Reinstall XP Home from Hardrive

[Guest xpusrca]

The CDROM in my notebook has died and I desperately want to reinstall my XP

Home installation. Luckily, I had copied the installation CDs that came with

my notebook on the hard drive some time ago.

 

What I would like to know if it's possible, and safe, to reinstall Windows

from the Hard drive using the copied files from the CD?

[Guest Patrick Keenan]

Re: Reinstall XP Home from Hardrive

 

"xpusrca" <xpusrca@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

news:23D0199B-8414-4BBF-8516-1BDF9ED5F6F8@microsoft.com...

> The CDROM in my notebook has died and I desperately want to reinstall my

> XP

> Home installation. Luckily, I had copied the installation CDs that came

> with

> my notebook on the hard drive some time ago.

>

> What I would like to know if it's possible, and safe, to reinstall Windows

> from the Hard drive using the copied files from the CD?

 

Often the answer is "no". This is because the intall routines *wipe the

hard disk* at the start of the process, so you lose the files you're trying

to install with.

 

Plus, you can't format the drive you are currently using, in particular the

system drive, which is what you would have to do with this method.

 

Your best bet is to find an external CD-ROM - or put one together from a

USB2 case and a $30 CD/DVD reader. This will likely be much less expensive

than getting an original replacement drive from the notebook manufacturer.

You'll need to check the BIOS settings first, to ensure that they do permit

booting from USB devices.

 

HTH

-p

[Guest Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Re: Reinstall XP Home from Hardrive

 

 

"xpusrca" <xpusrca@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

news:23D0199B-8414-4BBF-8516-1BDF9ED5F6F8@microsoft.com...

> The CDROM in my notebook has died and I desperately want to reinstall my

> XP

> Home installation. Luckily, I had copied the installation CDs that came

> with

> my notebook on the hard drive some time ago.

>

> What I would like to know if it's possible, and safe, to reinstall Windows

> from the Hard drive using the copied files from the CD?

 

In spite of your foresight you're in a bit of a bind. Here is why:

- If you run the installation program F:\i386\winnt.exe then you're told

that that the program won't run on a 32-bit version of Windows.

- If you run F:\i386\winnt32.exe then you're probably told that the current

version of Windows is more recent than the one you trying to install

(presumambly because of your current Service Pack).

 

If Patrick Kennan's suggestion does not work (perhaps because your BIOS does

not allow you to boot from a USB device) then you could try this alternative

method. This is a lengthy process that requires some patience. As an option

you could return your laptop to the nearest service point and have Windows

reloaded, probably for a fee.

1. Remove the hard disk from your laptop.

2. Install it in a 2.5" USB case.

3. Connect it to some other PC.

4. Back up all your files, including your EMail files.

5. Test your backups, especially your EMail files.

6. Use diskmgmt.msc to delete all existing partitions from

the laptop disk. This will destroy all data!

7. Create a primary FAT32 partition of 20..32 GBytes. 32 GBytes is the

maximum.

8. Mark this partition as "active" and set its label to "Laptop-C".

9. Format this partition.

10. Boot this machine with a Win98 boot disk or CD (http://www.bootdisk.com).

11. Find out which drive letter points to the label "Laptop-C". Let's assume

it's D:.

12. Type these commands:

sys D:{Enter}

copy a:\dos\smartdrv.exe c:\{Enter}

13. Reboot back into Windows.

14. Copy your WinXP CD to the USB drive.

15. Copy your drivers CD to the USB drive.

16. Re-install the disk in your laptop.

17. Reboot it. It should boot into DOS.

18. Type these commands:

c:\smartdrv.exe{Enter}

c:\i386\winnt{Enter}

19. Install Windows by following the prompts.

20. When finished, open a Command Prompt and type this command:

convert c: /fs:ntfs

21. Partition & format the rest of your disk. You will now have a system

drive (C:) and a data drive (D:).

 

To avoid such problems in future I recommend that you look at an imaging

program such as Acronis TrueImage. If you had an image then you could

restore it on any other machine within a very short time.

