ElementalDragon

Is there a way to change the boot sequence while in windows itself? a friend is trying to install Windows XP, but cannot boot from the cd. only reason i can think of is that the CD-rom drive is either a)not selected at all, or b) is set to be checked after the hard disk is checked.

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Bretenn

i think its impossible (at least for me)
just change the settings inside the bios to boot from cdrom first...
hope this can help

LeeJend

No.

a) you can tell if the cdrom is detected during the bios post. It will list all connected HD & CDroms. If the cdrom does not show up there the system does not see it, check cables, etc. Try another cdrom.

b) if the HD is blank and the cdrom is selected as a boot device it will be found and windows will load.

Enter the bios (del or f1 key during boot it will say at bottom of the screen). Boot devices are usually under the second option on main menu. Should be a bunch of options for all installed devices (floppy hd(s) cdrom(s)) under each boot position (1rst, 2nd, etc). Make the cdrom 1rst to start, change it to HD latter when the install is far enough to boot from HD.

Question
Is it a CDROM/CDRW or does it also have DVD in it? If it has DVD you may not be able to install windows from it. Some of the early cd/dvd's needed drivers installed before they would load windows. A friend's would partially load windows then crash. He popped a real cdrom in and it loaded fine.

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Zedric

Sometimes, even with a blank hdd, the CD player won't boot when selected as boot device after the hdd. I think it has to do with information in the boot sector of the disk or something.

My DVD/CD-RW installs Windows just fine upon boot. But then again I'm not sure it's an "early" model.

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ElementalDragon

Just to inform you all, i do know about changing boot sequence in BIOS. have done it many times on this compter. Also, to access the bios, could be just about any key. mine happens to be f2. Just that my friend's computer is a Dell. does not say what key to press or anything. couldn't remember what the other ones could be. guess i'll have to try del or f1.

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Zedric

Del, F1, F2, Ctrl+F1, Ctrl-Esc or a bunch more strange combinations.

<sarcasm>Manufaturers can be pretty inventive sometimes....</sarcasm>

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polarbear_ak

on Dell it is the F2 key at least all the ones at our school is that then go down to "boot sequence" and use the + and - key to change the boot order around. I personally like CD-ROM first and then harddrive and I change it to Floppy and then Harddrive when ever I am using a floppy drive. I am sure you can have it check Floppy Cd-Rom and then harddrive, but your choice.
Polar