[lifesaver]

I have a Dell 5150 running Windows XP prof. It recently became necessary to re-install the OS. So I uninstalled XP and put my CD in and proceeded to install XP. Everything went well until I got a message asking for SP1. I found one online and copied it onto a CD, put the CD in my drive and it won't read it. It's a new CD drive so I know it's not the hardware. I have run through all f8 options. It won't boot in safe mode. I've set up the boot sequences enabling only the CD and when I save it I get 2 short beeps. I've removed the CD drive and connected an external USB CD drive and it doesn't recognize it. I checked the installation disk and discovered that it was an XP prof upgrade, not a full version, duh! I borrowed a full version and tried that but it will not boot from the CD. Short of replacing the hard drive, what do I do?





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[mphenterprises]

Hi LifeSaver. Welcome to PCWorld. :-)




Okay, first thing I need to ask you is how old is your computer? Most modern computers come with either a recovery CD or a recovery partition. Either way, either already has Service Pack 2. Here are some more questions:

- From where did you find Service Pack 1? Please provide the url if possible.

- Why did you have to reinstall the Operating System in the first place?

- Do you remember the specifications of your computer before you reinstalled the Operating System?

- Were you able to successfully reinstall Windows and are now trying to install Service Pack 1?

- What is the manufacturer and model of your computer?




I have a hunch as to what is going on but please answer these questions first.

[lifesaver]

OK, let me answer your questions in order.

Okay, first thing I need to ask you is how old is your computer? My laptop is 4 yrs old.

Most modern computers come with either a recovery CD or a recovery partitio



n. Either way, either already has Service Pack 2. Correct. I have a CD with the OS that was installed on my computer.

Here are some more questions:
* From where did you find Service Pack 1? Please provide the url if possible. www.softwarepatch.com/windows/winxpsp1.html

* Why did you have to reinstall the Operating System in the first place? I had been getting a number of dll and registry error messages over the past few weeks. I've kept my virus program up to date, run spyware programs and adaware programs consistently. So I purchased a program that was supposed to repair my registry. I ran it and rebooted. My system crashed. I had to install the OS again. I located by XP CD and began the installation process. I didn't learn until it was too late that it was an XP upgrade and not a full version. I had upgraded some time ago from Windows 98. So it partially installed and asked for the SP1 disk. I have not been able to get it to read the SP1 disk or a full XP version I borrowed. I cannot get it to read an external USB CD drive. It just continues to reboot from C:, coming back to the same SP1 prompt. It's groundhog day! :) None of the f8 selections makes any difference. It won't boot in safe mode either. When I select the boot from CD option it ignores it. I've removed the CD drive and the setup recognizes that there's no CD drive; when i insert the drive it recognizes that it's there. So whatever is keeping it from reading the CD won't let me reinstall anything.

Do you remember the specifications of your computer before* you reinstalled the Operating System? I'm not sure what specs you're referring to. I know I had been running XP and had downloaded both SP1 and SP2 in the past.

* Were you able to successfully reinstall Windows and are now trying to install Service Pack 1? NO. As desrcibed above, it hangs up during the process and I can't get it to read the CD.

* What is the manufacturer and model of your computer? It's a Dell 5150.
I have a hunch as to what is going on but please answer these questions first.

THANKS!

[mphenterprises]

lifesaver said:

>
>Correct. I have a CD with the OS that was installed on my computer.

Quote

Okay, then my question to you would be is this a copy of Windows XP or the original CD? If your computer is four years old, there should be no reason why you should have to download and install Service Pack 1 and 2. They should already been part of the Installation CD, at the very least, Service Pack 1.

According to Dell, this computer was shipped with Windows XP. My gut is telling me that Dell would have shipped this computer out with SP2 already installed. There should be no reason why you would have to download either Service Pack.

My suggestion to you would be to get the official Recovery CD from Dell. Now, your computer may be on the edge of when manufacturers started installing Recovery Partitions within computers. If your computer has one, and if you haven't reformatted everything within your computer, you may be able to restore your computer. You can read this Document to learn more about each feature.

[lifesaver]

OK. I have only original disks, never copies. All I know is when it goes through the installataion process, it gets to a place where a box pops up labeled "Insert Disk" which says "Please insert the Compact Disk labeled 'Windows XP Professional Service Pack 1 CD'...." I click OK and another box pops up labeled "File Needed." It says, "The file 'asma' on Windows XP Professional Service Pack CD is needed." A path for D: and D:I386 is provided with no other options. I put the CD in, click OK and nothing happens. Canceling brings up another box that says "Fatal Error" One of the components WIndows needs to continue setup could not be installed. Clicking OK just loops back through the same process. Rebooting with the CD in the drive changes nothing. It simply does not read any disk.

[spike]

Do you still have a Windows 98 disc?, or any other version, or a friend that does?

[rgreen4]

I agree with Spike. If what you have is an XP upgrade disc, the disc it should be asking for is any prior operating disc - Win98, Win95, Win3.1, Windows 2000 Pro, etc.
Look on the face of the original upgrade disc, it should be a hologram label and should say that it includes Service Pack 1 or 2. This would be on the upper right side of the disc just below the XP "flag"

I have never had an install disc ask for a Service Pak Disc.

Which version of XP are you attempting to install, and what year version. My upgrade discs are 2002, even though on the covers it says 2004, for that is when I bought them. My XP Home upgrade is SP2, my XP Pro upgrade is SP1 (although I do have the MS issued SP2 disc separately).

[lifesaver]

Well, thanks guys for all your input. I seem to be at a dead end. Nothing I've tried allows me to access the CD drive. I am not inclined to waste anymore time with it. I have all my data backed up so installing a new hard drive and reloading my programs and drivers seems to be the only option. I could have already done that by now when I factor in the hours of trying all the other options which have failed. So, thanks again. I do appreciate your willingness to help.

[rgreen4]

You have not answered one question that is crucial to your being able to reinstall XP - do you have access to a previous version of Windows CD? It must either be Windows 95/98/ME or Windows 2000/NT4.



If you do, set your BIOS to boot off the CD, and insert your Original XP Upgrade disc and then boot the machine. This is best done by turning on the machine and entering the Setup routine. I don't know offhand what the key stroke would be on a Dell, but on HP its to hit F10 when the text at the bottom of the screen says "<F10=Setup>", on most aftermarket motherboards its "<DEL>: BIOS Setup". Then in the BIOS setup change the boot sequence and before exiting, insert the CD in the drive. On exit, the machine will boot.

1. If you wish to try the repair option, read this [document|d-1150].
2. If you wish to try more here is another [restore document|d-1135].
3. If you wish to reformat the drive you can take the option to do a new installation, after that you will be given an option of installing in another folder (not recommended) or reformatting the drive which is the best option. At some point it will ask for the COA, which must be the COA in the upgrade package, since you have another OS on the sticker on the bottom of the machine. When the upgrade disc does not find a previous edition of Windows during the install it will ask you to insert the previous windows disc for verification of upgrade authorization. Only a previous Windows version CD will work. A Vista DVD will not work, nor will another XP disc, unless you are going from XP Home to XP Professional.
After reading the previous version CD file, it will ask you to remove the CD, reinsert the XP CD and it will continue.
A new HD will have the exact same process as #3, except you may not have to reformat, although it is recommended. It does offer the ability to have some backup of the files that you many think are backed up, but might not be.
Regardless, a reinstall will require a previous version of Windows CD if you are reinstalling XP from an upgrade disc.