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Windows XP endless install on mystery laptop

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So this girl at work gave me a laptop. It has no brand name, no logo no nothing on it. An AIDA32 report came up as unknown on just about everything.

What I know it has is a DVD-R/RW combo drive, a gig of ram and a pentium M 1.7 (2mb L2 cache and I don't know why), and a wireless card. So it's a decent, if older laptop I would like to save and use.

The XP install on it was pretty messed up, with all the stuff install on it I just wanted a fresh install. Sounds easy right? It's got a XP Home key on a sticker on the bottom (the only thing on it all all) so I figure I am good to go right?

Wrong.

Here is what happens:

1. I put in the XP disc, it loads up. I want to re-install XP so I select that option.

2. I choose to format the hard drive. This as far as I can tell goes without a hitch.

3. It spends about 10 minutes copying files. I assume these are the files nessesary for the installation.

4. The computer informs me that it needs to reboot. It reboot.

5. Go to step 1. It just goes back the same install/recovery screen I started with.

XP will not install, no matter how many times I go through this.

I have ubuntu on it now, but I am getting sick of that. I just want to play Dwarf Fortress in the living room!

Help!
 
Take off booting from the DVD drive at step 4, As the first thing it wants to boot from is the DVD. Put it in 2nd or take it off the boot order completely.
 
oh man, I wish I remembered exactly.

It was something simple, like 'Boot Error' . I think it was just two words.
 
Ok, Lets try this:

1. Turn off native HDD support in the BIOS
2. Start XP install, Format the Hard Drive
3. Copy files etc
4. Turn off boot from DVD in the BIOS
5. Hope like hell that it works
6. Report back to us :)
 
I had a sneaking suspiscion that the problem was a hidden recovery partition that was interfering with the boot sector, as I had that problem on the last two Dell laptops I had (and did this on successfully).

However, GParted live CD saw nothing of the sort. Also, I installed ubuntu, formating the entire drive and it worked fine. Then I tried to install XP again and ran into the same problem. I just put ubuntu back on it because I was tired of messing with it. Ubuntu installed both times with no trouble.
 
NetXHosting said:
Ok, Lets try this:

1. Turn off native HDD support in the BIOS
Click to expand...

I am not seeing an option for this. Would it be under another name?

My hard drive option are set as follows:

Type [Auto]
LBA/Large Mode [Auto]
Block (multi-section transfer) [Auto]
PIO Mode [Auto]
DMA Mode [Auto]
S.M.A.R.T. [Auto]
32 bit Transfer [Disabled]
 
American Megatrend I think.

Thanks for the help.

Will try all of this tomorrow, I'm going to bed now. Will report.
 
Try reformatting using a different tool.. have you also tried a different XP disk? Might be something corrupt on it.
 
sometimes you gotta do a full format, not quick format.
happened to me once when i was trying to install xp. copied files, started install and boom, error missing files blabla.
Tried 3 different xp disks, only to figure out doing a full format solved the problem :)

My recommendation:
1) DBAN -> erase everything
2) Install XP after doing full format
 
I think for a free laptop, I'd just take it to a computer repair shop. Places around here do it for $40-$50 so it's worth it if I cannot figure something out. Especially since you just saved $500 not buying a new laptop.
 
Well, I'm tryoing it again.

Booting from the hard drive after the reboot just hangs with an underscore on the screen.

Trying a different disc. (This one only has SP1 =( )
 
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