How to install XP on Linpus Linux 9.2

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Hi all ,

I have just bought an Acer Aspire 5315 Laptop with Linpus Linux Basic Edition v9.2 installed .

I would like to install Windows XP but i only get the command line root@localhost /]# and can not boot from XP cd .

I read through the forums and i guess i have to format pc by using PartedMagic Live CD with the command "dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda bs=512 count=1" . ?

But this is the first time i see Linux and can you pls let me know how do i use PartedMagic Live CD practically ? Do i have to install it on Linux, do i have to copy the programme on a CD and then boot from CD ? How to get PartedMagic Live CD working and then to input the command ?

I appreciate your help , or any other recommendations to install Windows XP
is more than welcome .

Cheers

[devils casper]

Hi and Welcome !!

There is no need to boot up from PartedMagic LiveCD. Boot up Linpus Linux and execute dd command in Terminal/Konsole. It will wipe your Hard Disk and Windows Installation CD will work after that.

dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda bs=512 count=1

You must be logged in as root user or have root privileges to execute dd command.

If you want to use PartedMagic LiveCD only then download it from here and burn it CD. Boot up from PartedMagic and execute dd command in Terminal.

[Jonathan183]

As devils_casper said .. running the dd command will wipe your hard disk. Before you do that I would double check that the BIOS is set to boot from CD first. I am not sure if there are any diagnostics provided by the vendor ... or if any technicial support is dependent on the original OS being installed. I would dual boot initially if you can ... resize the partitions so that you can do the Windows install and then fix the Linux boot problems using the Supergrub CD.

If you only want XP on the hard drive then you can use the dd command but you may need a driver for XP to recognise your hard disk drive to do the install. If this is the only PC you have with internet access then make sure you have a working live CD you can use to access the net & download the driver if you need it.

[arochester]

I would like to install Windows XP

I read through the forums and i guess i have to format pc by using PartedMagic Live CD

No (?) If you only want XP on the computer the XP disk will sort itself.

Make sure that the boot order in the BIOS is set to boot from CD-Rom first and not Hard Drive. Install XP. You will probably need to "fix the MBR"

[devils casper]

No (?) If you only want XP on the computer the XP disk will sort itself.

Make sure that the boot order in the BIOS is set to boot from CD-Rom first and not Hard Drive. Install XP. You will probably need to "fix the MBR"

Windows Installation CD doesn't work in a few machines coz of GRUB. Its a BIOS/GRUB compatibility problem and one has to remove GRUB using any third party tool. Windows installation CD works after removing GRUB only.

[SteveAd]

Dear all ,

Thanks for your answers ;

Devils_Casper ;
i tried the code dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda bs=512 count=1

It then showed ;
1+0 records in
1+0 records out
{root@localhost /}#

then i restarted and was able to boot from XP CD .
However at one point set up failed because it did not find any hard disk drivers installed in my computer And only option was to quit set up .

What should i do next inorder to continue installation ?

Thanks in advance .

[oz]

The in/out records you posted above indicate that the wipe was successful.

The failure of the WinXP installation is the usual result if you happen to have a SATA hard drive. The WinXP CD does not contain any SATA drivers, so the drivers you need will likely be on any system or motherboard floppy/CD that came with your computer.

During the WinXP installation, watch for the opportunity to install additional drivers.

[SteveAd]

Thanks Ozar ;

I have some sort of Resource CD but i am not sure if it contains SATA drivers.
(At least i cant see anything named SATA or etc...)

I ofcourse wanted to have a go anyway with that but windows asks for a floopy drive to load drivers from !! I have a laptop , no floopy drive .

Was that opprtunity you were meaning to install additional drivers ?
Anything else i can do to make it work ?

I bought this laptop 2 days ago and still cant use it !!

(When this is over , i will send my best regards to Acer because this is
cheating on customers . I knew there was no Windows installed but i
was told it is very easy to install but there is everything in this PC
not to make it possible !! )

[oz]

Yes, it's usually done with a floppy.

Here's a HowTo that reportedly gets the job done without a floppy drive. I've never tried it so can't vouch for how well it does or doesn't work:

Install Windows XP on SATA without a Floppy (F6) - No Floppy...no Windows on SATA? Wrong!

It's supposed to be possible for a user to actually create a Windows XP recovery CD but I've never tried that either so don't know how well it works.

At this point, the problem is actually a Windows XP issue rather than Linux issue, but we'll help you get back to Windows if we can, so don't hesitate to post again if you should need more help.

[SteveAd]

Hi Ozar ,

Thank you very much for your help , i could finally made it work .

As you rightly said it was to do with the SATA drivers and with the
instructions you provided i was able to create a new XP cd including them .

By the way i also found below internet site having where to find the SATA
drivers so can be of help someone else facing the same problem . It also
has some other drivers that Acer 5315 needs .

Installing Windows XP Professional SP2 on Acer Aspire 5315-2153 Laptop « Blog Archive « The Soulpass Project

Once again thank you , appreciate that .

Cheers