Re: XP reinstallation woes on Multiboot system

On Sun, 09 Apr 2006 22:49:47 GMT, "pmj" <post@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

"Hawkeye23" <me@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:h06f325htmhr5mk451sp2tpj7fm0cc37p1@xxxxxxxxxx

The latest episode in my dual boot (W98SE/XPH) fiddling/faffing
saga concerns XP.
<snip>
After struggling with these stop error messages via Google and KB
which produced many questions but no answers,I decided to reformat
the partition that XP was on and reinstall it, having found the
original installation a breeze.Was I ever wrong!

After about six unsuccessful attempts to reinstall XP it's time
to ask for help from my friends in UPS.
I have tried two methods.

Yep, the 2 methods you tried actually have some distinct (but subtle)
differences...

... First I booted directly to the XP CD where I get a DOS type setup
screen but blue.

Yep, that's called the "Text Mode" portion of Setup.

...This proceeds ok fora while and 'copies files to the Windows
installation folder'.The instant this finishes however I get the
same Stop Error screen again and you can only restart the pc and
start over.

When you say "the instant it finishes", do you mean before the
Countdown to Reboot thingy? (the Red Progress Bar, saying:
"The PC will Reboot in 15 Seconds")


Or do you mean after it has (started to) Reboot (i.e. after the
15 Second Timer has finished) & before the next Stage is reached?

I mean the moment the yellow progress bar in Setup is Copying Files
gets to 100% annd disappears.For a millisecond there is a Setup screen
which says something about 'Initialisation' but before you have time
to read it it is replaced by the STOP error message BSOD.
I never see the Red Countdown to reboot.
So maybe the Stop Error is before we get to the first reboot.Is there
another process in between Copying Files and Reboot that is something
to do with Initialisation (whatever that is).

The second method of XP installation I have tried is to boot the
pc into W98SE (the only OS I now have and thank God for it as my
lifeline to UPS) and then let the XP CD autorun which produces
a different Windows type XP installation screen.

Yep, that is called the Win32 (32Bit) Setup, it allows you to choose
various Options (such as the Name of the windoze Folder etc,) which
aren't available when Running the Setup Routine when Booted from the CD.

You can also do that Setup, by Running the File Winnt32.exe (in the
i386 Folder on the CD) directly, you don't have to let the CD AutoRun
& then choose "Install WinXP".
If it does AutoRun, when you put the CD in (which you can stop it
from doing by holding the Shift Key down while the CD is Inserted
& keeping it held down until the CD Drive has finished being spun up
to speed & being Read), you can Exit out of the "Welcome" Screen
& then just Navigate around the CD, using windoze Explorer.

... This again proceeds again fora while setting up this and copying
that but when it gets to where it needs to restart the pc for the
first time everything falls apart.

So, what we need to do then, is to try & find out what's going wrong
at that point?

Because (I think) it restarts to a Multiboot Menu to which has been
added a third option Win XP Setup to which it quickly defaults

Yep, the WinXP Setup Routine ReWrites the Boot.ini File, to include
a line with a Reference to the new (incomplete) Installation & it Sets
the "Timeout=" Line to just *1* Second - the idea is so that the Machine
Boots straight into the rest of the Setup Routine, when it ReBoots.

You need to be *very* quick to catch it, if you want to Boot into any
other Operating System...
Press the Escape Key (or any of the Arrow Keys, but not the SpaceBar
or Enter Keys), when you see that Boot Menu, to Stop the Countdown,
so you can then choose one of the other Operating Systems.
You can then Open up the Boot.ini File & Edit it, to change the Timeout,
if you want, or to change the Text Description that is shown on the
Screen, or to change the order of the Menu Entries, or to change the
Default Operating System.
If you Set the Timeout to "-1" (that's Minus 1, which is equivalent to
an Infinite Timeout), then it doesn't Automatically Boot into any OS,
it just waits & you *have* to choose an OS to Boot into.

... which then restarts the XP CD

Nope - it shouldn't Boot up from the CD at that point.
So long as you don't "press any Key", then it Boots from the
(Temporary) Boot Files that are in a (Temporary) Directory on the
Hard Disk.

Which yes, does *look* similar to the Text Mode Setup Screen
that you get when Booted from the CD.

... with the DOS type setup screen from the very beginning and the
whole sequence begins again which end up with the Stop Error Screen
again.

Well, if it definitely *is* actually Booting from the CD, then there's
something wrong somewhere & that's the first place to look!

try taking the CD out, when it gets to that ReBoot, so it *can't* Boot
from the CD & see if it Boots up OK from the (Temporary) Boot Files on
the hard Disk.

