Installing XP on first build

[avx]

Its XPhome, it did something, then I turend away for a second and when I looked back it was in an MS-DOS prompt, and it said:

factory /WINPE
WINPE >

and thats it...any ideas?

[reboot]

It's a Compaq. Most likely it had a PE (Personal Edition) of XP (or some other OS) on it, and won't take a complete reinstall. It should take a repair though, and that's the only way you're going to get it working again (IMHO).

[avx]

actually reboot it was a first build, not actually mine, its a friends, and I was just posting what he was seeing and asking for advice, Im so dumb, it was that he didnt have his BIOS set to boot from CD, and not form floppy, Ive seen that problem posted like 10 times I should have rememberd...lol, I should have remembered, but thanks for the advice reboot

[reboot]

There's no WAY it should default to c:\winpe on a new install.
Either he's booted from a proprietary floppy, or it's a non-standard CD.
You've got the solution figured out though, boot from CD, and format that sucker first.

[avx]

Well, from what he has told me, he just finished putting the whole PC together, and he was loading his OS, from an OEM version from WinXP Home, and he got that msg in dos, I couldnt think of what it was, cause he said it came with 2 disks, Im not firmiliar, with the 2 disk package cause I bought my version of winxp home from a friend, all he game me was the disk, the key, and the manual, so I wasnt sure what he mean, and he often forgets to tell me whats OEM and whats retail, thats how the whole confusion with his audio wire started, cause he didnt tell me he bought the DVD-ROM OEM...so anyway, I dont know how he did it, all my friends seem to have the ability to cause an error ont heir PC that techs a 10 pc veteran too fix...so it leaves me looking useless. But when you say format the sucker you mean HD, right? O boy, I dont think he did that...

gotta make a phone call...

[reboot]

It's because it's an OEM version, probably a "Restore" disk, and not really a full version of XP. Microsoft has never released a 2 disk operating system (that I know of), except some versions came with a second CD containing the Plus pack, depending on vendor.
Make sure he's booting to the CD, and if it still quits with a strange message, then you can bet it's a proprietary OEM for Compaq, Dell, HP or some other bastardized POS, and it will NOT work on ANY other machine.
He's going to need a retail (or OEM) version of XP that isn't only for some manufacturer's spec.

[avx]

well he already got it working, hes online right now, so I guess it was just a matter of setting the boot from floppy too rom drive, as for the formatting of his HD, he says he didnt do it, possible that it came preformated? Cause he said he didnt have too and its a 60 so Im sure he would have noticed if it did format it.

[reboot]

If it's a new drive, then it was formatted during the install.
Must have been a proprietary boot floppy he was using.

[avx]

Wasnt a floppy, it was a CD, he was clear on that.