Update - new hard drive in laptop - questions

I put in the new hard drive.

I have tried to use the Dell restore CDs, then the windows XP cd I
have. Both bring up a window that says "completing recovery partition"
Then I get a little window that says

"Please insert System Restore CD/DVD #1 now."

I have 2 CDs from Dell. One says Operating System. The other says
Drivers and Utilities.

Am I supposed to make a special restore CD? It keeps asking for a
system restore CD and doesn't like any of these CDs. Is there another
way to install the operating system from scratch?

<friesian@zoocrewphoto.com> wrote in message
news:bb291f05-9829-4b45-a3fa-46ebf8ee905b@y5g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
> I put in the new hard drive.
>
> I have tried to use the Dell restore CDs, then the windows XP cd I
> have. Both bring up a window that says "completing recovery partition"
> Then I get a little window that says
>
> "Please insert System Restore CD/DVD #1 now."
>
> I have 2 CDs from Dell. One says Operating System. The other says
> Drivers and Utilities.
>
> Am I supposed to make a special restore CD? It keeps asking for a
> system restore CD and doesn't like any of these CDs. Is there another
> way to install the operating system from scratch?
>
>
>

I'd contact Dell and have them send you a set of restore CD's for that
machine...
it's possible that you do not have the complete set

I just finsished a chat session with a Dell tech person, and it is
currently installing.

I had to use the Dell CD which is w2k (I never realized it wasn't xp
as it had xp when I bought it).

So, new question. Can I upgrade to XP using a full XP version CD?

<friesian@zoocrewphoto.com> wrote in message
news:37785e7d-34b7-444b-8892-3b73212c9bc7@s12g2000prg.googlegroups.com...
> I just finsished a chat session with a Dell tech person, and it is
> currently installing.
>
> I had to use the Dell CD which is w2k (I never realized it wasn't xp
> as it had xp when I bought it).
>
> So, new question. Can I upgrade to XP using a full XP version CD?
>


Once you get win2k installed and booted up
just pop in the XP cd and it should autorun...
then ask you if you want to upgrade...
then go for it.

Once you have upgraded to XP...
then apply all critcal updates.

(there is of course no need to do that with win2k
as you will be upgrading it to XP)

On Feb 9, 6:32 am, "philo" <ph...@privacy.net> wrote:
> <fries...@zoocrewphoto.com> wrote in message
>
> news:37785e7d-34b7-444b-8892-3b73212c9bc7@s12g2000prg.googlegroups.com...
>
> > I just finsished a chat session with a Dell tech person, and it is
> > currently installing.
>
> > I had to use the Dell CD which is w2k (I never realized it wasn't xp
> > as it had xp when I bought it).
>
> > So, new question. Can I upgrade to XP using a full XP version CD?
>
> Once you get win2k installed and booted up
> just pop in the XP cd and it should autorun...
> then ask you if you want to upgrade...
> then go for it.
>
> Once you have upgraded to XP...
> then apply all critcal updates.
>
> (there is of course no need to do that with win2k
> as you will be upgrading it to XP)



Well, I did the install. It said to fix my display settings as it was
showing low rez. It wouldn't let me change them, so I rebooted, and
now it stalls at the "loading windows" page.

It also wants me to manually login every time windows starts.

friesian@zoocrewphoto.com wrote:
> On Feb 9, 6:32 am, "philo" <ph...@privacy.net> wrote:
>> <fries...@zoocrewphoto.com> wrote in message
>>
>> news:37785e7d-34b7-444b-8892-3b73212c9bc7@s12g2000prg.googlegroups.com...
>>
>>> I just finsished a chat session with a Dell tech person, and it is
>>> currently installing.
>>> I had to use the Dell CD which is w2k (I never realized it wasn't xp
>>> as it had xp when I bought it).
>>> So, new question. Can I upgrade to XP using a full XP version CD?
>> Once you get win2k installed and booted up
>> just pop in the XP cd and it should autorun...
>> then ask you if you want to upgrade...
>> then go for it.
>>
>> Once you have upgraded to XP...
>> then apply all critcal updates.
>>
>> (there is of course no need to do that with win2k
>> as you will be upgrading it to XP)
>
>
>
> Well, I did the install. It said to fix my display settings as it was
> showing low rez. It wouldn't let me change them, so I rebooted, and
> now it stalls at the "loading windows" page.
>
> It also wants me to manually login every time windows starts.

I'm confused. If it's stalling at "loading windows," how is it that you
every see a login?

On Feb 9, 1:54 pm, Grinder <grin...@no.spam.maam.com> wrote:
> fries...@zoocrewphoto.com wrote:
> > On Feb 9, 6:32 am, "philo" <ph...@privacy.net> wrote:
> >> <fries...@zoocrewphoto.com> wrote in message
>
> >>news:37785e7d-34b7-444b-8892-3b73212c9bc7@s12g2000prg.googlegroups.com...
>
> >>> I just finsished a chat session with a Dell tech person, and it is
> >>> currently installing.
> >>> I had to use the Dell CD which is w2k (I never realized it wasn't xp
> >>> as it had xp when I bought it).
> >>> So, new question. Can I upgrade to XP using a full XP version CD?
> >> Once you get win2k installed and booted up
> >> just pop in the XP cd and it should autorun...
> >> then ask you if you want to upgrade...
> >> then go for it.
>
> >> Once you have upgraded to XP...
> >> then apply all critcal updates.
>
> >> (there is of course no need to do that with win2k
> >> as you will be upgrading it to XP)
>
> > Well, I did the install. It said to fix my display settings as it was
> > showing low rez. It wouldn't let me change them, so I rebooted, and
> > now it stalls at the "loading windows" page.
>
> > It also wants me to manually login every time windows starts.
>
> I'm confused. If it's stalling at "loading windows," how is it that you
> every see a login?


