Crashing XP during install

[Mxrider]

While installing XP Pro over WinME on my g/fs computer... about half way thru it says some files were missing and prompts me to skip file and continue. I did just that. Suddenly XP hangs on me so I went with a reformat of her drive. I used a WinME start up disk.. and when asked to "start windows with CD rom support" or not.. I choose start with CD rom support. After the reformat I popped in the WinXP Pro CD in drive D: and restarted the computer. Nothing happens.. I tried her HP System recovery CD as well but nothing. It says " Not ready reading drive D:" even tho there is a CD in there. I've been in BIOS to change the boot ups..and still nothing happens. The CD is in the drive.. the light flickers..but nothing. HP will not help me without personal info from my girlfriend.. and the computer store down the street will charge a minimum of 65 dollars to fix .. or at least try to fix this problem.

If anyone has had this problem..or know what I should try next.. could you please help?.. Computer issues really get me stressed and worked up.. especially when I don't know where to go next.

Thanks for your time and responses

One frustrated computer geek
Chris

 

[crjdriver]

If you have changed the boot sequence to boot cd first and it is not ready the cd, it sounds like you may have either a bad disk or a bad cd drive. When you boot with the winme boot disk and choose cd support, are you able to read a cd in the drive? If you have access to another machine, try the xp cd in another computer and see if you can read the disk.

 

[Mxrider]

Thanks for your help. I have talked to a few people and they too suggest it might be a bad CD drive. I mean.. it is an HP computer..lol. I did try the disk in another drive and it works fine. By any chance do you know what a cheap drive would go for? She has a CDRW single drive.

Thanks again for your help

Chris

 

[ibdewey]

Cd drives are pretty cheap, we get our aopen's for around 25 bucks. If you use the winme bootup disk and choose start computer with cd-rom support can you see the winxp cd. If you can see the cd then go to the i386 folder i believe and run winnt.exe or winnt32.exe (I can't remember which one). You may have to format the hard drive first. Of course like you guys are saying if its a new copy of xp it should just boot off of the cd drive. Good luck!

 

[Mxrider]

Thanks for the ideas guys.
I have reformatted.. loaded the BIOS drives with d: and e: first.. still nothing. When I do go to the D: prompt with the CD in .. it says " not ready reading drive". Kinda funny if the drive did go bad...cuz it is really coincidental that XP crashed while installing.. and now this. I am pretty sure it is the drive tho..cuz nothing loads.. not even the HP Recovery CD.. not even my copy of WinME nor XP. I will just have to get a new drive for it..cuz just about everything that I have tried does not work.


Appreciate all the help tho.. you guys answer fast!

Chris

p.s. If anyone else has had this problem before.. lemme know.. cuz it's a wierd situation. Thanks!