XP install stalls at Installing Network

[KingmanRoss]

Hi all.I have tried many many times,looked at multiple forums,to no avail/solutions.My friends Dell-trying to re-install XP Home-all is fine till it gets to 32min mark on installing Network,then hangs,for hours.Tried 2 different xp disks-same results.Tried connecting/UN-connecting Ethernet/took out wireless but same thing.It is a Dell Dimension 8300 desktop.Please,ASAP.Thanks.

 

[MindoverMaster]

Try disabling your Ethernet port in BIOS. Might be the port that may be goofing it. It'd be in Advanced, I/O devices.

 

[RubeSmench]

If Mindover's idea does not work out, give your hard drive a quick diagnostic scan SeaTools for DOS | Seagate is a nice one. I had a similar problem installing Xubuntu on a laptop, ended up the hard drive was faulty and kept freezing after X amount of minutes which ended up occurring at the same spot on the install. Are you doing a fresh install or a repair, also are you using the Dell XP install disc or an OEM?

 

[KingmanRoss]

Did Minds to no avail.Thanks tho.

 

[KSoD]

You may have to slipstream the Network drivers onto your XP CD to continue the process. Might I also suggest making sure that you do a full format with the XP CD and not a quick format.

 

[RubeSmench]

Also, try installing Windows using "Standard PC" instead of "ACPI". Begin a fresh Windows install again... At the beginning of the "Windows Setup" screen it will say, "Press F6 to load 3rd party SCSI or RAID drivers". Press F5 (not F6). Shortly after, you'll be prompted to choose a HAL layer. Choose "Standard PC". This may help you if the issue is caused by the detection of hardware.

Source

Let the XP hang up at 34 minutes remaining for the first time remove the CD from the CDROM and reboot Dont enter the CD when the installation asks for it, instead open the DOS prompt (Shift + F10) goto C:/Windows and type setupapi.log, hit enter The setupapi.log file opens in a notepad Scroll to the very last few lines in the file and search for the word “inf” You will notice that in the last few moments the installation created a file with the extension “.inf” before dying out (in my case it was the faulty modem for which XP created the file mdmcxpt.inf). It means that the device mentioned in the last few lines is faulty and you have to make the installation skip through it. Close the notepad and go to the folder C:/windows/inf in command prompt Browse through the files to find the “.inf” which was related to the faulty device. Straightaway delete the inf file (eg: del mdmcxpt.inf) now put in the XP installation CD and Continue the installation

Source Stumbled across those two just now. Hopefully you haven't tried them already. If you're only interested in results, I suppose you could swap that hard drive into a 2nd pc, install xp and then swap back. Hope to hear back with some news of success.

 

[KSoD]

The first part wont apply. The reason being is that if AHCI was on, then it wouldnt even see the drive to install to. So setting it to IDE instead of AHCI is not going to get him anywhere.

The 2nd part would be covered with the aspect of slipstreaming proper drivers onto the XP CD. Would stop XP from stalling at the install of the faulty drivers.