Loading WinXP from Dos

[dhlucke]

I've brought this up before and got a partial answer. I think it's about time we got the full blown story though.

If you try to load "setup" from dos it won't let you since you have to be in windows. If you load "winnt" it will start loading the OS from dos, but it complains that the performance of the "install" will be subpar unless you install "smartdrive". Having no idea what smartdrive is I just chose to install anyways, but it won't finish it. If I restart, it gets farther into the install, but since I guess it hung during the file copy process it can't get keep going. The error I actually get is that the EULA is missing. I have a retail version so that's not the problem. Although I am installing off a copy of the original cd since I'm not at home right now.

So, in a more step by step way, how should we install from DOS (after doing a format for example)?

Thx

<font color=red>God</font color=red> <font color=blue>Bless</font color=blue> <font color=red>America!</font color=red>

 

[Guest]

First of all, load from the actual CD, not a copy, because sometimes files don't copy to a CD-R. That will eliminate the possiblity of a bad copy.

You will need to make a Windows 98 bootdisk that loads CD-ROM drivers and has smartdrv. Smartdrv is a caching program for DOS that manages a memory cache, which improves file transfer for drives. After you copy smartdrv.exe (it's on the C: drive of a windows 98 installation) to your 98 boot disk, boot from it, type "SMARTDRV", and I think it will load automatically as long as your CD-ROM driver loaded. You can also type "SMARTDRV /?" to see more info. If it doesn't load, try typing "SMARTDRV /s", and if read and write cache is not enabled for the hard rive and the CD-ROM, type this: "SMARTDRV C+ X+" where "C" is you hard drive letter and "X" is your CD-ROM drive letter.

Then run winnt.exe and it should be faster. The EULA error, once again, is probably a bad CD copy. Try installing with the actual disk and with smartdrv, and see what happens.

 

[stable]

Actually, you shouldn't run setup from Windows OR DOS but rather do the installation via a direct boot from the original XP Professional disc. (IE, insert and boot from the CD-ROM).

Steve Benoit

Stable Technologies
'The way IT should be!'