Stuck in Setup loop - Windows 2000 Pro Reinstall

[Donquick]

Hi all - help please !

- Decided to reinstall win 2000 from CD due to a number of niggling problems.
- Ran Setup from CD within Windows (i think)
- got as far as Installing devices and stops 3/4 of way along
- switch off and start again
- resumes setup (even in safe mode)
- loop

I have tried running the floppies to do recoveries , emergency recoveries etc. all of these seem to work but as soon as windows starts again it says something like 'resuming setup procedure' and soon finds itself back at the stuck position. If i try to start without the CD in the bay of course it experiences a fatal error.

I have just copies a DOS boot disk at work which i can now use to attack at a lower level if need be. Does anybody know what i can do to get the system to conitnue with a normal boot and not attempt to restart the setup procedure.

Which file is telling the system that it is half way through an install - can i just delete this or what. I am currently totally stuck so will resort to anything.

Thanks,

 

[toffeapple]

Are you trying to install to a partion? if so it may not have enough space...

another possibility is a damaged disk..it may not look damaged but you should try another disk if possible

 

[Donquick]

Thanks for replying - i am not installing on a partition - i will try the installation on the same comp with a different disk as you suggest. I still need the content of the originl disk though to be honest.

 

[EVENINGORCHID]

I have the same problem

I have the same problem with my computer...exactly. Have you been able to fix this problem? If so, will you please share what you have done. I desperately need my computer, but am not able to run anything at all on it to try and fix it! If ANYONE has any advice, please share it with me.
Thanks

 

[Rick]

You never actually mentioned deleting your partition and formatting the drive. This will be an option if you boot from the CD. It will show a blue screen for a few minutes and then ask you if you want to install Windows.

While you answer the questions it asks you, you'll be confronted with the opportunity to delete, create and format partitions. You should delete your partition(s) and format each one as necessary.

Just be careful not to delete anything you want to keep. If there's nothing on the drive though, blast it away with this utility.

 

[EVENINGORCHID]

Still Stuck

Rick,
I do not have partitions installed on my computer. Is there any way to abort this setup and simply format my hard drive? This is pretty drastic, but am willing to do this if it is my only option. Thanks

 

[Rick]

Install Windows XP to a new hard disk

To install Windows XP to a new hard disk, you must start your computer by
using one of the following media:
• Microsoft Windows 98/Windows Millennium startup disk
• Windows XP boot disks
• Windows XP CD-ROM
For additional information about how to obtain the Windows XP Setup boot disks, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: How to obtaim Windows XP setup disks

Note If you want to start your computer from the Windows XP CD-ROM, your CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive must be configured to do this. For information about how to configure your computer to start from the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive, see the documentation that is included with your computer or contact the computer manufacturer.

To install Windows XP to a new hard disk:
1. Read the End-User License Agreement, and then press F8.

Note If your Windows XP CD-ROM is an upgrade, you are prompted to insert a CD-ROM of a previous operating system to verify upgrade compliance. Remove the Windows XP CD-ROM, and then insert the CD-ROM from your previous operating system into the CD-ROM drive. You can use the CD-ROM to upgrade from the following versions of Windows:
Windows 98
Windows 98 Second Edition
Windows Millennium Edition
Windows NT 4.0
Windows 2000 Professional

1. To install Windows XP by starting the computer from the Windows XP CD-ROM, insert the Windows XP CD-ROM into your CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive, and then restart the computer.

2. When you see the "Press any key to boot from CD" message, press any key to start the computer from the Windows XP CD-ROM.

3. At the Welcome to Setup screen, press ENTER to start Windows XP Setup.

4. Follow the instructions on the screen to select and format a partition where you want to install Windows XP.

5. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete Windows XP Setup.


http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;316941

 

[EVENINGORCHID]

Windows 2000 Pro

Sorry Rick, But I am not understanding your instructions. I have Win2000 PRO installed on my computer. My computer, for some unknown reason, removed my modem and dialups. Don't know what happened, they just dissapeared. I decided to reinstall WIN 2000 PRO, thinking some of the drivers were removed. When the computer starts to run set-up, it gets to the page that says installing devices and stalls 2/3 of the way through. It will sit there for days. If I shut down and turn it back on it promps me that it will continue setup and go right back to the same place. I removed the modem and tried to run setup without it. I have tried emergency startup disks, U have tried booting from the CD... everything. It will not even give me a prompt so that I can abort....nothing. The only thing I can acess is the CMOS setup page. Your instructions to me mentioned Windows XP install. I don't have WIN XP nor do I have partitions, so I am terribly confused now. I really don't want to install XP. Is there any way I can simply stop this setup and format my HD???
thanks

 

[Samstoned]

you missed the point
rick was using xp as an example
go into bios and make cdrom or dvd the first boot device .disable boot floppy seek if you can
2nd device the 0 drive and so on
if you have a good copy of W$K put it in
when the screen comes up with prompts look for delete erase existing drive if you don't have anything backed up you will ned to put this drive in another machinbe and backup file or most of them will be lost
after you delete you will be back to screen to install drive is not allocated need to be formatted do format
after format is should automaticly begin install
some older cdroms do go bad and I have found they go bad during this process.it may help to get a newer cdrom or dvd rom or whatever

 

[dohray]

It would be worth unplugging any printers and other peripherals and seeing if the loop continues. If it does, use bios to disable all non-essential devices (sound card, graphics card, modem, etc) and try again. One possibility is that the problem is caused by a device that is unhappy about the setup. Whichever device it is, it is quite possible that it will work ok if activated after setup.

 

[mickzer]

Hi dohray,

Notice date of previous post

mickzer.