Laptop won't boot from cd/dvd

[Bob H]

I have a sony viao laptop which has a botched winxp windows sytom on a
small partition, then there is another partition which seems to have
recovery files on.

I want to wipe the hardrive and just have the one partition, then
reinstall winxp sp3 on that.

Now the problem is that no bootable cd/dvd I have will actually boot on
this said laptop. It makes out it is trying to, with a flashing cursor
at the top left corner, the after about a minute or so it just boots
back into the existing OS.

Whats my best plan here on how to do what I want.

I have never come across a computer of any type which would not boot
from a bootable cd/dvd.

 

[Kenny Cargill]

Is it set in BIOS to boot from CD/DVD?

Kenny

"Bob H" wrote in message

I have a sony viao laptop which has a botched winxp windows sytom on a
small partition, then there is another partition which seems to have
recovery files on.

I want to wipe the hardrive and just have the one partition, then
reinstall winxp sp3 on that.

Now the problem is that no bootable cd/dvd I have will actually boot on
this said laptop. It makes out it is trying to, with a flashing cursor
at the top left corner, the after about a minute or so it just boots
back into the existing OS.

Whats my best plan here on how to do what I want.

I have never come across a computer of any type which would not boot
from a bootable cd/dvd.

 

[Bob H]

Is it set in BIOS to boot from CD/DVD?

Kenny

"Bob H" wrote in message

I have a sony viao laptop which has a botched winxp windows sytom on a
small partition, then there is another partition which seems to have
recovery files on.

I want to wipe the hardrive and just have the one partition, then
reinstall winxp sp3 on that.

Now the problem is that no bootable cd/dvd I have will actually boot on
this said laptop. It makes out it is trying to, with a flashing cursor
at the top left corner, the after about a minute or so it just boots
back into the existing OS.

Whats my best plan here on how to do what I want.

I have never come across a computer of any type which would not boot
from a bootable cd/dvd.

Yes of course it is.

I managed to get my win7 dvd to boot and from there I wiped the 2
partitions on the HD.

Now I have the problem of getting winxpsp3 back on.

In the BIOS, the boot options are:

Optical
HDD
Floppy
Network

So even trying a bootable thumb drive would not work?

 

[pjp]

Yes of course it is.

I managed to get my win7 dvd to boot and from there I wiped the 2
partitions on the HD.

Now I have the problem of getting winxpsp3 back on.

In the BIOS, the boot options are:

Optical
HDD
Floppy
Network

So even trying a bootable thumb drive would not work?

It sounds like that is a very old pc if it only gives those options in
the boot menu. Do you perchance have an old 98SE boot floppy handy? If
so you can likely boot using that and access the dvd drive after booting
which then should allow you to run the setup manually.

You can download boot floppy images (google it) but I'm unsure if
they'll provide a generic dvd driver. You might have to look around for
that.

 

[Bob H]

It sounds like that is a very old pc if it only gives those options in
the boot menu. Do you perchance have an old 98SE boot floppy handy? If
so you can likely boot using that and access the dvd drive after booting
which then should allow you to run the setup manually.

You can download boot floppy images (google it) but I'm unsure if
they'll provide a generic dvd driver. You might have to look around for
that.

I should have also said the even tho there is an option to boot from a
Floppy, there is no floppy drive on the machine.

I think the laptop is circa 2006 or thereabouts. The model is vgn-fs285b

 

[pjp]

I have a sony viao laptop which has a botched winxp windows sytom on a
small partition, then there is another partition which seems to have
recovery files on.

I want to wipe the hardrive and just have the one partition, then
reinstall winxp sp3 on that.

Now the problem is that no bootable cd/dvd I have will actually boot on
this said laptop. It makes out it is trying to, with a flashing cursor
at the top left corner, the after about a minute or so it just boots
back into the existing OS.

Whats my best plan here on how to do what I want.

I have never come across a computer of any type which would not boot
from a bootable cd/dvd.

? Why not just use the what appears to be recovery partition?