[Guest xpusrca]

Re: Reinstall XP Home from Hardrive

 

I do have an external USB CD/DVD drive. I checked my BIOS and the only entry

for USB I see is :

 

=====

USB BIOS Legacy Support: Enabled

=====

 

Then, I checked the Boot Sequence in BIOS, which shows this:

 

=====

- Removable Devices

Legacy Floppy Drive

IC25NO40 ATXXX-0-(USB)

CD-ROM Drive

- Hard Drive

ST38XXI2A-(SM)

Boot to LAN

=====

 

Note that I had already attached my external CD-ROM in the USB but it

doesn't appear above.

 

Will this work for me?

 

Thank you very much.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Patrick Keenan" wrote:

> "xpusrca" <xpusrca@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

> news:23D0199B-8414-4BBF-8516-1BDF9ED5F6F8@microsoft.com...

> > The CDROM in my notebook has died and I desperately want to reinstall my

> > XP

> > Home installation. Luckily, I had copied the installation CDs that came

> > with

> > my notebook on the hard drive some time ago.

> >

> > What I would like to know if it's possible, and safe, to reinstall Windows

> > from the Hard drive using the copied files from the CD?

>

> Often the answer is "no". This is because the intall routines *wipe the

> hard disk* at the start of the process, so you lose the files you're trying

> to install with.

>

> Plus, you can't format the drive you are currently using, in particular the

> system drive, which is what you would have to do with this method.

>

> Your best bet is to find an external CD-ROM - or put one together from a

> USB2 case and a $30 CD/DVD reader. This will likely be much less expensive

> than getting an original replacement drive from the notebook manufacturer.

> You'll need to check the BIOS settings first, to ensure that they do permit

> booting from USB devices.

>

> HTH

> -p

>

>

>

[Guest Jim]

Re: Reinstall XP Home from Hardrive

 

 

"Pegasus (MVP)" <I.can@fly.com.oz> wrote in message

news:eXXyb7fMJHA.4536@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...

>

> "xpusrca" <xpusrca@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

> news:23D0199B-8414-4BBF-8516-1BDF9ED5F6F8@microsoft.com...

>> The CDROM in my notebook has died and I desperately want to reinstall my

>> XP

>> Home installation. Luckily, I had copied the installation CDs that came

>> with

>> my notebook on the hard drive some time ago.

>>

>> What I would like to know if it's possible, and safe, to reinstall

>> Windows

>> from the Hard drive using the copied files from the CD?

>

> In spite of your foresight you're in a bit of a bind. Here is why:

> - If you run the installation program F:\i386\winnt.exe then you're told

> that that the program won't run on a 32-bit version of Windows.

> - If you run F:\i386\winnt32.exe then you're probably told that the

> current version of Windows is more recent than the one you trying to

> install (presumambly because of your current Service Pack).

>

> If Patrick Kennan's suggestion does not work (perhaps because your BIOS

> does not allow you to boot from a USB device) then you could try this

> alternative method. This is a lengthy process that requires some patience.

> As an option you could return your laptop to the nearest service point and

> have Windows reloaded, probably for a fee.

> 1. Remove the hard disk from your laptop.

> 2. Install it in a 2.5" USB case.

> 3. Connect it to some other PC.

> 4. Back up all your files, including your EMail files.

> 5. Test your backups, especially your EMail files.

> 6. Use diskmgmt.msc to delete all existing partitions from

> the laptop disk. This will destroy all data!

> 7. Create a primary FAT32 partition of 20..32 GBytes. 32 GBytes is the

> maximum.

> 8. Mark this partition as "active" and set its label to "Laptop-C".

> 9. Format this partition.

> 10. Boot this machine with a Win98 boot disk or CD (http://www.bootdisk.com).

> 11. Find out which drive letter points to the label "Laptop-C". Let's

> assume it's D:.

> 12. Type these commands:

> sys D:{Enter}

> copy a:\dos\smartdrv.exe c:\{Enter}

> 13. Reboot back into Windows.

> 14. Copy your WinXP CD to the USB drive.

> 15. Copy your drivers CD to the USB drive.

> 16. Re-install the disk in your laptop.

> 17. Reboot it. It should boot into DOS.

> 18. Type these commands:

> c:\smartdrv.exe{Enter}

> c:\i386\winnt{Enter}

> 19. Install Windows by following the prompts.

