I need help (big time)

[xXxJDub75xXx]

This is probly somehting simple but it is driving me insane. I recently came home from college and decided it would be a good time for a reformat and whatnot for a nice clean slate seeing as how I can back up stuff I want to keep on my brother's computer on our network.

Well, it was all going fine, I put in the windows reinstall cd, restarted my computer, and formatted, and started the install. I get to the part where you install some of the files and it restarts, and then after it restarts, it ismply detects my processor, ide drives, then restarts. It keeps doing this endlessly. I went into the BIOS and tinkered around with the boot order and whatnot and the only results I get are either 1) it keeps rebooting endlessly or 2) goes back to the windows install thing that I already did.

Someone must know how to solve my woes. Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

 

[ChaosBlizzard]

Well, lets try something. Go into the bios and find something called "reset the ESCD" (Extended System Configuration Data). The save and exit.

 

[Chubz]

Try doing the same thing over again, if that doesnt work, make sure that you are not doing something wrong during the reinstall, and be sure that you have all of the correct discs etc. so that the problem can be solved..

if none of those works.....i am not really for sure what is wrong, unless the reinstall is going wrong or the disc is messed up?

 

[Apokalipse]

you said it sometimes goes back to the Windows reinstall, does it do that even without having the disk in?
it could have a problem with one of the devices, that coincidently only started happening after the install, so the BIOS keeps restarting because it can't boot with it.....

 

[killians45]

make sure virus protection of the boot sector is disabled, also if you have SATA drives, go into bios.. hell, do this anyway, and set it to be IDE compatable... its somewhere in there probably. Its especially a problem if you have XP old with no sp1... set for IDE compatible mode, then install XP SP1 and set back to SATA.

 

[xXxJDub75xXx]

ChaosBlizzard - I can't find that...

Chubz - The disk is fine, in fact I have tried 2 different disks with the same results for both. I'm positive I am going through the install correctly as I have done it many times before with no problems.


apokalipse - When I keep the disk in, it keeps going back to the first install thing of windows xp, where you pick the partition to install it on and all that. And when I take the disk out, it simply keeps rebooting over and over.


killians45 - I don't have SATA drives. And I think it is already set to be IDE compatible, it detects my HD every time.

Also, I just noticed that right before it restarts it flashes some sort of error message really fast. After I get done trying formatting again ill watch it a few times to try and get it all and post it. Thanks for all the replies!

 

[ChaosBlizzard]

ChaosBlizzard - I can't find that...

Chubz - The disk is fine, in fact I have tried 2 different disks with the same results for both. I'm positive I am going through the install correctly as I have done it many times before with no problems.


apokalipse - When I keep the disk in, it keeps going back to the first install thing of windows xp, where you pick the partition to install it on and all that. And when I take the disk out, it simply keeps rebooting over and over.


killians45 - I don't have SATA drives. And I think it is already set to be IDE compatible, it detects my HD every time.

Also, I just noticed that right before it restarts it flashes some sort of error message really fast. After I get done trying formatting again ill watch it a few times to try and get it all and post it. Thanks for all the replies!

Ok pull the cmos battery out and wait a few seconds, then put it back in. This will reset your bios..