Can't install os on Laptop.

harris1986 · 5 Oct 2008 at 18:27

Hi guys trying to ugprade a Advent 7099 laptop to xp, going through the xp install and it froze saying "setup cannot copy the file: ntdos.sys".
Then when i restart the laptop it says NTLDR missing

any ideas because i'm tearing my hair out here lol

Shadows1990 · 5 Oct 2008 at 18:36

Have you got another copy of XP you can install?
You could try borrowing a friends (as long as it's not an OEM one, although it might work) or torrenting it (AKAIK, it's legal to download if you have a legal key).

harris1986 · 5 Oct 2008 at 20:59

Thing is i'm pretty sure the disk is fine as I recently reformatted my comp with it.

Shadows1990 · 6 Oct 2008 at 06:26

How about the Hard Drive? Try putting it into a caddy, and using it on a different PC.
You could run chkdsk to check for drive errors.

harris1986 · 6 Oct 2008 at 17:46

ok update, i've run memtest passes fine / chkdsk /r was fine and no errors founds, today I got a slipstreamed xp+sp2 disc from my work to use to install from and I got past ntdos.sys and froze at a later portion of the files setup on devmgr.dll so I'm thinking either the cd drive is fudged or it is my hard drive?

ideas?

harris1986 · 10 Oct 2008 at 13:55

ok guys took a chance and fitted a new hard drive all seems to be fine.

Shadows1990 · 10 Oct 2008 at 13:59

I was gonna suggest trying out a known working Hard Drive, which seemed to fix it.