the weirdest problem ever,seriaaas

kronoSX

kronoSX

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ok i\repaired a laptop last night,and then had to install windowz,right everything is fine and it installs only to 37%,then crashes.
Now i tried 8 times with 3 disks and nothing,just bombs out.

I then decided to install linux ubuntu on it and it installed:sick:

Now i have this problem,I know 20% of linux user interface:(
My client cant even say linux:D

So his laptop is fixed but not really.
what is the best and most noob friendly linux program to run windows apps,I know wine is one but there must be a better thing than that;)
 
download virtualbox, install windows on that :p :D

Can it be a wonky CDRom?

If possible, download memtest86+ and test the lappy's RAM just to be on the safe side.

Also - can you install windows now (after formatting the HDD and erasing Ubuntu)?

Did you try to install windows with FAT32 or NTFS?
 
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Sounds similar to a problem I had when installing Windows onto a laptop. Ubuntu installed fine, Windows XP install crashed all the time at a similar %.

Then I booted up with GParted, and formatted the entire drive to NTFS.

After that, Windows installed fine.
 
I've seen this problem before a few times, traced it down to a failing hard drive. :)

But it's completely possible that it's a software problem.
 
i'd try xp SP2 cd first, xp no SP cd doesn't recognise alot of features of newer boards and cpus and crashes( pci-express slots , dual core cpu's)

disable whatever hardware you can in the bios before install

or

it could be faulty memory which normally does this
 
well sorry i did not mention that i did try all those things inbetween the sytem crashes.
I did have a problem with the hdd in the beginning,i reversed the voltage to kickstart the hdd as it was stuck somehow..lol.
this i think fixed the drive,but my main concern is the cd drive,it makes alot of noise,then subsides.
I did use partition magic to format the drive.
the memory is also fine
 
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ok update on first repair..i can install windows 98 but i cant install xp...
But this laptop is a xp machine oem
Should i to update the bios or just burn the thing out
 
have you tried copying the i386 folder i think its called form the windows xp cd and install it direct from HD? if there is prob copying the i386 folder then you know there is a problem with the cd or the cdrom.
 
How many cycles of Memtest did you run? Leave it on for a couple of hours. Sounds like a memory issue to me :)
I think XP setup would tell you when it has trouble reading from the CD (if it's a failing optical drive/CD)...dunno if it would tell you if it can't write to disk (if it's a failing HDD)
Have you tried formatting the drive with the XP SP2 CD or only with Part. Magic?
 
PostmanPot said:
Sounds similar to a problem I had when installing Windows onto a laptop. Ubuntu installed fine, Windows XP install crashed all the time at a similar %.

Then I booted up with GParted, and formatted the entire drive to NTFS.

After that, Windows installed fine.
Click to expand...

This sounds about the best advice. I was just thinking that. Boot into Ubuntu, use gparted to recreate the partitions (correctly), and then install XP.
 
only with partition magic,
i upgraded from win 98 and everything went fine then when installing the xp drivers during setup the pc shuts down completely.
 
Is it a newish laptop? Sometimes new hardware require SP2 before windows will install...

if it isn't an sp2 XP installation cd then make a slipstream one....
 
dablakmark8 said:
I did have a problem with the hdd in the beginning,i reversed the voltage to kickstart the hdd as it was stuck somehow..lol.
Click to expand...

Say whaaat? Dude that hard-drive is goners, best test it with hard-drive tool, perhaps you are lucky and nothings wrong!

Definitely a hardware problem so start with the hard-drive then RAM then if it's neither of those could be CPU but rather try a external CD-Rom drive...

antowan said:
Is it a newish laptop? Sometimes new hardware require SP2 before windows will install...

if it isn't an sp2 XP installation cd then make a slipstream one....
Click to expand...

As far as I understand it his problem is in text mode setup, usually those problems present themselves during the GUI portion but yeah good point about SP2 :)
 
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