System will not boot from cd

[roanokebarry]

I have a Compaq presario 5000 it was running windows ME and since XP is so much
easier to use I attemped to upgrade.... when I did this is when I ran into trouble...
now my computer is stuck trying to load xp on its on but cant and it wont read the
xp disc now either....I have 30g of HD space 512 ram  Can anyone help I just need to
get over this hump?

roanokebarry

[kpac]

I'm not 100% sure how to install an OS, but inserting the CD will not install. It will just use the files on the CD to boot from.

[Dusty]

I have a Compaq presario 5000 it was running windows ME and since XP is so much
easier to use I attemped to upgrade.... when I did this is when I ran into trouble...
now my computer is stuck trying to load xp on its on but cant and it wont read the
xp disc now either....I have 30g of HD space 512 ram 

Are using an upgrade version of XP and is your cd a genuine MS disk with the coa?

Is your bios boot sequence set to boot from the cd rom first?

Please post any displayed error messages.

[roanokebarry]

Dusty

Here is the message I am getting now...I reloaded DOS discs..(floppies)

   Staring MS-DOS
   Himen is testing extended memory....done.
   C:\C:\DOS\smartdrv.exe/x
   C:\>


Thats what I am getting now....

Barry

my direct email address is     [email removed]

I tried using the MS XP disc that I purchased at Best buy

[Carbon Dudeoxide]

I'm not an expert in this area but I just wanted to let you know that I removed the email address in your post because we prefer to keep all discussions within the forum, and to prevent unwanted SPAM.
This is so other members can come here and provide additional help and suggestions, and also so new users can look back here and find a solution if they are having the same problem.
 

I tried using the MS XP disc that I purchased at Best buy

What exactly did you purchase?

[Dusty]

Dusty

Here is the message I am getting now...I reloaded DOS discs..(floppies)

   Staring MS-DOS
   Himen is testing extended memory....done.
   C:\C:\DOS\smartdrv.exe/x
   C:\>

This has got absolutely nothing to do with installing Windows XP, in fact XP cannot be installed from within an MS-Dos environment.   You must boot from a genuine MS XP install or update CD which I suppose is what you paid out for at Best Buy.

[JJ 3000]

If you boot into your old O.S. (ME) and then insert the disk into the drive you should be able to install XP. If the CD doesn't start up automatically then click on My Computer and select your CD drive and double click on the XP CD to start setup.

[Carbon Dudeoxide]

If you boot into your old O.S. (ME) and then insert the disk into the drive you should be able to install XP. If the CD doesn't start up automatically then click on My Computer and select your CD drive and double click on the XP CD to start setup.

It doesn't quite work like that. You cannot Install Windows within Windows.
You will have to boot from the CD either way.

[roanokebarry]

JJ

The screen that I am getting is not the desktop all it says is::

c:\>


if I load the MS  XP  disc it just sits there... how do I get it to  "my computer"

Barry

[JJ 3000]

When you turn on your computer you will see a message that says to press a certain key to enter setup. This is usually an F-key or esc or del. Pay attention as it may flash very quickly. Once you have entered setup you want to find BOOT ORDER or BOOT sequence or BOOT priority. You want to set your CD drive as the first boot device. You usually press the plus and minus keys to move you devices up and down. Once you have set your CD drive as the first boot device insert your XP CD and exit setup and SAVE changes.

[roanokebarry]

JJ

I turned of computer and restarted it....did not get an "F" instruction.... so I restarted
the computer hitting the delete  key over and over and got to the following screen::

    Compaq  Set up  Utility


Main      Storage    Security    Advance      English


System Information

Set time and date

detect drives and exit

set defaults and exit

ignore changes and exit

save changes and exit


It is asking to pick one ......


Barry

[JJ 3000]

Press the right arrow key to move over to advanced. Do you see BOOT or BOOT ORDER or anything like that?

P.S. try to keep this in the same thread. That way it will be a lot less confusing for the rest of us trying to help.

[roanokebarry]

JJ

I see the boot order and put it as the cd rom as primary........


and this ismy first time on this forum am I not replying correctly?

Barry

[Carbon Dudeoxide]

and this ismy first time on this forum am I not replying correctly?

You accidentally started a new topic with a reply to JJ3000, I merged the two together. 

Ok, now that we have varified the CD Drive is set to boot first, restart the computer and it should boot from the CD automatically or it will prompt you to boot from the CD or not.

