"Talahasee" <Talahass@ee.Fla> wrote in message
news:sgj9r1hsja80njhag2ofo9m4gtug1aleir@4ax.com...
> x-no-archive: yes
> On Thu, 29 Dec 2005 21:50:01 -0800, Jordan
> <Jordan@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
>
>>Hey Everybody,
>>I've built a new computer, and I've got all of my hardware installed
>>correctly, and everything seems to be running fine, except for the fact
>>that
>>I can't install an operating system. Whenever I partition the space to
>>install Windows, the disc copies all of the files into the right
>>directories,
>>and then says that it needs to restart to continue setting up. So the
>>computer restarts, and then it goes RIGHT BACK to the screen asking me
>>which
>>portions to partition. It shows the one that I did earlier, but I can't do
>>anything with it but delete it. THere is no recovery or anything.
>
> Get a copy of the Windows 98 boot disk.
>
> Use IT to fdisk and format.
>
> THEN pop your Windows XP CD into your CD Rom drive, answer the
> questions as they come up, install to C:\windows
>
> the problem you are having MAY be that when you see the prompt upon
> the reboot
>
> "press any key to boot from the CD Rom."
>
> You have been pressing the key.
>
> Don't!
>
> Once you have begun the install, you don't have to do ANYTHING until
> you begin answering questions during the final installation.
>
> That confused me as well, and I found myself re-installing and
> re-installing and reinstalling.
>
>
> Quite literally, once you have fdisked (partitioned) in Windows 98
> and you have formatted in Windows 98,
> and you have begun the install with your XP Pro disk, you don't have
> to mess with the computer again until you are being asked to respond
> to questions within Windows XP.
>
> I got confused with this myself early on, and found myself hitting a
> key every time I saw the "hit a key to boot from the CD..."
>
> That puts you in a loop.
>
> By the way, you should only have to format / partition from the
> Windows 98 disk one time to "get rid of the XP install crap."
>
> AFter you do this one successful install, you should be able to
> install from the XP CD in the future.
>
>
>
> good luck.
>
> Tallahassee


No need to use FDISK. And certainly no need to format as FAT32. Diskpart can
be run from the recovery console to wipe out the existing partition.
Following that reboot with the CD still in the drive and it will determine
there is a blank drive and will take care of the rest.

--

Harry Ohrn MS-MVP [Shell\\User]
www.webtree.ca/windowsxp