Windows XP

[astarr]

I really hope this is the right place to post this. If not, I'm sorry, this is my first time using these forums.

I recently installed a new harddrive in my dad's computer as his old one just kept malfunctioning. Everything went fine except for it asks for a disk boot or something of that nature in order to set up the operating system. I tried to install Windows Vista using the ISO file provided here, however it told me there wasn't enough ram to install it. It ran on Windows XP before and I never got a recovery disc with the computer. Is there any sort of ISO file I can download like the Vista one in order to put XP back on the computer? All I have come across is floppy disc methods, but his computer only has a cd-rom, no floppy disc at all. The Vista ISO method worked great and would have installed has it not been for the memory, so I'm hoping maybe to get a method like that, only for XP instead.

[Computer Guru]

Did you *replace* the old hard drive or just add a new one?

[Terry60]

You can't install Vista with our ISO. It's not a free copy of the OS. It's just a repair disk for the Vista boot process. (no use to you if that's not what controls your boot)
Did you clone XP from an old IDE drive to a new SATA drive ?
If so, chances are XP has no installed SATA drivers and that's what it's looking for to get XP booting.

[Computer Guru]

IF he only added it, chances are he just needs to select the correct boot drive from the BIOS.

[JustinW]

Download all available drivers for your laptop from HP's site.

[JustinW]

Hi Jen, welcome and thanks for trying to help.

I'm afraid ISO mount doesnt work particulary well for Windows installs, and that VCDControlPanel doesn't always work (havent gotten it to work) and MS no longer supports it. This topics a little old if you look at the dates. I'm guessing with no follow up the user solved whatever problems they were having.

[Computer Guru]

Actually, Vista+ can be safely installed from a mounted virtual disk since all files are copied *before* the system restart. But XP can't, it needs access to the disk after reboot but before Windows itself is up and running.

[JustinW]

Might have been a problem with the build of server 08 I was using than. I kept getting an error with the installer.

[Computer Guru]

You'll need more ram.