Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

compaq and restore windows

Options
  • 11-05-2004 12:48pm
    #1
    cranoo
    Closed Accounts Posts: 279 ✭✭


    Hi all.

    I am trying to install windows back on a compaq computer, I have the restore discs , when I reboot with the discs in the cd -rom I am left with the a:/ prompt and it says it cant read the cd-rom, I have tried to use a win startup disc, it loads but it wont let me format C:/s, any ideas on how to load windows or get passed the A prom

    cranoo


Comments

  • Options
    #2
    Karoma
    Registered Users Posts: 19,396 ✭✭✭✭Karoma


    Obvious: try changing to the cd-rom driver (ex: D: ) ? ,then try setup.exe or similar...

    Has the hardware / motherboard been altered in any way since factory settings? (New drives installed,etc) ?



    /walk off ranting about stoopid 'recovery disks'...


  • Options
    #3
    jor el
    Closed Accounts Posts: 16,713 ✭✭✭✭jor el


    You could try to read the contents of the CD on another computer, see if you can take an image of the disc, or read all the contents into a temp directory. If there is a problem reading, then the CD is fubar. If it reads OK, it could be a dodgy CDROM in the compaq, or bad motherboard. Replace the CDROM in the Compaq with a known good one and it may work.

    I'll echo Karoma's comment on the recovery discs and I'd suggest ditching them, as they're always a big pile of poo. However, knowing Compaq, they've probably put lots of 'special' hardware in the PC, like the modem for example, that won't install on from normal Win98/Nt/XP installation. And since Compaq and HP merged, all their support for drivers and so on seem to have gone down hill. At least this is my experience, with 3 seperate old Compaq boxes, in the last few months. :dunno:


Advertisement