Help!! Problem installing OS

Auslander

Hello All,

Wondering if someone has the time to help me out.

Here goes....

I have a standard desktop pc, it developed a problem a few weeks ago, I suspect it has a virus, since every time I start it up,

the bios beeps as per normal and after initiallising, I am prompted to start up Windows, normally, last known config, command prompt or safe mode.

Selection of any of these options has the same effect, the computer attempts to start up the windows OS, and suceeds, except that the blue screen with 'windows has encountered a problem and has to shut down' message flashes for a second, at which point the computer powers down and then initialises once again, with the bios 'beeping' again.

this continously occurs.

So I think I've got a nasty little bug.

I'm happy enough to wipe the Hard-drive and install the OS again, I'm not too worried about data loss.

And after all of that, here's my questions.....

How do I install the new OS when my computer will not boot up?

Can I wipe the hard-drive and get the computer to read the cd-rom as the primary IDE?

Do I require an initial boot up program, and where can I download a copy?

I have been told that I require a 'bart PC utility file' is this correct?

If I download this file, can I burn a copy to cd, and set the bios to read the utility file as a primary IDE (and how do I set the cd rom to primary IDE device)

I have a good idea of what I'm doing (I think) but am by no means an expert.

I'm sorry to be asking taxing questions at this hour of the night, but I need my baby back!!!

If anyone can help, I would be very thankful

Auslander

DonkeyStyle \o/

How do I install the new OS when my computer will not boot up?

If you're getting to a stage where you're asked what mode you'd like to boot windows in - then you're booting far enough to be able to install an OS.
Though you obviously won't be installing from within your existing OS, you can boot from the install CD regardless of how screwed up your present windows install is.

Can I wipe the hard-drive and get the computer to read the cd-rom as the primary IDE?

Ok, forget the term "primary IDE"... you won't have to change the physical position of the drives/cables... what you're looking for instead is "boot order" or "boot sequence"... this is basically where the BIOS will search your CD drive for a bootable system before finding the system on your harddrive and booting that.
And this is what you want to do... if it's not already searching the CD drive before the harddrive, then you need to enter the BIOS setup by pressing a certain key when the BIOS is POST'ing (ie. around the time you hear the beep - it's usually DELETE or F1, but it could be anything really).

Do I require an initial boot up program, and where can I download a copy?

No, the BIOS can provide what you need here. (assuming you have a bootable install CD of some description)
The only time you'd need additional software is when you've got multiple strange operating systems installed at the same time.

I have been told that I require a 'bart PC utility file' is this correct?

You don't require it as such, but it might be useful if you know how to fix the problem manually or you want to rescue some files off the drive before re-formatting it.

If I download this file, can I burn a copy to cd, and set the bios to read the utility file as a primary IDE (and how do I set the cd rom to primary IDE device)

Yes, you can burn it to CD and boot off of it as a kind of stand-alone OS (though last time I used bart PE I had to create an image within windows using the windows CD in addition to bart PE... not sure what bart PC is, so I won't go there)
Again though, forget the whole primary IDE thing... concentrate on setting the boot order in the BIOS instead.

Auslander

I like your style..

I'll give it a go..

Auslander

Tried that, set the cd to primary boot device, but can also hear the hard drive working away afterwards, at which point I have the original problem of power-down/restart.

Perhaps it is not possible to boot up with the windows OS cd that I have?

DonkeyStyle \o/

Yeah it'll check the CD first, but if nothing bootable is found, it'll fall back to the next device in the sequence, in this case the harddrive.

All official windows CDs are bootable afaik... if it's a backup CD-R, then the boot image may not be present, just the regular files... depending on faithfully it was backed up.
Manufacturers 'system-restore' CDs should also be bootable for this purpose.

There are ways and means to install windows from a backup CD without having to boot off of it.
All you have to do is make some kind of bootable floppy (or cd or usb key) that will bring you to a DOS prompt and have the CD drive enabled (with something like mscdex.exe/atapi.sys/whatever, I wouldn't worry too much about the specifics since the boot image should specify whether or not it's enabling the CD drive).
There are websites with a selection of boot images you can download, so I'm sure you can find something to make a good bootable floppy with... good in this case meaning you can access a cd drive from the command prompt.
Then once you're there, you should just be able to enter \i386\winnt.exe* and launch the installer.
*D: being whatever your CD drive shows up as in DOS, it may be another letter, so if you don't find it at first try other letters.

The installer will probably take a lot longer than usual this way unless you have some sort of disk caching program loaded... but if you can afford to leave it running for maybe two hours, then I wouldn't worry about it... otherwise you might be able to find a boot image with a disk caching TSR loaded... can't remember the name of the one I used before offhand... I think it was smartdrive, which is a standard dos/microsoft proggy that you could probably nab off a Win'98 CD.
Actually, if you had a Win'98 CD, you could just boot off of that and get to a DOS prompt from there without having to actually install 98... then launch the 2k/xp install while you're there.

Or you could just borrow a working CD off someone you know... afaik this is alright to do as long as you use your own windows key.

Auslander

I'll give that a go this evening, didn't have any joy last night. Thanks for your help donKey!!

DonkeyStyle \o/

Yeah no problem... did you ever get this sorted btw?

Auslander

Having a techno-nightmare, laptop crashed last week too.