cocked up an install... help

[wooosh]

i thought i knew what i was doing but oops no. just tried reinstalling windows xp on a laptop but it wont let me . get to a point where the setup is asking where to set it up. it has 55mb unpartitioned space, 19014 partitioned (ntfs) and another 8 unpartitioned. obv needs the partitioned space to install but cannot delete. i'm at a loss coz i cant even go back to where i started or reverse what ive done. any help?

[Lespaul20]

What does it do when you try to delete the 19GB partition?

[wooosh]

it says "this partition contains temporary setup files that are required to complete the installation"
press enter to continue and goes back to the list

[Lespaul20]

Are you using a recovery CD that came with the laptop?

Have you tired just installing on the partition?

[wooosh]

cd didnt come with laptop(2nd hand)
tried installing but not enuff space think its only 20gb hdd

[rjfvillarosa]

Wooosh I received your PM no problem.
Lets see if we can help you here now.
First of all what laptop is it? make and model number?
What installation CD have you got? is it a recovery CD or a full Windows installation disk?

[wooosh]

its a dell inspiron pp07l i think and the cd is one ive been given but think its full installation one

[rjfvillarosa]

It would help if you could give us the exact model number, but, as far as I know most Dells are the same, someone will correct me if I am wrong.
From the Dell website:
Dell™ PC Restore by Symantec™ (for Windows® XP) and Dell Factory Image Restore (for Windows® Vista) exist on a hidden partition on your hard drive that contains an exact copy of your computer's original setup. These programs allow you to reset your computer's operating system and software to the original state in which it was shipped to you from Dell.

See if this page on the Dell site can help you:
http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/dsn/en/document?c=us&l=en&s=gen&docid=3E48AE3870775D64E040A68F5B2877D4&journalid=4128542D4FCB1B0AE040A68F73280E16&Query=&SystemID=&ServiceTag=&contenttype=&os=&component=&lang=&doclang=&toggle=&dl=

[wooosh]

doesnt help mate, tried dells pc restore but doesnt work. whoever it was that sold me this laptop must have overwritten there stuff
sorry think it may be inspiron 1100

[rjfvillarosa]

Can you get hold of an OEM copy of XP?

[glc]

Use a zero fill utility then start over.

http://dban.sourceforge.net

[wooosh]

cant get into the bios , password protected. downloaded dban tried that but wudnt go into the disk.
retried booting up and but "windows could not start because of a disk hardware configuration problem. could not read from the selected boot disk. check boot path and disk hardware.
please check the windows documentation about hardware disk config... and your hardware reference manuals for additional info"
still stumped

[wooosh]

got a dell win xp sp2 oem version. do i just try that as it is?

[wooosh]

tried that still saying not enuff space on partitioned drive...........not having a good time atm

[rjfvillarosa]

Does XP setup not give you the option to format the harddrive during setup?

[wooosh]

unfortunately not

[rjfvillarosa]

During setup you will reach a screen showing you the various partitions on the harddrive, at that point you have the option to delete those partions and format the harddrive/partions.
Do you not reach that screen?

[wooosh]

get to that screen but shows install , delete or create partition on unpartitioned no format option

[rjfvillarosa]

Delete the two small partitions and in the next step you will get the chance to format the new full size partition.

[wooosh]

dont have option to delete unpartitioned only to partition them, even so, theres only 63 mbs between them and need 1200ish to continue

[rjfvillarosa]

What did you download from Dban? the floppy or the CD?

[wooosh]

cd coz laptop doesnt have floppy drive

[rjfvillarosa]

What is happening when Dban launches?

[wooosh]

it doesnt at all

[rjfvillarosa]

The Dban utility is an ISO. which means your machine will automatically boot from it.
Did you create a "boot disk" with your burning software when you made the Dban CD?

[wooosh]

hmmm not sure, gonna have to redo that then. ive gotta leave this till sunday, off to amsterdam for the weekend. i'll do that and repost if it doesnt work when i get back. until then thx again for your help so far

[rjfvillarosa]

What burning software have you got? Nero?

[glc]

If you use XP to redo the partitions, delete ALL partitions till the ENTIRE drive is unpartitioned space, then install XP in the unpartitioned space. It will prompt you to create a partition (using all the space is default) and format it.

[wooosh]

ive got a few diff burning progs. in any case the dban has burned as a bootable disk, tried it on main pc and went str8 into it. any time i try to start laptop now it goes str8 into xp setup and cant use the format way around as it wont let me delete the partition and doesnt look at disk first so only thing i can think of is deleting the bios password so i can reset bootup process. am i right?

