Windows XP Pro installation problems 1

[Dweezel]

A friend of mine needed a computer as his had died, and was given a second hand one by a friend of his. This computer had been a server in it's previous life, and has Red Hat Linux installed on it.

No problem I thought. Just get Windows XP, format the drive and Bob's your uncle, but unfortunately I'm having problems. I turn the computer on, press f8 to go into setup, select the cd drive as the boot device, and let the windows files start loading up from the disc. This takes place without incident, but when I get to the first options screen on the XP install, namely the one which says:

To set up Windows XP now, press ENTER.

To repair a Windows XP installation using Recovery Console, press R.

To quit Setup without installing Windows XP, press F3.

The keyboard stops working. By stops working I mean it apparently looses power. it's the type of keyboard that plugs into the circular keyboard socket on the computer that has pins in it, not a USB one.

If, for instance, I have num lock turned on, the green num lock light on the keyboard is initially on when I turn the computer on. It's still on when I press f8 and select the cd drive as the boot device, and remains on when the windows files are starting to install. Just as it gets to the first option screen above though, the green light goes out and the keyboard becomes unresponsive.

Any ideas?

I'll post this in the Red Hat forum as well if there is one.

TIA.

 

[linney]

Can you try another Keyboard?

Set your Bios to its Safe Defaults, and then save that setting, re-enter the Bios and set your boot order. Does the bios have any setting in relation to Keyboards?


Linux (client/desktop)

http://www.tek-tips.com/threadminder.cfm?pid=619

315224 - How to Remove the Linux LILO Boot Manager

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;315224&FR=1&PA=1&SD=HSCH

314458 - How to Remove Linux and Install Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;314458&FR=1&PA=1&SD=HSCH

 

[firewolfrl]

Download Maxtor's Powermax (it doesn't matter the drive manufacturer)

http://www.majorgeeks.com/Maxtor_Powermax_d1386.html

Zero out the whole drive.

make sure in the Bios the boot order is CD then HD

it will automatically go to the windows load screen because of the it sees an empty drive

the F8 and making the cdrom drive the primary boot may be an issue

this should help

 

[Dweezel]

Thanks a lot guys. I've got someone helping me on-site with this now.

Cheers.

 

[nomorelaughter]

Dweezil,

What happened? I'm trying to upgrade a home-built PC (built in '99) that uses a Pentium III 500 MHz and an Intel se440BX-2 motherboard. The latest BIOS is installed for the motherboard is installed; and all research and diagnostics tests indicate this system should be compatible with Windows XP Professional. I have a full license to XP, which I am attempting to install on a never-used 40 GB hard drive. (I've removed a smaller hard drive which ran Windows 98 SE, and ran it just fine.) The new hard drive is formatted into one 40GB partition using NTFS. The installation goes just fine, and from the keyboard, I'm able to enter my name, administrative password, and time zone -- the keyboard works just fine -- but when the installation is complete and it's time to configure XP, all power is suddenly cut off from the keyboard, the keyboard stops working, and I can no longer type, turn on num lock or caps lock, or anything. It's a standard 104-key board. The mouse (with a roller ball) doesn't work either. I can't continue further because there is no way I can enter information, there's no way I can interact with the Windows XP setup procedure.

What solution did you find?

 

[linney]

Have you tried setting the Bios to load Safe defaults and rebooting?

Can it be booted in to Safe Mode? If so you can try these or see if there are other clues in the links.

Open the control panel and select the keyboard icon then open the hardware tab

Check any devices in the list make sure things are correct in there.
Try to re-install or install the correct drivers for this by selecting the Properties tab then Drivers tab and then Update drivers.


Have a look in Control Panel/ Regional and Language/

Make sure you have the correct setting for "Standards and formats".

After that continue on by selecting the Languages tab/ Details. Make sure you have the correct "Default input language" and "Installed services".


You May Be Unable to Access the Windows Advanced Options Menu When You Use a USB Keyboard

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/283778#appliesto

No Mouse/Keyboard After Updating Microsoft Natural Keyboard Pro Drivers (Q257729)

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q257/7/29.asp

Keyboard dead at logon.
thread779-396323


Can't install Compaq keyboard
thread779-866195

Keyboard stops responding
thread779-855939

 

[nomorelaughter]

PROBLEM SOLVED

It was such a bizarre occurence...who would think that a keyboard would stop working, just like that? With each attempt to install XP (and different tweakings), the keyboard worked just fine in BIOS and during the installation procedure. It also worked when I plugged it into another computer this morning. So nothing was wrong with the keyboard.

As for help from the big guys, there was nothing much to be found at either Intel's website or Microsoft's support site. Through different online message boards, I did find several different things to try...but everything failed to solve the problem, so I won't list these things here.

I stumbled onto my solution just by the dumb luck of accident. Somebody with the same problem might have to do something else; but in my case, it turned out I couldn't have both a PS/2 keyboard and a PS/2 mouse plugged into the computer at the same time during setup. I don't know why this is. So I unplugged the mouse, and during setup I had to do everything via the keyboard. Once setup was complete, I had no difficulty installing the mouse.

I only had Windows XP Professional running for a few minutes tonight, but it seems to be doing fine. Tomorrow I'm going to install Microsoft Office and an HP PhotoSmart printer. I don't think I'll have any more problems with the essentials; but I'm wondering: installed on the motherboard is a Voodoo3 3000 graphics card (for PCI) and a SoundBlaster 64 AWE-VALUE sound card (for ISA). I'm wondering if I should install the same drivers (the final official drivers as released by 3dFX and Creative Labs respectively) for these cards that I was running under Windows 98 SE? Both these cards were working so wonderfully under 98SE.

 

[linney]

XP should have installed drivers already for this hardware or be telling you something nasty about this hardware. By all means update your drivers, but a word of warning do so from the manufacturer not Windows Updates, that causes too much grief on many occasions.