Reload XP disc over a newer version

[oilboy123]

I was going to reload the reinstall disc but it won't let me because it says the current XP is newer.

Does not even let me do it. Can I format the HD and then come back and reload the original install XP disc? I know I will have to do 5 million undates "service pack 3 etc".

Thanks

 

[dparm]

If you format, you can do a clean install of anything you want. And yes, it will have tons of updates.

 

[oilboy123]

Thanks

Wish me luck.

I will give an update tonight.

Er uh maybe not...

Stupid thing won't let me even format. Says close any open windows etc then try again. Thinking of deleting any programs that might be causing this?

I might try just cleaning things up at this point.

 

[Ken42]

Boot from the CD to do it.
May have to go into Bios to set the CD as the first Boot device.
Or push F8 just as it starts to boot.
Ken

 

[55Test]

Did you boot from the install CD when that happened?

 

[BIGJ552000]

Just restart your computer then go into your setup, which lists all your harddrives,dvd drives, etc. make your system boot from your dvd/cd drive NOT any hard drives. Have your xp disk already in your dvd/cd drive which will then start the format then install process. hope this helps. It sounds to me your trying to format right from windows itself for another hardrive that you have installed, if so doing it this way sometimes gives headaches.

 

[oilboy123]

It was booting from the disc. I have done XP installs and never had this problem before. Got this from my sister and want to get it going for my niece.

I am going to try clean it up and get all the bloat and junk off. Thing that concerns me is sometimes it boots and freezes. Then I have to do a manual reset. I can also hear a chunk kind of sound that does not inspire confidence. I guess worst case I get a new HD and reinstall the OS. Thanks I will let you know how I'm doing.

I am also going to do disc clean up and defrag, and get windows defender on instead of the Norton thing she had.

Actually the chunking noise is more like a muffled old typewriter when you hit three keys close together real fast.

 

[buickman50401]

Doesn't sound promising regarding the sound and the possibility of the hdd on its way out.

See if the drive is SMART capable and download a program able to read SMART data from the disk. I'd also run a complete scandisk with a full read/write test. It will take forever but you'll know if you have any bad sectors. HDTune can pull SMART data.

Most hard drives do have bad sectors but you never know it because there are reserve sectors set aside that when the hdd detects a failure in a sector it swaps it out (basically a logical remapping) with one of the reserve sectors. When you run out of reserve sectors it drive can no longer "hide" the bad sectors from the OS.

If you find more then a handful running scandisk (which will probably require you to boot from an XP CD and enter the recovery console to access the drive otherwise it is "locked" by the OS) wait a few days and run another scandisk. If more show up, ditch the drive for a new one because more are just around the corner and the drive is no longer reliable.

As an experiment, a long time ago I had an old 486 on its way to the scrap heap so I plugged it in, booted to Windows (3.1 baby) set it to perform a defrag and then picked up the machine and shook the living daylights out of it to see how much damage I could do bouncing the HDD heads off the platters. The results were not pretty.

 

[oilboy123]

Frick......

Removed old programs, ran disc clean/defrag was not needed. Added windows defender. I did windows update and I still notice it does a hang thing where I have to manually turn it off with the switch and restart it.

Dang thing.

 

[Rand]

as was mentioned when it asks where to install to.. use the options to delete the partition then remake the partition then format it..

HDD are fairly cheap now. the seagate 7200.12's are reliable and decently priced.
I've had about 25 in service now of various sizes with no failures in over 2 years.

I've found if a new hdd lasts 90days its usually good for at least a few years.. most of the ones that die.. die early from poor packing or whatever.

 

[dparm]

Don't waste time cleaning it. Backup the important data, format the drive, install XP.

 

[oilboy123]

Really nothing to save on it. It never let me get to the point of picking where to install. It seems to be running way better than how my sister had it going. I will see how it's going and make a decision at some point if I have problems. Dang Dell......

It basically gave me two options to do the install with the older disc, or not to. When I chose to it did not highlight the box and let me go to the next step. I think it's a weird Dell thing.

Was frustrating not being able to do what I wanted though.

 

[buickman50401]

Also, why Windows Defender? Microsoft Security Essentials is basically Windows Defender plus anti-virus. Ditch Defender.

 

[Bottom_Feeder]

It sounds like you're trying to install XP over the existing OS, which means you haven't deleted the partition(s) that the current OS resides on. You need to delete all of the existing partitions, create a new one, then install. There should not be an existing OS for the disc's setup to compare to. You should be given the option to delete the partitions that XP setup finds.

Or, to be more thorough, Darik's Boot and Nuke is your friend. http://www.dban.org/

So is Hitachi's Drive Fitness Test. http://www.hitachigst.com/support/downloads/

Originally Posted By: dparm
Don't waste time cleaning it. Backup the important data, format the drive, install XP.

What he said.

Originally Posted By: buickman50401
Also, why Windows Defender? Microsoft Security Essentials is basically Windows Defender plus anti-virus. Ditch Defender.

This also.

 

[oilboy123]

I tried to format from the my computer and also tried with the install disc and it would not let me get to the step that allows picking the partions to delete etc.

It seems to be running pretty well right now. If I still have the funky boot issure I will probably come back around to a clean reinstall.
Thanks for the heads up on the security essentials vs defender guys.
I just got done installing it. I will check if the defender is still on the computer and remove if need be per microsoft directions.

Question

Windows Defender and Microsoft Security Essentials
Applies To: Microsoft Security Essentials | Getting Started and Upgrading
Q: How is this different from Windows Defender?

A: Windows Defender detects and removes known spyware only. It is not designed to protect against the full breadth of malicious software, and specifically does not prevent viruses, worms, Trojans, and other malicious software from infecting your machine. The new no-cost solution will be a comprehensive anti-malware solution.



Q: Is Microsoft Security Essentials designed to replace Windows Defender?

A: No but if you are running Microsoft Security Essentials, you do not need to run Windows Defender. Microsoft Security Essentials is designed to disable Windows Defender in order to manage the PC’s real-time protection, including anti-virus, rootkits, Trojans and spyware.



Q: Does installing Microsoft Security Essentials disable Windows Defender
A: Microsoft Security Essentials should disable Windows Defender on Vista and Windows 7 and uninstall it from XP. In some cases, this does not happen automatically.
Q: Do I need to manually disable or uninstall Windows Defender if I am using Microsoft Security Essentials?
A: If Microsoft Security Essentials did not automatically disable Windows Defender on Vista or Windows 7, you should disable it to prevent conflicts. Windows Defender cannot be uninstalled from Vista or Windows 7.
If Microsoft Security Essentials did not automatically uninstall Windows Defender on XP, you should manually uninstall Windows Defender via Control Panel/Add or Remove Programs.

Q: What happens if I do not disable or uninstall Windows Defender if I am using Microsoft Security Essentials?
A: If Microsoft Security Essentials and Windows Defender are both running, your system may experience performance degradation and other problems caused by the conflict of two services providing real time protection simultaneously.


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[buickman50401]

Please run a scandisk on the drive. You can try to do it through right clicking on the HDD in My Computer and choosing properties and the tools tab and select "error checking"

Tick both the boxes that come up as options and tell it to run. You'll get a message that the drive is in use by the OS and asked if you want to run it at next boot. Tell it yes and then reboot. It should start scanning at boot, but it may not.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315265
http://help.isu.edu/index.php?action=knowledgebase&catid=&docid=668 (second link has screen shots of the process)
You can ignore the part about XP SP3 as it will work the same if you have SP2 installed IIRC.