Geek help needed

[mel]

Ok I try but either the geek gene is not strong enough or I simply have no understanding or formal training whatsoever so tend to simply fook things up (actually it's the later pure and simple)

Anyway todays problem that has stumped me. A couple of years ago the server was replaced at work (small business with only 10 pc's on it) the old machine ran Server 2000 and was at the time a reasonable high spec machine with decent memory in it, it was the only machine we hung onto when the rest were replaced. So now I figure I've got a use for it I wanted to put it in the study at home with a big hard drive attached and use it as a type of AV server, nothing too flash just really to store all the music and videos in one place and allow them to be accessed on any of the other home laptops etc. First problem is I don't want Server 2000 i want XP pro so I lob in my installation discs and it says bollox not a recognised upgrade you can't do it, ok install it anyway, so I end up with both OS, fine server boots up lovely XP gets to the bit where it says XP and has the moving bar across the bottom then hangs, Ok must be and conflict of some sort get rid of server, i tried installing server 2005, then XP again, deleting partitions, formatting discs the lot, then in the end thought bollox I'll just junk the HD and put a new one in, so thats all done, a virgin install of XP has been made but it still bloody hangs on boot up at exactly the same stage!! Now my non geekery brain just doesn't get this it's a brand new out the box HD, I've formatted it and everything seems as it should be but at the end of the day I'm a fully qualified underwater engineer, I can weld, and I can make lovely things out of metal, but I'm fooking about in world that's alien to me and failing terribly.......Help

[buggalugs]

If you've got any scsi or raid controllers in there that you're not using, either plug-ins or onboard, then try either taking them out of disabling in the bios. Also see if there's an updated BIOS for the server. That's what I'd try first anyway... HTH

[ginettag27]

Try and boot into Safe Mode (F8 on boot up, before Windows XP appears) and see if this works. As above, remove anything that is redundant.

Is there a "log everything" to the screen / file as XP boots up option? There might be an option when you press F8 to do this and it might provide a clue as to the offending item..

[sadako]

If you are only using it to host your media why not just keep using 2k Server? It's a pretty good OS. The only thing is you might want to run Media Portal on it if the hardware can cope with it which will need XP SP2.

If you really want XP I recommend you reinstall not using your XP upgrade disc but with a full XP install disc. You will probably need to install it from the ground up after formatting the drive and providing it with the raid driver floppy that you will need to prepare in advance.