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Want to copy Entire XP Professional disk to my hard drive so I can install it. Computer won't boot to this disk in DOS, and can't run Setup from DOS..error message says must be run from Windows. Have C and D drive. Running Windows 98 on C and want to install XP on D. My computer doesn't recognize optical drives in Windows 98(don't ask), but ok in DOS.
Please help. Tried Xcopy but it didn't copy all the files to D.
Thanks!
Set your bios to boot from the CD drive. Insert the XP CD and boot from it. Follow the install instructions CAREFULLY to install XP on the D: drive. It will set up a boot option to select which drive to boot up.
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Forgot to mention: When you boot from the XP CD watch the monitor closely. You will be asked to hit a key to boot from the CD. You have only a couple of seconds to do it or it will continue a normal hard drive boot.
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You need the right switches for xcopy.
If I remember right:
xcopy /h/s
While we're at it, you don't need the whole CD; just the i386 directory.
And while we're still at it, yes, the setup will run in DOS. WINNT is a 16 bit executable.
Hint: 32 bit executables from microsoft usually have a message along about offset 4c that "This program acnnot be run in MS-DOS [bla bla]."
HTH
M2
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Another option so as to install XP to d: .
If CD boot isn't viable then use the 6 XP setup floppies (+ the CD) and install it that way. Remember to go for a clean-install and change proffered default drive from c: to d: .
You may/may not need to swap out the XP CD (briefly) to provide the '98 version (during compliance check). Equally you "may " be able to point to the current '98 installation on c: and that will suffice (avoids need to swap CDs out/in...)
Setup flopppies can be downloaded (as images) from M$-land and also at bootdisk.com. Save images to a hard-drive, expand each to a floppy: use those floppies (+ CD).
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WOW! Thanks for such a lengthy response.
1- My Bios is set to boot from CD, but says Failure when I have XP disk inserted. No problem with my Win98 disk. Boots right to it!
2- Used the switches with Xcopy but wouldn't copy whole disk. Will try to only copy i386 directory and subs.
3- "And while we're still at it, yes, the setup will run in DOS. WINNT is a 16 bit executable.Hint: 32 bit executables from microsoft usually have a message along about offset 4c that "This program acnnot be run in MS-DOS [bla bla]."
Is there a way to overide that error message and just run setup in dos? I just typed "Setup" and got the bla bla message..
4- If all else fails, I'll get myself some floppies and download the images from bootdisk.com
THANKS!
Chris
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Hi Chris,
First,
for win98 the "setup" is setup.exe and for w2k/XP the "setup" is winnt.exe; both will run in DOS.
If they didn't nothing would ever get set up.
Second, I gave you some misinformation about xcopy. It's been a long time since I used 98 xcopy. I usually use DRDOS xcopy, which copies hidden files with the /h switch. w98 xcopy doesn't.
Sorry for the bad skinny.
But in this case, I believe none of the files in the i386 directory are hidden so you should be good to go.
HTH
M2
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Ok, first, there is no file on the WinXP professional winnt.exe. Were you thinking of NT perhaps?
I copied all of i386 directory to my D: drive but it didn't work when I ran setup.
Soooooo, I'm going for the floppy drive boot.Chris
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There "is" the usual NT style "winnt.wxe" in XP... It's in the i386 folder.
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html
discusses various ways to install XP - but not does not include the copy i386 to the hard-drive route.
At the above link you will note the reference to winnt.exe included (and also at just about any other XP install guide).
Nonetheless using the 6 floppies + CD should get you going?
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trvlr,
Not surprising M$ doesn't advocate copying files; much too praxtical.
If the XP CD does not have winnt.exe THAT'S the problem.
M2
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If "corlando52's" XP CD is missing the required winnt.exe then one might query/investigate the source/provenance of this CD??? (It may be that he was looking for the winnt.exe in the wrong place? From my slightly limited expiernce with '95/'98 I didn't have need to install those OS too often... - I seem to recall that their required "setup.exe" appeared sometimes in the root of the CD, and sometimes "slightly buried" within the cab-folder or similar?) I'm not aware of M$ issuing XP CDs without that file. If this such a CD, what is the origin of the CD in question?
Also a search of the entire CD for that file via another OS (using the standard find/search tool) should bring it up, providing it is there - somewhere? If it's not on the CD, and the CD is legit... then a phone call to M$-land might be appropiate, as they might well replace it with a complete CD accordingly?
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OK, Sorry...I appologize. It WAS in the I386 directory. Don't know why I didn't spot it...maybe this *#!! cold has my head all congested. Anyway, thanks.
I d/l the floppy image files, but for some reason, my computer is giving me a i/o boot error when I boot to the first floppy.
I started to use the winnt.exe as you recommended, and it was fine but said Smartdrive wasn't loaded and I went looking for that.
Anyway, I wanted to thank you, again, for the information, and will let you know when (if) I get XP loaded on my D drive.
Sorry about not finding teh winnt.exe file.
I should know better than to tackle something like this with my head spinning...Chris
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On with my saga....Got to the XP setup screen...it won't copy to my D drive. It's SCSI with RAID and needs the correct driver. It is asking me to put the manufacturer's disk in A, but I only have a CD. So I copied the file it is looking for (txtsetup.oem) to a floppy, but now it's looking for another file, pnp. Any way to get it to look at my CD instead of asking for a floppy?
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