Problems installing a new harddrive.

[Sonorous]

Ok, so I've got this 80 gig harddrive I've installed and I'd like Windows XP on it. Previously I was on a 20 gig harddrive with Windows 98. Yeah, I don't exactly keep up with technology, but I know an alright amount considering what I've actually been using.

I've gone through XP setup and I've got the 80 gig HD partitioned and formatted and working and can use it just fine. The problem is, I can only use it as a slave to the 20 gig still having 98 on it as the master drive (I pick which OS to open during startup).

I would like to have it to where I can use just the 80 gig as a master and not have the 20 at all, but every time I take the 20 out and plug into the 80 with the master jumper, I just end up booting to a command prompt (win32 enviroment?) with no commands that doesn't do anything. It's as if the harddrive is blank, but I know it isn't. It's the harddrive I selected to install to during the XP Setup, and when I open under XP I can even look through it and see the Windows files on it. On the other hand, if I boot with the 20 as master and take the 80 out completely, it still prompts me to pick which OS to open with and if I pick XP then it gives an error message about missing files.

I've tried making a boot disk to see if I can get somewhere with that, but it boots to the same empty command prompt, and it isn't the boot sequence causing that either.

So I'm assuming the bootloader is stored on the 20 and not on the 80... so how do I move it?

 

[jeremy]

from what i understand you installed XP into your 20gb and not the 80gb , youll have to set the 80gb as master and the 20gb as slave and install xp (on the right one this time) when done just drag & drop or copy & paste your important files from the 20gb into a partition in your 80gb hd and just disconnect the 20gb afterwards

 

[jeremy]

but if im wrong and you did install into your 80gb, then do a repair install
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm (still while the 80gb is master) , but if you didnt partition the 80gb right (which might be the case) and its first partition isnt primary then youll have to delete all of its partitions and re partition it otherwise you wont be able to install any windows on it

 

[Sonorous]

The first partition is primary, so it isn't that. Also, I can open up the Windows folder on the 80 and see all of the Windows files that are in it. I think whats missing is the XP bootloader... so how do I move that onto the 80?

I'm afraid I can't install it with the 80 set as master either. See, the XP CD is scratched some, and if I try to boot from the CD it freezes. I have to start the computer under 98 with the 20 as master, and then during the Windows Setup I select the 80gb as the harddrive to install to.

 

[jeremy]

i think mbrtool can backup & restore the bootloader
http://www.diydatarecovery.nl/mbrtool.htm
youll have to put it on a bootable floppy , or just get the ultimatebootcd which includes it
http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/ , better read mbrtool manual before using , basicly youll have to backup the bootloader of the 20gb and then restore it to the 80gb which will make it bootable but be aware that thats not all you have to do in order for this to work properly youll also need to copy these files from the root of the 20gb's first partition to the root of the 80gb first partition:
ntldr / NTDETECT.COM / boot.ini / msdos.sys & io.sys & other .dos files if there are any and edit the boot.ini to remove the 98 entry if you just want it to load xp without showing the os selection menu (note these files are hidden & system better make sure you got the folder options right in order to see em)

 

[Sonorous]

Ok, I've got it working with just the 80 now. However, upon startup, theres like a half-installation that it asks about finishing, but passes it up after 5 seconds.

There are also these folders/files on the harddrive that weren't there before (Not under a Windows folder, just in C:\)

$WIN_NT$.~BT
$WIN_NT$.~LS
$LDR$
INF000.SWP
INF001.SWP
NTDETECT
NTLDR
TXTSETUP.SIF

Is it OK to delete these? They aren't in the Windows folder, so I'm assuming these are the installation files that were copied to the drive during an interupted install. Can I delete these and make the startup prompt go away?

 

[jeremy]

However, upon startup, theres like a half-installation that it asks about finishing, but passes it up after 5 seconds.

i dont know what your talkin about,give more details about that

Is it OK to delete these?

cant say for sure , i suggest youll get ubcd4win or reatogo
http://www.ubcd4win.com
http://www.reatogo.de
both basicly create a "live" windows cd , move those files to a new folder and restart and see how it goes if it will go bad then simply boot ubcd4win/reatogo and move em back , but if nothin will go wrong then delete em

 

[Sonorous]

When I start up, after it goes through all of the motherboard startup stuff, it asks me (Just like the screen where I would pick which OS to use) to either use Windows XP or continue with a previous installation.

It's nothing major and I'm more curious than worried, it picks XP automatically after 5 seconds anyway.

Thanks for all of your help, by the way.

 

[jeremy]

thats easy to fix just goto start-->run-->notepad c:\boot.ini
remove the right entry and save , you welcome