It will then ask you to "Insert the WinXP Install CD", when it notices
that the CD isn't in the Drive.

I haven't tried this yet but once I've provided this extra info I'll a
go and report back.

... Again the Stop Error messages are similar but not the same except
that the only way out is to restart the pc with nothing accomplished.

Doh!
:-(

Can you Post up some examples of what the STOP Error Message(s) say?
In particular any References to any "Modules" or Files that it says.

There seems to be 3 bespoke bits to the Stop Error Messages.
At the top there is often but not always some words in capitals which
may be what you mean by Modules.
Near the bottom there is always STOP with a code plus 4 more bits of
code in brackets(which I'll ignore for the mo).
Then sometimes but not often just below the STOP code there is the
name of a file with an Address plus more numbers which I'll ignore
also.Examples are as follows:
(1)PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA / STOP:0x00000050
(2)BAD_POOL_CALLER / STOP:0x000000C2 (twice)
(3)CDFS_FILE_SYSTEM / STOP:0x00000026
(4) ditto as 3 but with 'cdfs.sys Address F76879D5' at bottom
(5) No words/nofile just STOP:0x0000008E
(6)STOP:0x0000008E with 'setupdd.sys Address F74CD7D3'

I am hoping that the knowledgeable ones in here will be able to help
me out of this vicious circle.

I haven't come across that particular problem during any of the WinXP
Installations I* have done.
But I did have a *major* problem, when it wouldn't even Boot Up from
the Install CD!
It wouldn't even get as far as the "Copying Files" bit, or even to
the Screen where you choose to Start the setup Routine.
:-(

It came up with a BSoD STOP Error, while it was Booting Up!

But that turned out to be cos it was WinXP Original (not SP1 or SP2)
& that crashes when used with a Machine with a SATA Hard Disk, cos
before SP1, WinXP didn't come with any SATA Drivers.

The only clue I have is that the problems seem to arise when the
installation process (in both methods) gets to the stage when it needs
to reboot the pc.

OK, so that's the clue we need to work on...

What Partitions do you have on the PC at the mo?
& what Partition are you choosing to do the Install onto?
Is it a Primary Partition?
Or a Logical Drive in an Extended Partition?
& is it Formatted with FAT32 or NTFS?

There are two HDD.The original 5yo 40GB still as a single and active
partition (C:\) in which sits the original W98SE and all the program
and data.
The second and new 80GB HDD is 7200 ATA133 IDE.Back in the New Year
and with your help this was (and is) partitioned into one Primary (but
not Active) annd one Extended Partition split into four Logical
partitions.All partitions on both drives are formatted FAT32.
The Primary partition on the second HDD (D:\) has a second clean
version of W98SE.The first logical drive (E:\) had the first trouble
free installation of XPH.And it is this E:\ drive that I am trying to
reinstall XPH having reformatted that partition as a result of a rash
of Stop Errors.
... And then the reboot process is complicated by the fact that
there is a multiboot menu left there by the original installation
of XP which was not removed by the reformat of the separate
partition where XP originally resided.

That's easily sorted. (see above).
Just Edit the Boot.ini File (which is on the "System" (Boot) Partition,
(normally the C:" Drive) regardless of what Partition you are Installing
WinXP into.

Look carefully at the lines in the Boot.ini File (making sure that
you can see where the actual Lines end, cos they are quite long
& may well WordWrap in the Window, when you look at them in something
like Notepad.) & when you have sussed out which line refers to which
Operating System Installation, then you can Delete the line that refers
to the one you no longer need.

But since I am the one in the bxxxxrs muddle obviously I know very
little.

We all started off by knowing very little about the WinXP Installation
Routine!
:-)

But having done it a fair number (i.e. lots!) of times & Read various
Reference Articles about it, we know pretty much what to expect & what
to try when things don't go as the should during it.

All comments and advice in what seems to be coming a regular
occurrence I will be most grateful for.

See above!
:-)

HTH, but I'm sorry I haven't got any Quick & simple, definitive thing
for you to do to make it Fixted.
:-(
I am as ever very grateful for all the time and attention you are
giving to my problems.I hope this additional info will trigger other
suggestions I might try.Many thanks.

Hawkeye

PS To Jeff Gaines
Many thanks for your reply further up the thread.I did run the
Memtest86 (overnight- now I know why you said that) but it didn't show
any RAM errors though I had thought it might.
I also have a Matrox Graphics Card G450 which I have been suspicious
about for a long time in respect of my FatalException errors in W98SE
which is what got us into this long running saga in the first place.
Do you think it might be a suspect in this XP stop error affair also!?
.

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