 

[Bob I]

I have a sony viao laptop which has a botched winxp windows sytom on a
small partition, then there is another partition which seems to have
recovery files on.

I want to wipe the hardrive and just have the one partition, then
reinstall winxp sp3 on that.

Now the problem is that no bootable cd/dvd I have will actually boot on
this said laptop. It makes out it is trying to, with a flashing cursor
at the top left corner, the after about a minute or so it just boots
back into the existing OS.

Whats my best plan here on how to do what I want.

I have never come across a computer of any type which would not boot
from a bootable cd/dvd.

Two lasers in the unit and the CD one is duff, replace the unit.

 

[Bob H]

? Why not just use the what appears to be recovery partition?

I have already tried that.

The reason I want to do a reinstall is because in its present state
there is no sound.
I started a thread on this problem on or about 6th of August, where I
had many replies and suggestions, but it was not solved.

I suspect it maybe a hardware problem but a few others doubt that and
suspect a software problem somewhere.

So I am hoping by doing a complete reinstall of the OS and drivers it
might sort it out.

 

[Bob H]

Two lasers in the unit and the CD one is duff, replace the unit.

I have just cleaned, I hope, the cd/dvd drive with a proprietry cleaning
cd and now got a winxp iso cd to boot and install the OS

 

[choro]

I have already tried that.

The reason I want to do a reinstall is because in its present state
there is no sound.
I started a thread on this problem on or about 6th of August, where I
had many replies and suggestions, but it was not solved.

I suspect it maybe a hardware problem but a few others doubt that and
suspect a software problem somewhere.

So I am hoping by doing a complete reinstall of the OS and drivers it
might sort it out.

Hey, before you do that is your sound system wired correctly and is it
plugged in and switched on at the wall socket?

I know about the story of a professor who wasted half a day trying to
get his computer going after his assistants had switched it off at the
wall socket. Those were the days when a computer filled a room and his
assistants deliberately got themselves lost for a couple of hours while
the prof was trying to figure out why the computer failed to start!!!--
choro
*****

 

[choro]

I have just cleaned, I hope, the cd/dvd drive with a proprietry cleaning
cd and now got a winxp iso cd to boot and install the OS

Wot? ISO CD?!!!!! You don't know what you are doing, I dare say!

You've got to create the installation CD from the ISO CD first, for
starters before you can install the OS or the Operating System. You
can't install from an ISO file!--
choro
*****

 

[Bob H]

Wot? ISO CD?!!!!! You don't know what you are doing, I dare say!

You've got to create the installation CD from the ISO CD first, for
starters before you can install the OS or the Operating System. You
can't install from an ISO file!--
choro
*****

I have a very good idea what I am doing, its your interpretation I would
think.

Ok, I have a winxp sp3 iso file which was burned to a cd using Power
ISO. This then created a bootable windows xp sp3 cd.
I installed windows from the said cd and I am now going to install the
drivers.

 

[choro]

I have a very good idea what I am doing, its your interpretation I would
think.

Ok, I have a winxp sp3 iso file which was burned to a cd using Power
ISO. This then created a bootable windows xp sp3 cd.
I installed windows from the said cd and I am now going to install the
drivers.

In that case learn how to express yourself clearly and stop calling the
installation CD you burned from the ISO file an ISO CD! A CD burned from
an ISO image is NOT an ISO CD.

Bet your mother tongue is English which is why you are so sloppy with
the language!

 

[Bob I]

I have just cleaned, I hope, the cd/dvd drive with a proprietry cleaning
cd and now got a winxp iso cd to boot and install the OS

Good, then it still works.

 

[s|b]

In that case learn how to express yourself clearly and stop calling the
installation CD you burned from the ISO file an ISO CD! A CD burned from
an ISO image is NOT an ISO CD.

Bet your mother tongue is English which is why you are so sloppy with
the language!

I'm pretty sure most of the users here knew what he meant. No need to
get upset about it. You need to calm down before you have a heart
attack.