NEED HELP INSTALLING WINDOWS!

[mateo88]

After I format the hard drive and make it bootable, Windows won't install! It says I have drive compressing software or something that should be disabled, but I don't think I do. If I don't make the drive bootable (add the "\s" to the "format c:" command), Windows will install but I get a message when the computer first comes on that there is an "Invalid system disk, replace and strike any key when ready." Has anyone else had this problem. I must've reformatted the hard drive ten times today trying to figure this out!

Mateo88

[Tekkitan]

did you leave a floppy disk in the drive? ;p

[mateo88]

nope

[TweakerXP]

What OS are you trying to install?? We need a little more info about your system.

[mateo88]

Sorry! I'm trying to install Windows 98/se. I was just working with it, and it seems I got it installed, but when I restart, I get an "Invalid disk, replace and press any key" message. I can't get the C drive to boot! I don't have a disk in the FDD, and then I boot up with the windows 98 cd. Then I get to the windows folder and type try to run windows, but I get a blue screen saying "VFAT device initialization failed. System halted."

[the xenon]

OK, u must have had ur cd-rom drive set as primery booting device in bios (when u installed win)
Now goto bios and set ur primary booting device as ur hard drive. (if u have award bios goto the "advanced BIOS features" tab and set "First boot device" as HDD-0)

regards,

[Vernon Frazee]

You might also load FDISK and see if the primary partition on the first hard drive is set as "A"ctive.

[mateo88]

Thanks for the replies, but I've tried setting the primary boot device to HDD-0, and fdisk says the partition is active. I'm pretty new to this, so could someone tell me what to do to install Windows on a brand new hard drive, starting with formatting it and making it bootable? If anyone could do this it would be greatly appreciated.

[SEALTEAMTHREE]

First you'll need to go into BIOS and bump the CD-ROM up in the boot order. You'll want to set it as the #2 device to boot from, so it should go Floppy, CD-ROM then HDD. Then insert the Win 98 SE disc, and when it boots from the CD, go to "Boot computer with CD-ROM support". It'll load some CD-ROM drivers, and then display the DOS prompt (ususally defaults to your CD-ROM). Change the drive from D:\ (assuming your CD-ROM is D) to C: (by typing C: on the command line and pressing enter) and then type fdisk. In fdisk, you should delete the primary partition and then create a new one (primary dos partition). It'll prompt you to name the dirve, and you can just leave it blank or call it whatever you want. Then, it'll ask you to restart. When it boots off the CD-ROM again, select "Start Windows 98 setup". Windows setup will run scandisk and determine that your HDD needs formatted becuase you're running on a blank partiton that hasn't been formatted with FAT32 yet. Tell it that its ok to format and then go find something to do for a while because it's going to take some time, less for smaller drives, more for bigger ones (my 20 GB took about 1/2 hour). Then, windows will begin the setup process and actually install the OS. This should work. If it doesn't install after deleting the primary partition and then creating a new one and formatting, you probably have a bad drive. Good luck!

[mateo88]

I finally got it! The problem was the MaxBlast software installed on the drive (I took the drive from an old pc). I had to uninstall the EZ Drive disk recognition software. Thank you guys very much for your replies; they helped a lot!