When it finished installing w2k, it started asking for the login every
time it booted.

When I installed win xp, it did load once, asked for the login, then
gave me a message about the display. It wouldn't correct that, so I
rebooted. That's when it stalled, so the screen just says "loading
windows".

friesian@zoocrewphoto.com wrote:
> On Feb 9, 1:54 pm, Grinder <grin...@no.spam.maam.com> wrote:
>> fries...@zoocrewphoto.com wrote:
>>> On Feb 9, 6:32 am, "philo" <ph...@privacy.net> wrote:
>>>> <fries...@zoocrewphoto.com> wrote in message
>>>> news:37785e7d-34b7-444b-8892-3b73212c9bc7@s12g2000prg.googlegroups.com...
>>>>> I just finsished a chat session with a Dell tech person, and it is
>>>>> currently installing.
>>>>> I had to use the Dell CD which is w2k (I never realized it wasn't xp
>>>>> as it had xp when I bought it).
>>>>> So, new question. Can I upgrade to XP using a full XP version CD?
>>>> Once you get win2k installed and booted up
>>>> just pop in the XP cd and it should autorun...
>>>> then ask you if you want to upgrade...
>>>> then go for it.
>>>> Once you have upgraded to XP...
>>>> then apply all critcal updates.
>>>> (there is of course no need to do that with win2k
>>>> as you will be upgrading it to XP)
>>> Well, I did the install. It said to fix my display settings as it was
>>> showing low rez. It wouldn't let me change them, so I rebooted, and
>>> now it stalls at the "loading windows" page.
>>> It also wants me to manually login every time windows starts.
>> I'm confused. If it's stalling at "loading windows," how is it that you
>> every see a login?
>
>
> When it finished installing w2k, it started asking for the login every
> time it booted.
>
> When I installed win xp, it did load once, asked for the login, then
> gave me a message about the display. It wouldn't correct that, so I
> rebooted. That's when it stalled, so the screen just says "loading
> windows".

Ah, I see. I would try the following, to see if I could get a login:

1) Unplug any USB devices or extra stuff that you can from the computer.
Reboot, and let it sit for a good long time -- 10 minutes or so -- to
see if it can manage to boot up.

2) Try booting into safe mode.

3) Try a repair install.

<friesian@zoocrewphoto.com> wrote in message
news:3aa8a541-e891-4e76-90d0-9aa0e528ce10@u10g2000prn.googlegroups.com...
> On Feb 9, 6:32 am, "philo" <ph...@privacy.net> wrote:
> > <fries...@zoocrewphoto.com> wrote in message
> >
> >
news:37785e7d-34b7-444b-8892-3b73212c9bc7@s12g2000prg.googlegroups.com...
> >
> > > I just finsished a chat session with a Dell tech person, and it is
> > > currently installing.
> >
> > > I had to use the Dell CD which is w2k (I never realized it wasn't xp
> > > as it had xp when I bought it).
> >
> > > So, new question. Can I upgrade to XP using a full XP version CD?
> >
> > Once you get win2k installed and booted up
> > just pop in the XP cd and it should autorun...
> > then ask you if you want to upgrade...
> > then go for it.
> >
> > Once you have upgraded to XP...
> > then apply all critcal updates.
> >
> > (there is of course no need to do that with win2k
> > as you will be upgrading it to XP)
>
>
>
> Well, I did the install. It said to fix my display settings as it was
> showing low rez. It wouldn't let me change them, so I rebooted, and
> now it stalls at the "loading windows" page.
>
> It also wants me to manually login every time windows starts.



Ok

you can boot to safe mode and lower the resolution and colors
then back normally and do not adjust it for now.

Sounds like you will have to go to the mfg's website and get the video
drivers...
then install them
>

<friesian@zoocrewphoto.com> wrote in message
news:37785e7d-34b7-444b-8892-3b73212c9bc7@s12g2000prg.googlegroups.com...
>I just finsished a chat session with a Dell tech person, and it is
> currently installing.
>
> I had to use the Dell CD which is w2k (I never realized it wasn't xp
> as it had xp when I bought it).
>
> So, new question. Can I upgrade to XP using a full XP version CD?

You have done a Windows 2000 install, then an upgrade to XP. So your 'fresh'
install is already cluttered up with files and registry settings that you
don't need...

As you have a full XP CD, then put your Dell Win2000 out of reach, boot on
the XP CD (check you BIOS has boot on CD as the first boot drive) and format
the hard drive (an option at the start of the XP install), install XP from
scratch and use that. When it boots, just let it use the standard 800x600
screen settings until you can get online. First thing to install is your
virus software, then your firewall, then once you are online get the latest
XP drivers for your graphics card, install them, then change the screen
settings. The you can set the rest of the PC up.