So, last night, as soon as I got home, I synced my bookmarks with Xmarks, took one last look around my XP install for docs/files that needed to be moved out to the server (Rosetta Stone Irish Level 1 final progress report and tracking.db!!!!) and then rebooted to reinstall XP.
This is a triple boot machine: XP, Vista64, Ubuntu 9.10.
The XP was SP3-Beta and the Beta part of that was really starting to cause me issues, like I could not use RDC at all, at all. Also, that install was done, well over a year ago, mainly as a beating space for testing stuff out for other users still on XP that I support. Then along came Rosetta Stone… I’ve managed to keep the wheels on that cart for just over a year, but with finally finishing Irish Level1, I want a nice clean slate to install Level 2 on.
First pass, just replace the existing XP install.
Reboot.
“Please press any key to reboot.”
Not good.
Second pass, format the C: drive.
This yielded some long message about Windows not being able to start due to unknown hard drive problems or a corrupt MBR.
FIXMBR…same message.
Third pass, delete the Vista and Ubuntu partitions, reformat the entire drive.
Same GD Windows error message.
FIXBOOT, FIXMBR…same error.
OK, WTF?!?!?!
Bust out the Seatools CD that I recently made to test the server hard drive.
No problems found. Use its maintenance tools to erase the entire drive, which was not quick.
While this is running, I clean a bunch of dishes, straighten up the kitchen a bit, finish reading “The Great Blasket”, start reading “Absinthe and Flamethrowers”, have an email dialog with my mom about a possible lead in our ancestry project, etc.
Fourth install attempt and a, basically, sparkling new drive.
Same Windows error.
Popped in a Ubuntu LiveCD, ran gparted and shrank the partition (NTFS) down to 30GB.
Fifth install attempt. Format the 30GB as NTFS and…
Same Windows error.
Start mucking with the BIOS settings. SATA hard drive…XP…everything is set to legacy from earlier when I started this project. Change one setting and try to install for the sixth time…BSOD! That must not be the right setting!! 😮
Reset it and start the sixth install off again.
Same GD Windows error.
Now I am really pissed and, as a test, pop in the Fedora12x64 CD and start that installing. Repartition and reformat the entire drive, read a bit more of “Absinthe & Flamethrowers” and then look at the clock. Freaking 12:06AM!!! Yikes!
I let F12 continue installing overnight. Checked it this morning and it is waiting to start the user assisted part of the install process (user name, etc). I’m seven chapters into “A&F”. In this chapter we are learning how to make black powder.
Seriously, any ideas? I recently used this same XP install CD and it is fine.