Problem Booting From CD

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I need to perform a clean reinstall of XP on my friend’s computer using her XP SP3 cd. I used F11 to boot from the cd drive, and the press any key to boot from cd screen appears, but pressing a key has no effect and the computer then boots into Windows normally.

Is this because my friend has a USB keyboard, and if so what can be done to overcome this problem?

Help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks and regards,
Roy

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Can the CD drive be used normally? Maybe it needs to have dust removed from it using a so-called DVD-drive cleaner.

Alternatively, are you using the correct key to bring up the boot menu option? This is commonly F12 not F11 (in my experience!). Perhaps go into the BIOS and set up the boot order to have the CD drive boot first.

BATcher

Plethora means a lot to me.

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Hello BATcher,

I used a CD/DVD drive cleaner to clean the lens of my friend’s 2 optical drives before trying anything.

On her machine F11 brings up the boot menu option, and whether I choose to boot from the cd or dvd/cd drive makes no difference. If I go into the BIOS and set up the boot order to have either the cd or dvd/cd drive boot first her machine just goes into an endless loop of not booting and restarting.

The machine seems to recognise the cd drive as the dvd/cd drive, and vice versa. I used a Microsoft Fixit to try to resolve this, but it made no difference, so partly because of this and also because when XP was reinstalled on her machine recently the OS ended up on her D drive, and I wanted to get it back on her C drive, I decided to reinstall XP again.

I don’t understand why when I “press any key to boot from cd” it doesn’t work, and the machine just boots into Windows normally.

For what its worth, if I put the XP SP3 cd in either of the optical drives after Windows starts up the Welcome screen for XP installation opens.

Any further suggestions would be welcome.

Thanks and regards,
Roy

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For what its worth, if I put the XP SP3 cd in either of the optical drives after Windows starts up the Welcome screen for XP installation opens.

Roy

When this screen comes up go ahead and initiate the installation. It sounds as though this is what you want to happen anyway.

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Hello Ted,

My local computer technician tells me that if I initiate the installation with Windows running he believes I won’t be able to format the disk I wish to format. Is that the case?

Your reply would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Roy

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I would think if you initiate a reinstallation of Windows, it will overwrite what’s already there. When you overwrite, it in essence formats the HD. I am working with Win 7 so I do not remember everything that happens with XP. Perhaps someone else could chime in here.

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Hi Roy, put the cd in the tray, leave it open, restart the pc, don’t press anything till the ‘press any key to boot’ appears. If this fails, the ‘BIOS’ need to be reset to boot from cd/dvd first.

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You might even change the Bios to default settings, then ensure the Boot from CD is first in line.

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Check your BIOS to see that legacy USB is enabled. If it is not enabled you won’t be able to access a USB device until an OS is booted.

Joe

--Joe

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I tried the suggestions in this thread,but nothing worked until I saw the last one from JoeP. That worked, but only when I set the BIOS to boot from the DVD/CD drive, not the CD drive. Why that should be so I have no idea.

Best regards,
Roy

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I tried the suggestions in this thread,but nothing worked until I saw the last one from JoeP. That worked, but only when I set the BIOS to boot from the DVD/CD drive, not the CD drive. Why that should be so I have no idea.

Best regards,
Roy

Because you have a DVD/CD drive not a CD drive which uses different settings within the BIOS.

DaveA I am so far behind, I think I am First
Genealogy....confusing the dead and annoying the living

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Hello DaveA,

Sorry but I don’t understand your comment. I have 2 optical drives, one is a DVD/CD drive and the other a CD drive.

I would appreciate you clarifying this for me.

Thanks and regards,
Roy

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Are you sure the boot disk is a CD and not a DVD?

Jerry

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Hi Jerry,

Yes, the boot disk is a cd.

Further advice would be appreciated.

Regards,
Roy

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Hi Roy – In the BIOS, does DVD/CD show as Primary or Master and CD show as Secondary or Slave? I have had it happen that only the Primary/Master is the bootable drive.

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Hi tfspry,

The references to the optical drives in the BIOS, under the IDE Configuration heading,show the Secondary IDE Master as the NEC DVD/CD drive, and the Secondary IDE Slave as the Sony CD drive.

I changed the first boot device to the Sony CD drive, and restarted with the XP SP3 cd in that drive.The computer didn’t start from the cd (I didn’t get the “Press any key” option) but with a configuration screen with the choice of starting with Profile 1 or with the last known good configuration. I chose the latter and the computer then started normally. I then restarted again with the cd in the cd drive, and this time the computer booted from the cd.

Hopefully the problem is now solved, but if you have any other comments please advise, and in the meantime thanks to all who contributed to this thread.

Best regards,
Roy

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