[gland9]

I am trying to install Windows XP SP3 Home from a 2gb thumb drive onto a Dell Mini 10v using WinSetupFromUSB, and I cannot seem to get to the second part of set-up. Trying to enter GUI-mode setup always returns "Windows could not start because of a computer disk hardware configuration problem." Removing the USB drive and attempting to boot from the HD returns "error loading operating system." I tried building the USB installation from three different ISOs (the disc that came from Dell in addition to two XP Home SP3 ISOs I downloaded from the internet), applying fixmbr/fixboot, using bootcfg /rebuild, and still nothing. The drive I'm installing to is a cheap 8gb SSD with nothing else on it and no other partitions. I'm not sure what else to try or what I'm doing wrong.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[jaclaz]

One of these?
http://support.micro...kb/314477/en-us

It is possibly a mis-entry in BOOT.INI.

Do you have "other" mass storage devices (that could "confuse" the program)?

Try booting from the stick, and at grub4dos, press "c" to enter command line mode.

Issue a few commands:

geometry (hd0)

[ENTER]

geometry (hd1)

[ENTER]

geometry(hd2)

[ENTER]

Post results.

Post also contents of the BOOT.INI on the SSD.

jaclaz

[gland9]

Boot.ini from the SSD reads:

[boot loader]
timeout=1
default=scsi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
scsi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

Only geometry (hd0) returns a result and it says:

drive 0x80(LBA): C/H/S=248/255/63, Sector Count/Size=3984120/512
Partition num: 0, active, filesystem type is fat, partition type 0x06
Partition num: 1, FIlesystem type unknown, partition type 0x21

[jaclaz]

gland9, on Aug 30 2009, 09:35 PM, said:

Boot.ini from the SSD reads:

[boot loader]
timeout=1
default=scsi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
scsi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect

Only geometry (hd0) returns a result and it says:

drive 0x80(LBA): C/H/S=248/255/63, Sector Count/Size=3984120/512
Partition num: 0, active, filesystem type is fat, partition type 0x06
Partition num: 1, FIlesystem type unknown, partition type 0x21

That's strange, the BOOT.INI seems fine, as it points to first partition of first disk, which should be the SSD (once the stick is not attached).

grub4dos seems to be able to detect only the USB stick (I presume that the device is a 2.039.869.440 i.e. 2 Gb stick partitioned with wimb's or steve6375's tool, as it has a second partiton type 21, FAT16 formatted).

Still in grub4dos, try:

Quote

find /boot.ini

[ENTER]
and

find (

[TAB]

and post result, it is almost as the SSD is NOT detected as a hard disk.

jaclaz

[gland9]

The second command you typed didn't work...but find /boot.ini only returns (hd0,0).

I suppose now might be the time to point out it the SSD is sort of a hack....made from a 300x CF card in a SATA adapter...but the adapter supposedly requires no drivers, and the first part of the windows installation works perfectly. The set-up is recognized by the BIOS as a fixed 8GB SATA1 HDD.

[jaclaz]

gland9, on Aug 30 2009, 10:17 PM, said:

The second command you typed didn't work...but find /boot.ini only returns (hd0,0).

I suppose now might be the time to point out it the SSD is sort of a hack....made from a 300x CF card in a SATA adapter...but the adapter supposedly requires no drivers, and the first part of the windows installation works perfectly. The set-up is recognized by the BIOS as a fixed 8GB SATA1 HDD.

Try another one:

chainloader (

[TAB]

You are pressing the [TAB] key and NOT the [ENTER] key, aren't you?

jaclaz

[gland9]

jaclaz, on Aug 30 2009, 03:20 PM, said:

gland9, on Aug 30 2009, 10:17 PM, said:

The second command you typed didn't work...but find /boot.ini only returns (hd0,0).

I suppose now might be the time to point out it the SSD is sort of a hack....made from a 300x CF card in a SATA adapter...but the adapter supposedly requires no drivers, and the first part of the windows installation works perfectly. The set-up is recognized by the BIOS as a fixed 8GB SATA1 HDD.

Try another one:

chainloader (

[TAB]

You are pressing the [TAB] key and NOT the [ENTER] key, aren't you?

jaclaz

Oh, sorry. My mistake.

find ( and chainloader ( return:
Possible disks are: hd0 rd

[jaclaz]

gland9, on Aug 30 2009, 10:29 PM, said:

Possible disks are: hd0 rd

Something is really strange, (hd0) is the stick, and (rd) is the grub4dos built in ramdisk.

Your SSD device is NOT detected by grub4dos!

Are you sure you don't need a disconnect/connect or reboot or something the like?

Does that thingy has anything "strange" that can be set in BIOS?


jaclaz

[gland9]

jaclaz, on Aug 30 2009, 03:34 PM, said:

gland9, on Aug 30 2009, 10:29 PM, said:

Possible disks are: hd0 rd

Something is really strange, (hd0) is the stick, and (rd) is the grub4dos built in ramdisk.

Your SSD device is NOT detected by grub4dos!

Are you sure you don't need a disconnect/connect or reboot or something the like?

Does that thingy has anything "strange" that can be set in BIOS?


jaclaz

I've tried everything I can think of. So the issue is that the device is detected by windows but not by grub4dos? Is there any simple workaround?

[jaclaz]

gland9, on Aug 30 2009, 10:39 PM, said:

I've tried everything I can think of. So the issue is that the device is detected by windows but not by grub4dos? Is there any simple workaround?

Well, what the heck! I am still bewildered from the fact that the initial part of the setup managed to copy some files to the SSD.

Most probably next attempt should be to use a PE for the install, though I still find very strange that the drive is not detected:
http://www.msfn.org/board/install-xp-usb-a...sb-t121446.html

I am short of other possible ideas.

jaclaz

This post has been edited by jaclaz: 30 August 2009 - 02:49 PM

[djmuk]

I had a similar problem with installing Linux to a CF card in an adapter - it turned out that the CF+Adapter combo did NOT support DMA access and it wasn't ever going to work... You may have a similar issue!!!! I /think/ it depends on the flash card..

David

[jaclaz]

Things to read, that may be of use:
http://www.911cd.net...showtopic=21231
http://www.911cd.net...showtopic=22975

There is an utility around that can change the UDMA support of the card and as well "flip" the "Removable" bit.
Whether this solution:

• helps
  
• can be applied to the particular brand/make/model of card

is for you to find out.

(Your mileage may greatly vary )

jaclaz