Can't boot Windows XP home editions

[scapella]

hi all

i have a gateway desktop about 4 years old. apparently got a virus a while back and the machine is total black screen when you boot

i used the "operating system disk" to try and boot the system with no luck.

i found an old thread with a similar problem but with a bit of a difference

when i place that cd and boot up, a bunch of files are downloaded and then i'm taken to a 'blue set up screen' where i choose the first option 'to set up windows xp, press enter'

after i do that i receive this message, 'setup did not find any hard disk drives installed in your computer. make sure any hard disk drives are powered on and properly connected to your computer, and that any disk-related hardware configuration is correct. this may involve running a manufacturer-supplied diagnostic or setup program. setup cannot continue. to quiet setup, press f3.'

that's all i get

I have another cd 'drivers' but i can't access anything with that either.

during boot i hit f10 to make certain the primary sequence is the cd-rom, which it appears to be.

i was also able to get into dos mode (black screen) but most of the .exe programs won't operate in dos mode. i can read the a:, e: and d: drives but no luck changing directories to the c: drive. it's like it's not even there.

i am open to any suggestions, downloads etc. i don't care if i lose the hard drive contents, if there is anything left. any help would be greatly appreciated

thanks ahead of time

steve

 

[mailpup]

You evidently have a SATA (serial ATA) hard drive and you need to install SATA/RAID controller drivers at the beginning of the Windows installation process. That is, you press F6 to install third party drivers at the beginning of Setup. However, you will need a floppy disk for this. Do you have a floppy drive?

Alternatively, you could try a repair instead of a full reinstall. I'm not talking about using the Repair Console, however.

 

[scapella]

can't boot windows xp home edition

thanks for the rapid reply

yes, i have a floppy, a drive but apparently not the boot disk

do i need to download this?

thank you

 

[mailpup]

The boot disk should be the operating system disk you mentioned in your first post. If you don't already have a driver CD for the SATA/RAID controller drivers to place onto the floppy disk, you should go to the PC maker's website and download them. If it is a custom or self-built PC, then go to the motherboard maker's website for the drivers.

When you get to the blue set up screen where you choose the first option to set up windows xp, press enter, do so. Then you will have a choice of a full install or a repair install. Your choice. However, if you do a full reinstall, you will have to reinstall all your motherboard drivers and other device drivers as well as all your software applications and Windows updates/service packs. If you are prepared for that, you are good to go.

 

[scapella]

I'll give it a try! Thank you very much for your help. I'll let you know how I make out.