[roanokebarry]

Tried that it goes right back to starting ms-dos

ends up at the

C:\>

Barry

[Carbon Dudeoxide]

Ok, what exactly do you have in the CD Drive now?

[roanokebarry]

It doesnt matter if I have nothing in it or the XP load disc the same message
comes up......

[roanokebarry]

Hacker

Are you still with me on this.......it doesnt matter if I have a disc in the cdrom
or not the same message comes up   starting DOS ending in
C:\>

Barry

[Carbon Dudeoxide]

Sorry, I accidentally let this post slip through.

So you have the Windows XP CD in the CD Drive, reboot and can you confirm you are booting from the CD?
It shouldn't go into DOS like that...

[roanokebarry]

Carbon

I understand it shouldnt but thats what it does...it was not reading discs in the
cdrom and I was told by the forum to reload DOS  so I have the floppies and
I reloaded DOS  it read it and that is where I am at .....it wont boot with the
disc in or out

Barry

[Carbon Dudeoxide]

Well I'm afraid this is where my helpfulness comes to an end as I am currently out of ideas.

My last suggestion would be to hook the hard drive up as a slave in another computer, copy the files over (back it up) and then install XP using the other computer.

[roanokebarry]

Carbon

Im not worried about losing any files for information...I would just like to load up
a working operating system....my computer had ME and was working ok I wanted
to upgrade to XP and thats when the problems started....as I was trying to load
XP   all of ME was erased or I guess and now my computer will not read the discs
I load in.....I reloaded MS DOS and it read that ok off the floppy drive...but thats as
far as I get   I can hit delete an number of times and get it into setup utility
and set it for the cdrom drive  and it goes back to

c:\> 

Barry

[stevejohnson1958]

You may also want to read this Knowledge Base article from Microsoft:

How to prepare to upgrade Windows 98 or Windows Millennium Edition to Windows XP

The problem may be that Me may have to be installed again in order for the upgrade to work.  You may lose important data...so beware.  You've been warned.

Please read the above KB article thouroughly...it's your best bet for a successful upgrade.


Good luck!

[roanokebarry]

Savior

How do I get anything installed if nothing is being recognized in the cdrom???

Barry

[stevejohnson1958]

Do you have a floppy drive and a Windows Me boot disk?

If so...configure the BIOS to boot first from the floppy and then from the CD drive.

Make sure both the floppy and CD are in your computer.

After booting...you should be at the command prompt.  All you have to do is change the directory to the CD drive and then run setup.exe.  This will begin the operating system installation...in a perfect world.  Of course, you may get a warning that may tell you the OS is already installed and if you want to replace or repair it.

It's been a while since I've used 98 or Me, but the above should, at least, get you to the installation process of Me.  Once Me is installed...you should be able to upgrade...barring any problems you may have after reading the previous link I have given you.

Please let me know if this works...or if you have any additional questions.


Good luck!

[roanokebarry]

I have a floppy drive I cant find the ME disc I do have the windows 98 disc
I have the 3 floppies for ME DOS ...  what else can I do to get it to read
from the cd rom ?

Thanks for your help

[stevejohnson1958]

In addition...you can use the following link to create a Me boot disk:

How to create a Windows Me Startup Disk Manually

You may need to run the fdisk command in order to delete the Windows partition, recreate it and then format.

Once done...you can reinstall your Me operating system and then be able to do the upgrade to XP...if your system can handle it...again referring to the first link I posted.

[roanokebarry]

Saviour

when I turn the computer on it goes to C prompt waiting for instructions
isnt there a command that will start it going so I can get it to load from
a disc  ?

[stevejohnson1958]

If you know the drive letter of your CD drive, the command would be:

CD [drive:]

From there...and with the Me cd in the drive, type:

setup [Enter]

This should start the process.

[JJ 3000]

Barry,
 Sorry it took so long to get back. I had to work a double shift today.

Now that you have your CD drive set as the first boot device, place your XP CD in the master CD drive. If you have two CD drives the top one is usually the master. Now exit setup and save changes (usually by pressing F10).

When your computer boots back up you might see a message (usually at the bottom of the screen) that says to press any key to boot to the CD. Even if you don't see this message keep pressing the space bar as it is booting.
You should hear the CD spinning in the drive and then get to a blue screen that says "setup" at the top of the screen.

Once you get this far, let me know and I will walk you through the install.
Good Luck