Trouble installing XP SP2 on old PC

MilanPenev

MilanPenev

Posts: 8   +0
I have an old PC with Asus p4s533x motherboard and hdd maxtor 120 gb with no operating system installed. My CPU was dead and yesterday I got another one. The problem I have is the following.When I tried to install win xp sp2 I put the disk into the drive and set the cd drive to be the first booting device in BIOS. After that it showed on the screen " ATAPI Boot from cd no emulation" and the line bellow "press any key to boot from cd.." So I pressed enter and proceeded to the installation process. I have done everything correctly - formatted the partitition,and waited for windows to copy files. After that the computer rebooted and after it started again I saw again the things I mentioned "atapi boot from cd rom no emulation" and press any key to boot from cd.." After I touched nothing and that screen passed nothing was shown on the monitor and I was not taken to proceed with my installation. The screen is black and the power indicator on the monitor is switching on and off like it has no signal. That happened with every 3 bootable cd's I have and I am desperate. Any ideas? Pls help..View attachment 75718 20130327_142227.jpg
 
Just a guess, Sounds like the computer is not reading the cd player, Check your bios set up to make sure the cd player is set at ATAPI device, Another thing is this a original copy of XP or a burn't copy, Sometimes Burn't copys will do this. Hopefully this helps. If not maybe someone here will have a better answer. GoodLuck
 
Thanks for the reply,but I think that computer is reading the cd player,because it takes me to the windows installation process,and after it reboots it is not taking me to continue with it and the screen just goes blank. Maybe it is a HDD problem? Btw the CD I am installing windows from is a burnt copy but I have used that disc many times on my PC (with the old CPU) and I'm 100% sure that it's working. I have also used it on my friend's PC...
 
Yes, It could be, If the HDD can not read the cd, This will happen. But buy off chance , Do you know anyone who has a original winXP cd, You could try just to be sure. Burn't cd do go bad after a while. Just a thought
 
Ok, I tried with an original windows xp sp2 disc as you said and again the same result... I also tried with a burnt copy sp3 disc and nothing.. I really don't know what to do.. And what does "no emulation" mean anyway? :(
 
May be that the bios needs updating to match your new CPU - you dont say if it is the identical CPU or another one.

Check the bios, which should identify the HDD down to the manufacturer, model and size. Anything different or wrong there proves the HDD is not being correctly processed.

If you can burn a compact linux version to CD and boot from that, you will be able to tell if the HDD is readable as well as the CD drive.
 
My old cpu was Intel celeron 2.8 Ghz and the new one ( it is also old from my friend's old computer) is intel celeron 2.4 Ghz and it is 100% tested and working. Ok so I will try with a different cd rom drive or HDD if I manage to find or borrow one, and then I will tell you what happened. Stay in touch. (I'm not into linux very much and I never used it or worked with it.)
 
When Windows reads the install CD, but crashes/black-screens/fails to reboot on the first reboot, this invariably is due to an inability to read data from the HDD. This is why that happens....

During the first file-copy stage, the installer uses a default very low-level method of copying from the CD and writing to the HDD. Then it installs windows drivers for reading and writing. So on the first reboot, the install tries to continue but using the windows drivers.

Failure at this point says the drivers are wrong for the motherboard or CPU. This happens very often with SATA drives (no drivers in XP), with OEM installs on different hardware than expected and for other reasons.

The logic of this combines in my mind with your statement about changing the CPU. To me that means your bios is not correct for the current motherboard/CPU configuration. You should try to update the bios as appropriate. In the event that does not help, it probably means the windows drivers are the wrong ones. You might succeed by using a retail install CD where the installer makes it's own (hopefully sensible) choice of generic drivers. Once up and running, the correct drivers can be downloaded from the various hardware manufacturers sites.

The reason why a freestanding linux on CD is so useful is because the linux version almost always selects appropriate drivers, so failure of (e.g.puppy linux) to read the HDD will implicate an actual hardware fault rather than a driver fault.
 
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Try to initialize the BLANK hdd, use hdd manufacturer tool.
for Seagate/Maxtor hdd, use discwizard (bootable cd edition).
this method will reformat the hdd and all data not backed up will be deleted in the formatting process.

or use minitool partition wizard bootable cd edition:
http://www.partitionwizard.com/partition-wizard-bootable-cd.html
download/burn minitool 7.8 bootable iso to a blank cd and use this tool to format the hdd.

when any of the above has been done, boot from your bootable windows xp cd and install windows xp.
 
