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    Install new hard drive to Dell D400

    Discussion in 'Dell' started by thomas-b, Jul 23, 2007.

  1. thomas-b

    thomas-b Newbie

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    Hi,

    I wish to install Windows XP on a Dell D400 laptop. The laptop is used so I don't have original CDs and furthermore it has no CD, HDD or Floppy drive. To start I partitioned and formatted the hard drive for the laptop (a 30 GB Fujitsu MHT2030 AT) in my desktop PC. Partition 0 is active, sys c: copies command.com to the drive and so it boots to the DOS prompt on my desktop computer. In the laptop however I get the error message "invalid system, remove disc...". Then I installed Windows XP on the disc on a NTFS partition (again using the desktop PC) and again no problems on the desktop but error message "A disk read error occurred. Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart" on the laptop. The drive is jumpered as master and in the BIOS the hard drive is the only selected device to boot from.

    How do I get this drive to work? There is no other drive available to boot from.


    Thanks a lot in advance for any hints and suggestions!

    Greetings,
    Thomas
     
    thomas-b, Jul 23, 2007
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  2. thomas-b

    thomas-b Newbie

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    Solved using IDE->USB adapter
     
    thomas-b, Jul 24, 2007
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