"Invalid system disk, Replace the disk, and then press any key!

[Russell W. Coover]

You may have read my previous posts yesterday and last night listing some of
the problems I'm having installing Win XP Pro on my wife's computer. Most of
the problems were resolved with a complete reformat of the New Hard Drive
(which replaces one that went bad - click click, click). My copy of Win XP
Pro, which I had previously installed on my wifes machine, was bought ar
retail for full price on October 25. 2001. That was the day that XP was
officially released to retailers. The CD is the one that I purchased and
used to install XP Pro on this same system. IT IS NOT BOOTLEG!

I needed to make it clear that my copy is legal, because on my most recent
attempt to install the OS, after I authorized the computer to boot from the
CD, I got the following message "Invalid system disk. Replace the disk, and
then press any key."

Somehow, the CD cannot be read properly. Is there someway I can safely clean
the disk to be read, or, if that fails, have it replaced? Microsft has made
it clear that when we purchase a CD, we are not purchasing the software, we
are purchasing the license. I've purchased the license, I'd like access to
the software the license authorizes.

Russ Coover

[Doug Knox MS-MVP]

Call (800) 426-9400, and explain the situation. If you registered your copy, they should be able to provide you with a replacement CD at a nominal charge.

--
Doug Knox, MS-MVP Windows XP/ Windows Smart Display
Win 95/98/Me/XP Tweaks and Fixes
http://www.dougknox.com
--------------------------------
Associate Expert
ExpertZone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
--------------------------------
Please reply only to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

"Russell W. Coover" <coover...@alumni.nospam.calpoly.nospam.edu> wrote in message news:#$pJF$wqCHA.2308@TK2MSFTNGP09...

[peter]

Are you sure that your BIOS is set to start with the CD device as the first boot device or is it still trying to read the HD that is empty??
peter

"Russell W. Coover" <coover...@alumni.nospam.calpoly.nospam.edu> wrote in message news:#$pJF$wqCHA.2308@TK2MSFTNGP09...

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[dbcurrie]

Sounds like the computer is still trying to boot from the hard drive. You'd
get a different message if it tried to read the CD and couldn't

"Russell W. Coover" <coover...@alumni.nospam.calpoly.nospam.edu> wrote
in message news:#$pJF$wqCHA.2308@TK2MSFTNGP09...

[Russell W. Coover]

Thanks, Doug. That seems to be the thing to try.

Russ Coover

"Doug Knox MS-MVP" <dk...@mvps.org> wrote in message
news:e9kQldxqCHA.1776@TK2MSFTNGP09...

[Russell W. Coover]

Ok, I found a wau to get the computer to boot from the XP Setup Disk - I
replaced the USB Keyboard with a PS/2. Evidently, I have a BIOS problem. But
that allowed me to bootfrom the CD.

I've now been able to get through the first stage of Setup. It gets to the
point where it has to reboot, and when it does, I'm now getting the NTLDR is
missing error message. I've been through the Microsoft Knowledge Base
Article on NTLDR missing, and none of it fits, none of it works in my
situation. I've got to believe that my XP Pro Setup CD is faulty. I tried
cleaning it (Alcohol on a cotton ball, wiping center straight out to edge)
and I'm still getting the NTLDR error upon the first reboot.

I will check any responses that you may have, and if nobody can help, I'll
try to get Microsoft to exchange the disk for a new one.

Russ Coover

"peter" <pe...@my.monarch.net> wrote in message
news:OUU7dqxqCHA.2556@TK2MSFTNGP10...