> 20. When finished, open a Command Prompt and type this command:

> convert c: /fs:ntfs

> 21. Partition & format the rest of your disk. You will now have a system

> drive (C:) and a data drive (D:).

>

> To avoid such problems in future I recommend that you look at an imaging

> program such as Acronis TrueImage. If you had an image then you could

> restore it on any other machine within a very short time.

>

The last paragraph is the solution that I used. I use ATI. I set it to

make a backup of the system drive to a folder on a spare USB drive every

week.

Once per month, I move the USB drive to my desktop where I copy the current

backup file to double layer DVD disks using Easy CD Creator.

 

So, when the system drive on the laptop needed to be replaced, I first

bought another notebook drive and USB enclosure.

I found the latest monthly backup for the notebook, and downloaded the

backup file on the double layer disks to a folder on the desktop. This

operation took about 30 minutes.

I then placed the new laptop drive in my spare USB enclosure and connected

it to an available USB port on the desktop.

Now, I used ATI to recover the latest backup. This operation took about 15

minutes.

I then placed the new laptop drive in the laptop, an booted the laptop. As

you can see, in less than an hour the laptop was back up in full working

order.

The ATI backup copies all partitions to the backup file. The restore

operation replaces all partitions, and you need not do anything to the

restored contents.

 

As you can see, my method is based on having two computers at hand. If you

do not, then ATI can create a restore disk, and it will create a backup set

of disks. I have never tried this method and cannot vouch for how quickly

it works.

Jim

[Guest xpusrca]

Re: Reinstall XP Home from Hardrive

 

I had two disks from the manufacturer, labeled AS1700_D1 and RecoverCD, the

contents of their respective folders on my hard drive are:

 

\AS1700_D1\ACER

\AS1700_D1\APP

\AS1700_D1\Driver

\AS1700_D1\OTHERS

\AS1700_D1\STCD

\AS1700_D1\XPPERSP1

\AS1700_D1\XPPROSP1

 

RecoveryCD\ACER\IMAGE

RecoveryCD\ACER\TOOLS

RecoveryCD\ACER\IMAGE\WXPENPER.IMG

RecoveryCD\ACER\IMAGE\WXPENPER.LOG

RecoveryCD\ACER\TOOLS\GDISK.EXE

RecoveryCD\ACER\TOOLS\GHOSTERR.TXT

RecoveryCD\ACER\TOOLS\GHOSTRO.EXE

 

If I'm not mistaken, the RecoveryCD a Ghost Image and not a WINXP CD, right?

Can it still work for me with the steps you have described?

 

Thank you very much.

 

 

 

"Pegasus (MVP)" wrote:

>

> "xpusrca" <xpusrca@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

> news:23D0199B-8414-4BBF-8516-1BDF9ED5F6F8@microsoft.com...

> > The CDROM in my notebook has died and I desperately want to reinstall my

> > XP

> > Home installation. Luckily, I had copied the installation CDs that came

> > with

> > my notebook on the hard drive some time ago.

> >

> > What I would like to know if it's possible, and safe, to reinstall Windows

> > from the Hard drive using the copied files from the CD?

>

> In spite of your foresight you're in a bit of a bind. Here is why:

> - If you run the installation program F:\i386\winnt.exe then you're told

> that that the program won't run on a 32-bit version of Windows.

> - If you run F:\i386\winnt32.exe then you're probably told that the current

> version of Windows is more recent than the one you trying to install

> (presumambly because of your current Service Pack).

>

> If Patrick Kennan's suggestion does not work (perhaps because your BIOS does

> not allow you to boot from a USB device) then you could try this alternative

> method. This is a lengthy process that requires some patience. As an option

> you could return your laptop to the nearest service point and have Windows

> reloaded, probably for a fee.

> 1. Remove the hard disk from your laptop.

> 2. Install it in a 2.5" USB case.

> 3. Connect it to some other PC.

> 4. Back up all your files, including your EMail files.

> 5. Test your backups, especially your EMail files.

> 6. Use diskmgmt.msc to delete all existing partitions from

> the laptop disk. This will destroy all data!

> 7. Create a primary FAT32 partition of 20..32 GBytes. 32 GBytes is the

> maximum.

> 8. Mark this partition as "active" and set its label to "Laptop-C".

