help please stuck in limbo after attempted xp instal:-/

hi

really sorry this i my first post and that its such a lengthy one

i'm having some real problems after an attempted xp installation via sandisk cruzer 8gb usb

i was trying to install xp via usb stick via the U3 method i'd had a couple of glasses of wine and like a fool forgot to plug the thing in incase of the battery going flat.

and yes you guessed it it wen't flat half way through the install, ah crap!

so i put the power back in and rebooted it then started the install again, but then started asking me for a 2nd cd? and wouldn't let me go any further:-/

so i thought i'll just start the install again from the boot menu, it starts but then after a couple of mins gives bsod, i've tried a few different xp iso's and they all do the same.

i've got the windows 7 beta iso from ms so i thought i'd give that a go using the same guide,

when i get to the part where you run the U3 customizer exe, it comes up with an error saying that i need 15mb of free space on my u3 smart drive to perform the customization.

i've also tried vista and that gives the same error about needing more space.

i now have this version here

but i'm still stuck in the same situation.

i've also tried restoring the linux using the disc that comes with the aao, but that doesn't even work (i'm having a real bad day) when it boots in dos it works on the first screen when i select "make usb recovery disc", but then when it moves on to the next screen it is like its frozen, neither mouse or keyboard work???

i've even removed the hard drive from the aao (i was doing the ram upgrade anyway) cloned it, then formatted it and tried to install xp from scratch, but then i just get "ntfs not found" or something along those lines.

i've since restored the hd and i'm back to where i was at the start, either getting bsod if i try a full install, or carrying on withe the one thats half done and getting asked for the cd with sp2 on it

any ideas guys as at the moment i have an acer doorstop and thats it

thanks for your time

Gog

 

try following this guide for setting up a usb key to install xp with

http://www.eeeguides.com/2007/11/instal ... thumb.html

i recommend you get a version of XP with SP3 built-in.

 

thanks for the reply mate

i managed to get the aao booting again by installing a version of vista on it, i then tried installing xp from scatch again only to get the bsod.

i'll give the guide you linked to a try now. is there a particular version of xp for the aao with drivers etc built in around??

thanks again

 

hey g0g wondered who i'd see first "over here"

I had a bit of a problem with windows blue screening when it was installing its drivers, towards the end of the install. Now I use that image that I pointed you to in our other thread at DF. Personally i'd suggest you buy a cheap usb cd/dvd or buy a usb to ide converter. Its invaluable over time mate

malty

 

I think there is one in the software section here but I personally didn't like it. I dont' like integrating drivers as they usually are updated over time and if i do a fresh reinstall, it doesn't make sense to me to call it "fresh" if I have to update the existing drivers again.

I do second the idea of getting a USB optical. If you can find one that is powered solely from USB, even better.

 

hi maltloaf, i got it sorted this morning in the end

took me a while tho as i wen't round the houses a bit first

i was doing the ram upgrade anyway so i took the hd out and formatted it after making an image just incase.

kept getting ntfs not loaded or something along those lines so i restored it back, in the end i found a stripped down version of vista on the ng's that'd fit on my usb stick (even tho its 8gb, but thats another story) ran that using the same u3 method.

that installed fine just required a load of drivers, but the main thing it had got rid of the partial install from before.

i then followed the guide and used the software that nibb linked to, and i'm now typing away on the aao running xp lite

one thing tho, it has aa1 fan control built in, its running but the fan seems to be constantly on even when the cpu is at 46 and the fan is set to 55.

is there something else i need to be doing??

thanks for the help goofball, i think i'll take the advice off both of you and keep an eye out for an external disk unit.

any recommendations for a particualr model? what do you guys have?

cheers

Gog :mrgreen: