BleepingComputer.com: Re-installing Windows XP

Hello: I'm having problems installing Win XP home after haveing a crash. It seems the computer won't go beyond the Windows start-up screen. It just freezes up with the starting windows screen. I have formatted the drive and attempted to install XP and ended up with a blue screen telling me to contacta the computer manufacturer, which is not possible as it has been rebuilt a number of times. I tried going back to an old smaller hard drive with Win 95 on it and the same problem occurs, it freezes on the installing windows screen. I suspect a hardware problem and would like some help making that determination. I'm running an Intel 2.4 ghz processor and use a 120 gb hard drive. Any help will be sincerely appreciated. Thanks.

Booting to Safe mode -
Use this method if you can -
Windows XP
Using the F8 Method:

• Restart your computer.
• When the machine first starts again it will generally list some equipment that is installed in your machine, amount of memory, hard drives installed etc. At this point you should gently tap the F8 key repeatedly until you are presented with a Windows XP Advanced Options menu.
• Select the option for Safe Mode using the arrow keys.
• Then press enter on your keyboard to boot into Safe Mode.
• Do whatever tasks you require and when you are done reboot to boot back into normal mode.

Do you have your original XP CD ? ?

Can you post the exact error message?

The second hdd you tried to boot from, was Windows installed on it from this computer?

Is this a retail copy of Windows that you are installing from?

How far into the installation did you get before receiving this message?

Did you try making the installation again?

I'm not familiar with a blue screen message generated by the OS that will tell you to contact the manufacturer. As asked above, I'd be very interested in knowing the exact message and at what point you see it.

Thanks to all three of you for responding. I now realize that my post left a lot of information out. I have attempted many times to boot in the safe mode, sometimes it would get past the DOS looking part and then freeze up on the loading windows screen. One time I made it past that, booted into safe mode and froze up on trying to restore to an older date. Most times it freezes up on the DOS screen.

I do have the original XP update disk and I have to use my Win 95 disk to authenticate it but that part seems to work well. When I tried to use the R function to repair my system it would go through the motions and then freeze on the re-boot, again at the starting windows screen.

I then tried to re-install XP and used the quick format function. The disk formatted and this time I got through the installation process up to "Installing Windows" and somewhere in that process I got a blue screen that had in part: DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL There was more that I didn't copy word for word but it told me to disable any new hardware or software that had been installed. I couldn't do anything with the software of course but I made sure the only things connected to the computer were the monitor, keyboard and mouse. A few days befoe the crash I did download and install a Nook reader program from Barnes and Noble. It also told me to disable BIOS memory options such as caching or shadowing. I looked at the bios but couldn't find anything that mentioned memory and didn't make any changes there.

After that I did a slow (more thorough?) format and tried the install again. I reached the same place in the installation and got another blue screen. This one had a different reason for the stoppage and I again didn't copy it word for word but it told me my "atapi.sys" file may be corrupt. Then it gave me the following sequence: "atapi.sys - address F77CD7C3 base at F77cb000, date stamp 41107b4d." As I have the hardware to make that hdd an external drive I used another computer and copied and pasted a different atapi.sys file to the hard drive and ended up with the same results.

I then decided to try to install an old 4 gb hdd that I took out of this computer. I installed it and tried to boot. Again, it went to the installing windows screen and froze up. That's where I get the idea that it may be a hardware problem as I get the same result with a different hdd. Does that make sense?

I quit there and am now asking for help. I'm sorry the first post was so short and I hope this one will assist you in making some suggestions.

Thanks again. Keith.

First, just for future knowledge - the difference between "quick format" and "full format" is that during the latter, the hd will be scanned for errors and if any are found they will be marked for exclusion (in other words, chkdsk /r runs prior to the actual format).

Next, I would try different cables for the hd (the drive itself is probably just fine - both the and new ones, that is). Also, you should run a check on the ram ( To check the ram, download memtest (http://www.memtest.org/). Burn it to a cd using a dedicated .iso burning utility (http://www.petri.co.il/how_to_write_iso_files_to_cd.htm), make sure the cd drive is at the top of the boot order in bios, then boot to the newly created cd and run the utility.)

Let's see where we are after all that.

I'm sorry about misusing the PM. I didn't know better but I do now. Thanks.

I changed the cable as you suggested because I had one on hand and it was the easiest thing to do and was initially encouraged because when I booted the computer it went to a "Restarting Windows Set-Up...." Of course the screen froze at this time. I restarted and tried it again with the same result. I then reformatted the hdd and tried to start from the beginning and ended up with the computer freezing at the "starting windows" screen, only this time the screen is dimmed out. I saw this dim screen one time before and neglected to mention it. I tried a couple of more times with the same result.

During these attempts I downloaded and burned a disk to check the memory. The memory checked out perfectly so I guess we are at square one again. Thanks for your help.

Keith.

Hi -
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Your solution may may help other users (and also helpers) in the future -
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Thank You -

Allan, on 20 March 2011 - 08:50 AM, said:

Good morning-

I've never seen the message again so I can't say exactly what it said and maybe it was just an error message (not blue, but I thought it was), anyway it froze the keyboard and told me I should contact the manufacturer about the problem. I'm now sorry I didn't make a copy of it. I can't think of anything else I may have left out but I tinkered with the problem for 5 or 6 days before asking for help (kinda stubborn, huh?)and cant remember everything that happened. Thanks again for any suggestions.

Keith

And you are using an original, retail XP CD, not a copy?

Yes, I have the original XP upgrade disk. Since it's an upgrade disk I have to show a previous version of Windows and I use my Win 95 disk. That seems to work OK.

Keith