> 9. Format this partition.

> 10. Boot this machine with a Win98 boot disk or CD (http://www.bootdisk.com).

> 11. Find out which drive letter points to the label "Laptop-C". Let's assume

> it's D:.

> 12. Type these commands:

> sys D:{Enter}

> copy a:\dos\smartdrv.exe c:\{Enter}

> 13. Reboot back into Windows.

> 14. Copy your WinXP CD to the USB drive.

> 15. Copy your drivers CD to the USB drive.

> 16. Re-install the disk in your laptop.

> 17. Reboot it. It should boot into DOS.

> 18. Type these commands:

> c:\smartdrv.exe{Enter}

> c:\i386\winnt{Enter}

> 19. Install Windows by following the prompts.

> 20. When finished, open a Command Prompt and type this command:

> convert c: /fs:ntfs

> 21. Partition & format the rest of your disk. You will now have a system

> drive (C:) and a data drive (D:).

>

> To avoid such problems in future I recommend that you look at an imaging

> program such as Acronis TrueImage. If you had an image then you could

> restore it on any other machine within a very short time.

>

>

>

[Guest Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Re: Reinstall XP Home from Hardrive

 

 

"xpusrca" <xpusrca@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

news:6ABD4624-A56A-4661-9DC6-1106CA360524@microsoft.com...

>I had two disks from the manufacturer, labeled AS1700_D1 and RecoverCD, the

> contents of their respective folders on my hard drive are:

>

> \AS1700_D1\ACER

> \AS1700_D1\APP

> \AS1700_D1\Driver

> \AS1700_D1\OTHERS

> \AS1700_D1\STCD

> \AS1700_D1\XPPERSP1

> \AS1700_D1\XPPROSP1

>

> RecoveryCD\ACER\IMAGE

> RecoveryCD\ACER\TOOLS

> RecoveryCD\ACER\IMAGE\WXPENPER.IMG

> RecoveryCD\ACER\IMAGE\WXPENPER.LOG

> RecoveryCD\ACER\TOOLS\GDISK.EXE

> RecoveryCD\ACER\TOOLS\GHOSTERR.TXT

> RecoveryCD\ACER\TOOLS\GHOSTRO.EXE

>

> If I'm not mistaken, the RecoveryCD a Ghost Image and not a WINXP CD,

> right?

> Can it still work for me with the steps you have described?

>

> Thank you very much.

 

It's unlikely that you have an image file on the CD - its capacity is far

too small. However, you might have an image on a recovery partition on your

hard disk. It might get used after the initial bootstrap process on the

recovery CD. Someone with experience in Acer recovery methods would be far

better qualified to advise you. Maybe googling will get you a little

further. And no, the method I explained before won't work with the recovery

CD.

[Guest Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Re: Reinstall XP Home from Hardrive

 

 

"xpusrca" <xpusrca@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

news:6ABD4624-A56A-4661-9DC6-1106CA360524@microsoft.com...

>I had two disks from the manufacturer, labeled AS1700_D1 and RecoverCD, the

> contents of their respective folders on my hard drive are:

>

> \AS1700_D1\ACER

> \AS1700_D1\APP

> \AS1700_D1\Driver

> \AS1700_D1\OTHERS

> \AS1700_D1\STCD

> \AS1700_D1\XPPERSP1

> \AS1700_D1\XPPROSP1

>

> RecoveryCD\ACER\IMAGE

> RecoveryCD\ACER\TOOLS

> RecoveryCD\ACER\IMAGE\WXPENPER.IMG

> RecoveryCD\ACER\IMAGE\WXPENPER.LOG

> RecoveryCD\ACER\TOOLS\GDISK.EXE

> RecoveryCD\ACER\TOOLS\GHOSTERR.TXT

> RecoveryCD\ACER\TOOLS\GHOSTRO.EXE

>

> If I'm not mistaken, the RecoveryCD a Ghost Image and not a WINXP CD,

> right?

> Can it still work for me with the steps you have described?

>

> Thank you very much.

 

At second thoughts I think there is a chance that you can invoke the Acer

recovery process. It would be important to know what files exist in the root

folder of the recovery CD and what they contain if they are text files. You

can use notepad.exe to examine them.