Can't get Windows to install

[GT98]

Ok I'm having a problem with my Shuttle Box..I Installed Redhat back a couple months ago on it to play around with....I haven't used it in a couple months due to me moving and last night I decided to reinstall it with Windows XP Pro since I want to get it set up as an HTPC (finally after having it for a year).

I popped in the WinXP CD and it boots up and I deleted the Red Hat Partions in the Windows set up and set the drive up as a NTFS. Windows installs some files and then states that its going to reboot. The system Reboots and then comes up with an error saying that the Operating System cannot be found when its supposed to boot into XP to countine the install. I thought it was because I did a quick Format of the drive, but I redid it with a full format and got the same error.

After this I got out my Windows 98 CD and tried that. It came up saying it couldnt install 98 since it was an unregionized file system and asked me if I wanted setup the hard drive so it could install Windows 98. I said ok, the system rebooted and then started Formating the drive. It got to about 98% done then came back with an error saying that it can't finish the install (don't remember the excact error)

I downloaded the seagate tools for checking the drive out and right now everything is checking out. I'm doing a surface check at the moment and should be done by the time I get home from work.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what could be happening?

[dZeus]

maybe the bios has some kind of MBR protection against virusses that doesn't allow it to be written to, even by the windows setup?

[GNEP]

fdisk /mbr? Or use the original Red Hat disk to remove their boat loader

[Rigel]

Had the same problem once. As GNEP said, «fdisk /mbr» fixed it.

[Tjalfe]

you can also find the nice utility killmbr.exe .. has helped me a few times when the bootsector or partitions were messed.

[GT98]

Yeah I was starting to think thats what needed to be done...I'll try it when I get home

[UtwigMU]

Do you happen to have one of those laptops with BIOS on HDD?

[GT98]

Originally posted by UtwigMU
Do you happen to have one of those laptops with BIOS on HDD?

Huh? Its a Shuttle Small Form Factor PC

[UtwigMU]

Sorry, my mistake.

[Jammrock]

if you have a bootable Winxp/2k install CD do the following:

Press 'R' to enter the repair menu

Press 'C' (pretty sure it's C) to get into the Recovery Console.

Once that's up type in: FIXMBR and press Enter.

Reboot and try again.

Jammrock

[GT98]

Well still not having any luck at the moment...I tried the Fdisk /MBR command off a Windows ME boot disk and the FIXMBR command after booting off the Windows XP CD.

What happens is the PC boots up after being restarted by the Windows setup and I have it set to boot off the CDROM drive then the HDD, so I let it go past the boot off a CD then I get Error loading operating System and it just sits at the BIOS page. the Seagate tools say the drive is perfectly fine according to their diaginostic tools.

[The PIT]

Try creating a partition with pqmagic and see what happens. Also you are trying to boot off the right drive check the old bios just in case it's confused.

[GT98]

Ok did some more playing around and nearly wiped out the BIOS on accident in a Reflash...but I was able to recover from that.

The problem I'm running into now is that with just the HDD installed (No CDROM drive attached) and making sure its set up properly under the BIOS is that the computer doesn't seem to want to intinalize the drive. It goes though the whole BIOS and just hangs at where it would start the HDD up to start booting off it, even though its correctly setup in the BIOS. I'm wondering if its the IDE Cable now, but I believe that would have been picked up by Seagate tools. Its getting fustrating, so I'm putting it to bed tonight and I'll **** with it tommorow just incase I'm doing something stupid.

[DukeP]

Thats strange. Had exactely the same happening to me today, with a shuttle g2 board/case (i875p based).

Figured the HD was borked, returned it and tried again. So far worked.

Please keep posting - lets see if this is a trend.

~~DukeP~~

[The PIT]

You didn't buy a lemon from me did you.