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Trying to re-install Windows XP
using the CD that Dell provided with my computer.
Unfortunately I have service pack 3 on my machine and after booting to the CD that Dell provided I am getting a message that I can't install this version of XP (it has Service Pack 1 on it).
Is there some way to install the version of XP that is on the disk that I received from Dell ? If so, do I need to get a product key from Dell ?
RoHe
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January 19th, 2014 12:00
Given the number of times I've asked for the PC model, I'm getting the feeling Levinll2 is trying to use a Dell XP Reinstallation CD to install the OS on a non-Dell system.
That won't work because the Dell CD is tied to Dell's BIOS and will only allow Windows to be installed on a Dell system.
shesagordie
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January 19th, 2014 13:00
RoHe
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January 19th, 2014 16:00
Read me
Philip_Yip
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January 19th, 2014 17:00
The Dimension E520's earliest BIOS came out in 2006 while XP Service Pack 2 was released in 2004. It should not be old enough to be supplied with a Windows XP with only Service Pack 1 CD.
Moreover XP reaches End of Life in April and should not be reinstalled.
This machine has the capabilities of running Windows 7. For more details on upgrading this system to Windows 7 or 8.1 see here:
http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/
http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/driver-sets/dimension-desktops/
Note if you must stay with XP you should know the risks in running an unsupported OS. Also you will need to bring your XP Reinstallation CD up to Service Pack 3 level and include the SATA drivers.
My legacy XP Reinstallation Guide Step 6:
http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/
Will instruct you how to do this.
RoHe
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January 20th, 2014 10:00
Natuakuc4 is reading my mind! :emotion-3:
Once you told us what system this was, it reminded me of the issue with XP SP1 and pci.sys which caused installation problems and had to be fixed in XP SP2.
rdunnill
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January 20th, 2014 10:00
I used SP1 years ago, but don't remember any specific issues with it. I do remember that the pre-SP1 version couldn't accommodate the then-large hard drives of greater than 137gb in size.
Philip_Yip
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January 20th, 2014 13:00
The E520 on CNET reviews came with a 750 GB drive, its probably related to the problem:
http://reviews.cnet.com/desktops/dell-dimension-e520-core/4505-3118_7-32205750.html
The XP CD needs to be slipstreamed to include Service Pack 3 or preferably XP ditched in favour of Windows 7/8.1.
rdunnill
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January 20th, 2014 15:00
It's possible to install the SP2 version of XP and then add SP3 after the fact. I did that regularly, and in fact I have never used slipstreaming.
levinll2
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January 21st, 2014 06:00
After updating the BIOS I once again booted to the XP disc that came with my dell machine.
Below is the following error message that appeared as the install process began.
Philip_Yip
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January 21st, 2014 07:00
RoHe
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January 21st, 2014 09:00
It's still a 7B error which means SATA Operation (SATA Mode) is set incorrectly in BIOS.
BIOS must be set to RAID Autodetect/ATA in order to install XP. So reboot, open BIOS setup and change that setting. Be sure to save the change before exiting setup.
Then immediately reboot and go back into BIOS setup again. If SATA Operation is not still set to RAID Autodetect/ATA, then the motherboard battery may be dead and needs to be replaced.
rdunnill
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January 21st, 2014 09:00
XP requires a boot device, and if the boot device drivers aren't present on the install disk (and they often aren't), they must be added just as the install disk boots via the boot device drivers wizard (which can be started by pressing the F6 key).
RoHe
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January 21st, 2014 10:00
Are you still using the Dell XP SP1 disk? Where's the XP SP2 disk that came with this PC?
Do you have a bum XP SP1 CD?
Power off, unplug and press/hold power button on tower. Check the connection between the hard drive and SATA(0) connector on the motherboard. And then check that SATA(0) is enabled in BIOS setup and that BIOS identifies the drive correctly.
levinll2
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January 21st, 2014 10:00
I did as you suggested, and the change is still selected.
However I am still getting the 7B error when trying to re-install XP.
Philip_Yip
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January 21st, 2014 10:00