Windows XP
Posted by Mroof003@reddit | vintagecomputing | View on Reddit | 31 comments
I got this from my grandparents. I had some issues booting up so I used a boot disc. Got here. What would I need to do next to eventually use this computer for gaming and what not?
InsaneGuyReggie@reddit
Is this a Windows Me boot disk? If you have XP on the machine the Me disk can’t read the NTFS partition so it can’t figure out what to do with it. If the disk is SATA same story, Me doesn’t know how to work with that. You need an XP disk.
GoldeneyeTester@reddit
Windows ME doesn't support NTFS. If the disc is an NTFS disc, the ME Boot disc won't see it at all.
redditshreadit@reddit
Shouldn't it be able to format the disk. Doesn’t seem to find a hard drive at all. Perhaps it requires a bios setting to look for hard drives.
Cool_Dark_Place@reddit
Definitely. Besides, from what I remember, Windows Me looked like this most of the time anyway.
Ok_Bear_1980@reddit
Like windows in general.
JasonMckin@reddit
Burn 🔥
Phydoux@reddit
BSOD-ME
Ultracelse@reddit
Hmmm Windows XP isn't Windows ME
Mroof003@reddit (OP)
So I’ve learned. I’m new to windows. Been on MacOS since I was 11. Just trying to understand what I need to buy, and what commands I even type lol
Trimus2005@reddit
Its alright m8
Just change the hdd or see if its wven connected
SaltRequirement3650@reddit
I grew up in the ME, can confirm it’s not XP at all.
pyrulyto@reddit
I am XP can confirm I’m not YOU
JasonMckin@reddit
OP says they got this from their GRANDparents, so imagine how old all of us are that know ME != XP
SaltRequirement3650@reddit
I’ll sell you a bridge, “right god damned now.”
redditshreadit@reddit
If the hard drive isn't detected then XP/ME doesn't matter.
wthulhu@reddit
^[citation needed]
Funkyc73@reddit
Lol
2raysdiver@reddit
You'd have to have a hard drive to get to this screen unless you are booting from a floppy or CD. How did you even get this far?
Lxzan@reddit
You most probably need a storage driver. One from Windows 98 should work. But first check if you HDD is detected in bios. If it is, try to find chipset model and search for a windows 95/98/me driver. If I recall correct, there was a prompt, something like "Press F6(or F5) to load additional drivers" when setup was starting, you could then infert a floppy(gh, good luck finding one alive) with the driver.
Opp-Contr@reddit
Should be tagged NSFW. Someone installing windows Me is obviously in some weird SM stuff
Der_Unbequeme@reddit
Check type of main board an chipset, go to the website of the manufacturer and load the needed driver for IDE/SATA controller, put them on a Disk, or copy them on the install stick, and chose "Have Disk".
refuge9@reddit
It sounds like the computer either has a failed hard drive, or is missing one. Could also potentially be that the CMOS battery is dead, and BIOS has lost its configuration and therefore isn’t recognizing the hard drive. Try going into BIOS setup and see if your hard drive settings have an autodetect option. If not, you may need to crack open the case and see if you have a hard drive, if it’s plugged in, and what its configuration settings for it may be.
uberRegenbogen@reddit
And if the NVRAM/RTC battery is dead, it should be replaced—or at the very least removed—before it leaks and ruins things.
YandersonSilva@reddit
I suggest using a windows XP boot disk lmao
Best-Negotiation1634@reddit
Seems like they took their old hard drive out….. common in old computers.
Does it have a HD? (It will likely be decent sized, with a ribbon cable
Mroof003@reddit (OP)
It does appear to have a hard drive. Looks like the HD mounted underneath the floppy drive
Phydoux@reddit
You need the computer to be able to tell you if there's a Hard Drive or not. I can't remember the command to see if there's a c: drive in there or not (I've been running Linux now for 9 years so all that MS-DOS/Windows stuff has left my brain). Do you know how to make a USB Stick from an ISO file?
paroxybob@reddit
FDISK would tell you if there is a hard drive even if its partitions are using an unknown file system. FDISK maybe on that Windows ME boot disk.
USB HDD booting may or may not be option depending on the vintage / bios of that motherboard. Floppy or CD booting is practically guaranteed to work.
gcc-O2@reddit
The BIOS battery on the motherboard is probably dead, and perhaps this machine doesn't autodetect the drive on boot. So you might need to go into the BIOS settings and poke around as to why the hard drive isn't detected.
As others hinted, if the computer is newer, the SATA in the BIOS might have IDE-compatibility and also AHCI or RAID options, and for WinME, you need IDE-compatibility.
waboshbron@reddit
Could be a SATA disk running in AHCI mode. Assuming the hard disk physically exists, the quickest fix might to be set it to IDE/compatibility mode.
henk717@reddit
Your title doesn't match the screenshot. You are installing Windows ME but your title is XP?
If you want to install XP swap the cd out for a real XP one, that one will understand the partition layout and work.