messed up windows install (CF28)

aight, so i've exhausted all the options my sleep deprived brain could think of and i'm still screwed.

i dont have a cd rom drive for my toughbook cf28 but i figured i'd run the bootdisk install (i386 folder to hdd, boot with bootdisk and start winnt.exe) done it so many times that i've lost count.

now here's the thing. the files are copied and everything, but when the gui install part i supposed to start, all i get is s blinking cursor. and i have no bloody clue how to get it running.

any ideas?

EDIT: i give up... unless someone can think of something else, this machine will be scrapped. i get the bloody operating system not found error whatever the hell i do...

 

Try making the HDD bootable first. In the olden days we used sys.com. Made the HDD bootable in the new OS before I actually installed it. What version of Windows are you trying to install?

 

its Windows XP SP3. but i have five other discs with different version i can try.

my problem is this. during the first stage of the install, the computer copies files to the hdd. then it reboots and runs the files from the hdd. shouldn't the drive be bootable then? cause this is the first time its not bootable. at least what i've seen.

thrid this as well: http://forum.notebookreview.com/windows-os-software/309695-installing-xp-old-pc.html#post4030791

still a nogo

EDIT: gotta redo everything. sys.com doesnt work cause dos doesnt support NTFS. trying fat32 atm
EDIT2: sys.com did nothing at all. (fat32)
EDIT3: possible success. however smartdrv.exe crashed so it'll take approx 4 hours until i know if it worked or not

 

I have had this very problem before. I can not remember the exact solution at the moment. How sure are you that the HDD is good? I seem to think it was a HDD error. I believe I repartitioned the drive and did a custom partition. Not using the first gig or so of the drive. It seems to me my most recent occurrence of the flashing cursor, non boot was when I reformatted an OEM Mac drive for Windows in a Toughbook. I made the 40g drive a 38g drive and it worked. Something was written in the boot sector that Windows refused to erase. It was a new drive so I doubt that it had a bad spot, but you never know.

 

i'll try hat partition trick momentarily.

regarding he harddrive, i've tired two 120gb seagate drives, two 100gb fujitsu drives and a 20gb IBM travelstar. same issue on all of them. and all work splendidly in other machines.

the drives are from two different hp pavilion dv8000 notebooks and the travelstar is a replacement drive from my powerbook pismo, i uhm... liberated.

 

I recall that there is a program that will make a usb bootable, even in PC's that don't support booting off of usb such as the CF-28. I can't remember what it's called though.

 

plop boot manager? cause i'm trying that out atm


i managed to get it running now. i ran fdisk BEFORE i started winnt.exe. and now i'm at the gui install stage. problem solved

EDIT: Writing this on the toughbook. wlan is ty though. sitting 5 meters from the access point and i get barely 20% signal...

 

Your problem is simple: you are trying to read from an NTFS formatted partition before Windows has installed the drivers for NTFS support.

When you do a remote deployment install (that's what the i386 install is meant for) you have to format the HD as FAT32 and leave it as FAT 32 UNTIL THE INSTALL IS COMPLETE.

Once you've completed the install and the chipset drivers (hence support for NTFS) are installed, THEN you can convert the filesystem to NTFS at the command prompt using convert.exe :

How to Use Convert.exe to Convert a Partition to the NTFS File System

As for the poor WiFi signal, it's prolly because your antennas are inside a magnesium housing; there are only a few areas where you can install the flag antennas in a CF-28 and have them work. Otherwise, you can do the WiFi antenna hack shown here:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/panasonic/215522-built-wireless-advanced-mods-2.html#post2970095

Good luck,

mnem
Systemic.

 

yeah that was it plop boot!

 

mate, i've done this dozens of times on the most obscure of computers. and this is the first time it bugged out on me like this. although, your explanation has merit and makes a lot of sense.

yeah, well basically i took the wifi antenna of a dead zepto 6615 and taped it into the case itself with electrical tape. it's far from optimal, but it'll do until i get the parts for it. temporary solution at best.


However, there was one thing i was wondering. i've got the drivers and all installed but the colors have gone to hell. i've got a blue wallpaper (same as on my asus) and the bloody thing is green. is this a side effect of the touchscreen panel or is something broken?

the settings are correct. i have yet to try out via VGA however.

 

I'd suggest you Google for "Color Bars" images; see which color isn't displaying properly. It smells like one of the RGB signals isn't getting to the screen; if you have an overabundance of RED, could be the CCFL in your LCD failing.

mnem
Don't! Just... DON'T!

 

hmm, i just tore it apart a few days ago so i might have loosened something accidentally. thanks, i'll check it out.