Packard Bell - Cant install XP?

[FatRakoon]

Bit miffed on this one.

I have got hold of a Packard Bell P4... I want to fix it up, its got a new HD, New DVD & CDRW, New RAM, and Floppy Drive, so sorting out is a must now.

I tried installing XP Home onto it, and it goes through the process of the F&R, and copying the files to HD, then, when it reboots for the first time, it keep coming up with various errors, such as

LOAD NEEDED DLLs FOR KERNEL
or
HAL.DLL Missing

Now, at first, I thought it could be somethign sily like the CD or Drive, and I have tried various drives and various disks, so its not that.
Same with the RAM, its new, it checks out fine, and I have also tried various other sticks of RAM too!!!

I have then googled for some answers, but all I have found, is lots of people asking the very same question, but no real solid answers.

It seems like I need to get hold of the exact specific installation CD for this particular PC, and a normal OEM or RETAIL CD, simply wont work!

I am about to have a go at installing a new BIOS, based on the Motherboard, which is a Gigabyte GA-8SIML and see where that takes me.

Anyone care to offer any info?

Oh, the Packard Bell PC is registered as an NEC PC.

Such a shame if I cannot use it.

 

[FatRakoon]

I think the BIOS update has done it???

Little early to tell, but...

Linux would not install either, or rather, it installed just fine, but would hang on a black screen.

I have tried the "FE" BIOS and that would not go on, but the "FD" one has.

Its now got a normal BIOS screen rather than the Packard Bell End one, and also Linux ran straight away with no black screen, so I am now installing XP Home and we will see where that gets me.

 

[FatRakoon]

EH? I posted a reply to this last night... Where is it?

Anyway, yes, Gigabyte Mobo not ASUS.

Ok, well, the first BIOS I tried would not go... The older one however, did go on.

Maybe that will be the same for that Asus Mobo?

Anyway, XP is now installed and running absolutely perfectly.

The changed BIOS has completely altered the BIOS setup screen from the Packard Bell pile of junk, to the normal Blue one you get with most normal Mobos, so not just a few little extras, but rather a complete make-over which was a nice surprise.

The only issue I have with the board now, is that its permanently saying the Battery need replacing, but its a good battery, so thats getting to me a bit... I suppose its possible that the Mobo may be on its way out?

Other than that, its got XP installed which is the main thing I was after.