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Originally Posted by Nevermore  Thank you kindly for the help.
The system is set to boot from cd. I get as far as choosing the partition to place Vista on and the when the screen comes up saying "that is al the info we need for now" it looks like it wants to start and then the error comes up.
I had a hunch that it might need the RAID driver on the s/w side so I might have to do a vlite install. I'm just hoping I don't have to wipe off my data partition for some weird reason, unless you think that the whole disc structure right now is gone.
The RAID is set in the BIOS as it reports it as a healthy array.
I will play around more when I get home from work.
In the future, how would you have handled this before deleting the partitions? Is there a better way to recover the space taken by the XP partition? |
This is the most common mistakes that are made constantly...
Failure to read the manual...
trying to always speed the processes....
I don't care what computer it is that I am working on...I always download the manual from PDF format. This gives me all the vital information that is needed in determining what progression is needed to work on that computer.
All RAID arrays and SATA/PATA controllers are installed differently with different BIOS and preinstalled hardware configurations... In some cases there is embedded BIOS that will not allow you to install any operating systems different than what is pre-installed nor use any other media to install with than what is sent with the unit.
This type of information is vital to repairing computer issues.
Something I always tell my students...speed does not always get you to the finish the fastest...like the turtle and the rabbit story.... In most cases it will make you lose....especially with computers.
This is my procedures when I look at restoring or re-installing an operating system...
Verify what the hardware is.....seeing that it is or knowing that it is SATA or RAID or IEDE (PATA) is imperative as each has it's own way of being able to work properly and how to be installed....as well as knowing what the operating system is going to be used to install to.. The make sure that I have all the necessary drivers files on hand for the hardware that is installed.
examples
SATA.....always needs to have drivers installed when using XP as XP does not recognize the controller as native....SATA was not around when XP was designed.
IEDE (PATA) is recognised as native and most windows operating system will install generic drivers to access he hardware for installation... this is not a problem
RAID....there are over 100 different RAID arrays but only about 5 are used in personal computers and is dependent upon the hard drives that are installed.
Also RAID can be installed in different means dependent upon the motherboard and support fuctions built into the BIOS....Then there is RAID 300 which is a software installation of the RAID array. RAID can be installed with either SATA or IEDE controllers or even both...
All of this is vital to know before one starts any re-installation process. The built in restore partitions (hidden) usually have these specifics taken care of so as to not be a bother...
If I have to do it from scratch I make it a practice to remove any unneeded hardware as this actually helps in the long run as conflicts and driver issues are non existent during installations.
If I have the CD installation disc then I use it to boot and install the operating system. It is capable of deleting and formatting all partitions if needed or setting up additional partitions if needed. If there is an issue then I check it out as to what may have caused it and then and only then will I start using other applications to perform work or diagnostics....
If I believe there may be a hard drive error then I use the manufacturer's utility for performing this actions and to then set up the drive to make it ready for installation....(what you should do now to remove the partitions that you need to work on). Usually that is all it takes as once the drive is set up by the utility it normally removes any more installation problems and also failed driver installs and HAL errors. A
After the install I then install all the other hardware and needed drivers and then activate windows at the same time. I then install all the updates and support packs and prepare to install any other software and applications.
This might seem to take longer and sometimes does by just a few minutes. But the installs are cleaner and less likely to have issues later on.
You mentioned using nLite as a source for slipstreaming the installation. That is one of the best that is available and the easiest to use. In working on your own computer it would be the best to build your own installation discs and have them around... but I have converted to imaging and it is the best so long as you have the backups stored on a different drive. They are also the fastest for being back up and running. You might look into that.