict with drivers, so I tried installing Symantec Antivirus before any of the drivers, but I still got the errors.

2nd problem:
I thought that the 1st problem might be specific to that computer, so I tried doing it with another GX260, but whenever I tried to install windows, it would finish formatting the harddrive, and then say that "setup was unable to format the harddrive."

Thinking it was a bad harddrive, I took the harddrive from the other GX260, and swapped it in, but the computer wouldn't even detect any of the partitions or the previous XP installation - it just treated it like a new harddrive. When I tried doing a fresh install of XP over it, I had the same problems.

I thought it might be the cable, so I swapped that out for a working one, and it didn't do anything.


I'm all out of ideas. I don't know if the I'm making some mistake or if it's a problem inherent to the GX260. Any thoughts on either of the problems are greatly appreciated.

-Thanks for reading

I have had that happen to me on a re-install from time to time. I have never determined what the cause was but I was able to install the OS by first Wiping the drive, then partitioning, and finally formating.

This may or may not work for you but the computers I work with are Dell GX1, and GX110.

Try using Kill Disk

I'm curious -

did re-partitioning and formating work, or did you have to wipe the drive first?

Ah, I thought that the windows installer would wipe the harddrive for you. I'll try doing what you said.

wiping the boot sector should suffice

is bios virus protection turned off?

http://entkb.symantec.com/security/output/...2717252948.html

This is the Symantec installation page for antivirus 10. rtvscan.exe is a symantec program.(NORTON)

I don't see any virus protection in the bios configurations, so I'm guessing there is none.

I'm trying to install symantec antivirus on the computer as an unmanaged client.


Also, I've just started running killdisk for problem #2, and I'm going to leave it on over the weekend. I'll update you guys with results when it's done.

Thanks

Killdisk didn't help. Any more ideas?