Member Avatar for runswit2guns

can someone please give me a run through of installing windows from msdos. everytime i do i get an error for finishing install. what i am looking for is an order of how to do it...like delpart, format, fdisk...etc. thanks!

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Observation and quick diagnosis referencing the thread: reported using a Win98 boot floppy plus delpart/fdisk, then running the installer from DOS and seeing copy failures, “trying to recover allocation unit” during format, and an unresponsive key prompt at the “setup is starting…” stage. ’s comment about bad sectors and ’s suggestion to boot from the XP media are both on point. Those symptoms most commonly mean either (a) the XP disc or the CD drive is producing read errors, or (b) the hard disk has physical bad sectors (or both). Running setup from an older MS‑DOS floppy can hide these problems and cause input/driver oddities.

Practical checks and causes to consider: verify the installation CD by trying it in another machine or by burning a fresh copy at low speed; inspect for scratches and test the laptop’s optical drive. Run a vendor HDD diagnostic (bootable utility from the drive manufacturer) to confirm sector health. If files fail to copy during the initial file copy phase, that is strong evidence of media/drive read errors. The Win98 floppy’s “starting Windows 98” banner is normal for a DOS boot image and not an indicator of Windows XP being present.

Recommended safe sequence (use the XP installer’s tools rather than DOS utilities when possible):

  1. Boot the machine directly from the Windows XP installation CD (set BIOS/boot-order accordingly).
  2. From text‑mode setup, delete old partitions and create a new partition with the setup partitioner.
  3. Format that partition to NTFS with the full (non‑Quick) option so the setup surfaces and marks bad sectors.
  4. Allow file copy to finish; when the system reboots, remove any floppy/CD so the drive boots from the hard disk and the GUI portion continues.
  5. If copy errors persist, try another install CD or optical drive and run the HDD manufacturer’s boot utility; replace the HDD if diagnostics fail.

Cautions: back up any recoverable data before using delpart; enable BIOS USB‑legacy support if an external USB keyboard is used; if the laptop’s SATA controller is in AHCI mode and XP text‑mode won’t see the drive, switch to IDE/compatibility mode or supply the controller driver during text setup (F6).

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Member Avatar for runswit2guns

when running format, it says "trying to recover allocation unit"....then eventually it goes away. what does that mean? then when format is doen i have some space is bad sectors and i have no idea why? also, when i format, do i run format from A: or from D:?

Member Avatar for chrisbliss18

What version of Windows are you installing?

Is the version you are trying to install an upgrade or is it a full version?

Member Avatar for runswit2guns

XP pro...full install

Member Avatar for chrisbliss18

Just pop the disk in your drive, reboot your system, and the install program will automatically run. Is there a reason why you are trying to install through DOS?

Member Avatar for jaishankar

when running format, it says "trying to recover allocation unit"....then eventually it goes away. what does that mean? then when format is doen i have some space is bad sectors and i have no idea why? also, when i format, do i run format from A: or from D:?

Hi
runswit2guns,
B very clear when asking a question

First u said while trying to format u got a message "trying to recover allocation unit"....This occurs when HDD has got bad sectors and is displayed when formating with Windows 98.

Secondly u said u wanna install Windows XP.

while formatting with Windows XP this message won't b displayed, then why to format HDD with Windows 98 when u wanna install Windows XP

Member Avatar for runswit2guns

the only boot disk i have is 98...but i am trying to install xp pro...can i not do that?

Member Avatar for runswit2guns

here is EXACTLY what i am doing...
1) i put in 98 bootdisk(bootdisk.com) which takes me to the A: prompt. i also put delpart on the same disk
2) i run delpart - giving me the option to wipe the hdd/partition - i do that, save changes and restart
3) run same bootdisk again (without cdrom) - i then use fdisk to create a partition on C drive - this ithis is where i get that allocation message, nevertheless, it creates a partition
4) then i put the SAME disk back in,and start the lapop with cdrom support- i go to the E: drive, then run the app "winnt" which goes through and copies files to the computer, however, 6 or 7 files do not read properly and are not copied
5) after that is finished, it restarts the computer WITHOUT bootable disk. setup then reads the copied files to finish installing xp pro - in the blue screen that says windows setup, it loads the copied files until it says "setup is starting windows"
6) it then takes me to the screen where i have to option to either
a) continue installing windows by pressing ENTER
b) repair windows using recovery console, press R
c) to quit setup, press F3
PROBLEM - NO KEYS AT ALL resgister at this point
Am i doing something wrong with the install?

Member Avatar for tayspen

the only boot disk i have is 98...but i am trying to install xp pro...can i not do that?

You should be able to. If you have an XP CD. Just boot into it and partition the drive.

-T

Member Avatar for runswit2guns

something else ive noticed...when i run a windows xp bootdisk, it says starting windows 98 when reading from the disk even though there is no OS installed yet. why?

Member Avatar for runswit2guns

First u said while trying to format u got a message "trying to recover allocation unit"....This occurs when HDD has got bad sectors and is displayed when formating with Windows 98.

-T

how can i format without 98. ie: how can i format through xp?

Member Avatar for jaishankar

how can i format without 98. ie: how can i format through xp?

If u have Win XP Disk boot with it

Press Enter to continue setup, then press F8 to agree License Agreement

Now u will be prompted to select the drive in which u wanna install (nly if u have created the drive.)If u havent created the drive u will c unpartitioned space, select it and press c to create partition

Select Drive C: and press Enter

u will be prompted to format the drive, which will be like this

Format the drive using NTFS file system
Format the Drive using FAT32 file system
Format the drive using NTFS file system (Quick)
Format the drive using FAT32 file system (Quick)
Leave the current file system intact no changes

If u have Bad sectors in the drive do not perform quick format, select NTFS or FAT32

After format file copying will be done and the computer restarts. Now dont boot the computer with CD-Rom, boot with HDD setup will continue...

Member Avatar for runswit2guns

If u have Win XP Disk boot with it

Press Enter to continue setup, then press F8 to agree License Agreement

Now u will be prompted to select the drive in which u wanna install (nly if u have created the drive.)If u havent created the drive u will c unpartitioned space, select it and press c to create partition

Select Drive C: and press Enter

u will be prompted to format the drive, which will be like this

Format the drive using NTFS file system
Format the Drive using FAT32 file system
Format the drive using NTFS file system (Quick)
Format the drive using FAT32 file system (Quick)
Leave the current file system intact no changes

If u have Bad sectors in the drive do not perform quick format, select NTFS or FAT32

After format file copying will be done and the computer restarts. Now dont boot the computer with CD-Rom, boot with HDD setup will continue...

it wont let me press ENTER to continue though???

Member Avatar for chrisbliss18

Are you still having issues with this?

You mentioned that it's not letting you press enter. How far along can you get? What is the last thing you can get to and are you shown any errors when you get there?

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