[wooosh]

i cant take the casing off so cant do the battery thing for bios reset. is there a way around ? obviously cant use software as cant get into windows. looking like i may have to give this to an engineer and pay although dont want to as i would like to learn how to get around this through yourselves

[rjfvillarosa]

I can't see how the BIOS could be stopping you from reinstalling the OS, if it was I am sure it would come up with some violation message or it wouldn't have allowed you to go as far as you have in the first place.
If you are prepared to spend £25 on trying to solve this problem yourself, then I would buy one of these:
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=48965&&source=14&doy=17m12

I actually bought this one myself when I was in the UK a few months back and it works great, the power supply has a wide input voltage range so I can use it in the UK and with the 110volts in the USA.
This adapter will allow you to connect the laptop harddrive via USB to your main machine and from there you can do a zero fill, putting the harddrive back to an as new condition.
If you are certain you are unable to open the case, then the only other course of action is to take it to a Dell technician.
BIOS password protected laptops are usually company machines, where did you buy it from? can they not get you the password?

edit.. the only other thing I can think of is that the BIOS antivirus is switched on, that will stop you doing a reinstall because it will not allow anything to be written to the MBR and if that is the case then you will have to access the BIOS to switch it off.

[wooosh]

right, to me (which is probably wrong but) as the disk i put in isnt getting read
"windows could not start because of a disk hardware configuration problem. could not read from the selected boot disk. check boot path and disk hardware.
please check the windows documentation about hardware disk config... and your hardware reference manuals for additional info"
the part where it says "check boot path"
means it isnt reading the disk first. like i said i'm prob wrong. so if i am then.... another way.
it is an ex company machine i have just found out and trying to get the password off the person who bought it in the first place. not stolen just a recon apparently... old and unused etc.
"the only other thing I can think of is that the BIOS antivirus is switched on, that will stop you doing a reinstall because it will not allow anything to be written to the MBR and if that is the case then you will have to access the BIOS to switch it off." .....................
its not anything like an antivirus, its just not got enuff space and think i tried installing before i deleted enuff data to use some space.
i will deff look into that cable coz i think tha maybe the only way around it

[glc]

I believe if you hit F12 on startup you can choose a different boot device.

[wooosh]

cracking bit of info glc , thx running dban now will let u know of progress

[mikeL]

If need be, UBCD has tools for recovering the BIOS.

[wooosh]

downloading thatnow to have a look thx mikel
glc..... thx very much, setup has initiated after dban wiped everything. anymore probs and will post again.
dont mark this thread as solved until i have posted it as done plz if thats what you do that is
enjoying the fact that i have done this , makes me feel closer to a geek than i thought i cud be hehe

[glc]

We do not close threads for that reason. It will be left open forever as long as people don't post things that require closure. You may repost in here any time you feel necessary.

[wooosh]

ok nice to know.
well it worked fine but have a few display problems. xp sorted the resolution on screen etc and cant change this through the display properties. set at 680 x (780 i think switched off at mo) and at the lowest res 4 bit. dropdown menu wont allow me to change this or reset
is this a driver issue or sumit different?
if so can i connect direct to internet or safer to download on main pc then transfer over etc?

[Panama Red]

Your supposition is correct - you now need to load the video drivers in order to change/adjust the resolution. Normal sequence of installation is first load the operating system then load all drivers in order to get all hardware working correctly. Then proceed to Windows Updates and install all pertinent updates. Next install all your programs/applications.

[glc]

All drivers can be downloaded from the Dell support site. Easiest way to get them is use the service tag number of the machine.

[wooosh]

thx for everything u guys.
i have now sorted this nightmare out.
its really appreciated and i wud just like to say that this site is the best when you have a problem.
you have all been exceptionally helpful.
a big thanks with a happy new year to boot
all the best
jay:)

[wooosh]

i now have a new problem with this laptop.
i have downloaded the majority of drivers, transfered and installed them onto it but it now wont connect to the internet. it seems to be having some conflict with the router i think.
when i connect the ethernet cable it shows the two monitors on the task bar but as soon as i try to run IE the monitors disappear and connectivity is lost. i have tried the connection wizard but that doesnt change anything. ive looked at the network connections and it shows internet gateway as connected and lan as connected but IE wont connect.
furthermore, when i do this my main pc gets locked out for some reason and i have to reboot the router
at a bit of a loss

[ThePoor]

Why not download PartPE, you can reset BIOS password, format HDD or whatsoever...

Thepoor

[glc]

Delete the Internet gateway, then run the connection wizard and select direct connection to the Internet.

[wooosh]

dont know what i did tbh but i switched main pc off and then restarted the laptop and it connected. updated everything that was needed i.e. avg etc
unplugged and switched main pc back on and that started having problems with servers. i.e. i use grabit for downloads and it has a connection timeout. i lost the network connection icons but managed to get them back by running some network fixes i found by googling but cant seem to get grbit back to working order either
when i ran the connection wizard i had already selected the direct connection