Gbhall statement is right , You may need to update the bios, But if this is a retail computer, You may be out of luck, I know HP, Dell and so forth put out maybe one update for the bios if your lucky, Also set the bios back to default settings and clear the cmos. I would go with Misor statement. This maybe your best bet overall. With hardrive thats in there now. If not you may still need to change the hard drive.
 
Ok so I tried with a different cd rom and again the same result. So I decided to test my HDD and I put it in my friends PC. I managed to install XP on it, and everything worked perfectly.(So I am now sure that windows is installed on hdd and its working fine and I don't need cd rom drive any more) But when I returned it in my machine and set it as primary boot device in bios and rebooted, the bios screen showed up as usual (but it doesnt beeps) and than when it was supposed to start windows nothing was shown on the monitor. (The pc isnt able to boot from the hdd). So gbhall can you please tell me exactly how to do that thing with the retail CD. I think now that you are right and that bios is not correct for the current mobo cpu configuration. Pls answer :) Here is the video I captured everything
 
Have you tried borrowing your friend's cd/dvd drive? (sata/pata?) :)
...or you can buy your own; sata dvd-rw is about 20$; just make sure you mobo has sata connector.
...possibility that your cd/dvd drive is busted, or the data cable is busted (sata cable or ide/eide cable).
 
What I think gbhall is saying for the retail cd. Is you need the computers original recovery disk. I don't know if this will help. But when you install the new CPU. Did you reset the cmos? Then set the bios back to default. This may help with your problem. Beings this is not the same CPU.
 
In your bios, the system Date IS WRONG. That is enough to cause the problem you see. I dont know why or how but I have seen this problem. 01/01/2013 will NOT do it !! As I say, I am not sure of the reason, but it is sensible to assume that if the date and/or time is miles out, then the CMOS battery is probably run down, and that will certainly lead to a non-boot.

You also don't seem to have grasped that an OS installed on another PC will almost certainly have drivers that are simply the WRONG ones for YOUR pc when you put the HDD in. The only case where that would work is on a completely identical PC, right down to the mouse, keyboard, network card and ESPECIALLY the video, motherboard, HDD and CPU.
 
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So I checked the bios version and it is the latest one,according to asus official site. I entered the right time and date,but that didn't help. You say I have to install xp on the same configuration,but this is a very old motherboard and CPU so I don't know anyone who has the same conf. So I don't know how to install these correct drivers.. Maybe I should buy a new PC. :(
 
To get the right drivers, or initially at least ones that will work, you need to install from one of two sources.
(a) A retail install CD of XPsp3 (b) the original PC OEM CD
Nothing else is very likely to work, but since you have a fully-installed XP on the HDD now, have you tried safe booting with it? (F8 at boot time). If it boots to safe mode, then you have the opportunity to install the correct drivers, that you will get from various places, starting with the motheboard (ASUS)
 
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Safe boot doesn't work,when I pres f8 or hold f8 or press it many times just nothing happens. I don't have the original OEM cd so can you tell me where or how to find that retail cd of win xp? :)
 
MilanPenev said:
Safe boot doesn't work,when I pres f8 or hold f8 or press it many times just nothing happens. I don't have the original OEM cd so can you tell me where or how to find that retail cd of win xp? :)
Click to expand...

Seems to implicate that the HDD is not being read by the CPU. My original suggestion holds (post#7) to burn a 'live' linux to run from the CD will enable you to discover if the HDD will read in your PC - Whether it reads in another PC is not of much interest except proving the HDD is not actually faulty.

Start from the beginning - 'my CPU was dead'.....oh yes??...more likely 'my motherboard has failed' is equally possible.
 
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gbhall said:
Seems to implicate that the HDD is not being read by the CPU. My original suggestion holds (post#7) to burn a 'live' linux to run from the CD will enable you to discover if the HDD will read in your PC - Whether it reads in another PC is not of much interest except proving the HDD is not actually faulty.

Start from the beginning - 'my CPU was dead'.....oh yes??...more likely 'my motherboard has failed' is equally possible.
Click to expand...
Yeah you were right,my motherboard was the fault. I bought a new one (used of course) and now it works perfectly! :)
 
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