My PC has the Windows XP installation option without any cd/dvd/usb that has Windows XP on them in the PC atm. Is this normal?

Mar 19, 2018
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Please help. Thank you

Also...When I select that option it starts to install but it gives an error where it says that some file cannot be copied. Is he finally realising that there is no cd/dvd/usb with WinXP? :)



 
Solution
Hmmm, odd.

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/t/279170/remove-please-select-an-operating-system-to-start/

Looks like similar issues have happened to others (it's been a while since I've used XP), and they're leftovers...... from either prior installed, or from install media.

Looks like they're safe to remove, as described in the link (Check All Boot Paths)

Barty1884

Retired Moderator
Where is the XP install coming from? It may well be a recovery partition that exists on the drive, allowing a "refresh" (rather than an install).

There's clearly somewhere the install is starting from. With no install media, it wouldn't even start the process, or present the option - it wouldn't get so far, then tell you there's no media.
 
Mar 19, 2018
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Shocking right? :) I might be an isolated case... Like the bug where you can't name a file "con" ( without the quotation mark obviously :D ). It really goes and copies some files and it has an error at 95% and says that it cannot copy some random file... Also says that I should verify my Windows XP CD Installer...
 
Mar 19, 2018
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Yup... I'm really scared :'(
 

Barty1884

Retired Moderator
Sounds like a recovery partition to me.

How/when does the "install" start? If it's from boot, you may have the wrong partition set as boot priority #1, meaning it's booting straight into a recovery environment which, for XP, IIRC, looked identical to the "install XP" environment.
 
Mar 19, 2018
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It starts if I choose it... I was curious why it appears (and proceeds in installation) after I removed all the "sources" with WinXP... At boot priority I have my hdd as no. 1 :)
 
Mar 19, 2018
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I have 3 options... 1 is Windows XP. 2 Windows XP recovery. and 3 is Windows XP installation :). I'm sorry if I wrote choose instead of chose... English is not my first language ( gotta get better...damn ). After the first screen with my PC configuration, follows the second one where I can chose 1 of the options mentioned above :D. I hope I made myself clear... If not, please let me know :)
 

Barty1884

Retired Moderator
Oh I wasn't highlighting choosing vs chose, I was just trying to point out my question specifically.... you were choosing something, so I was just trying to confirm what and where you were selecting.

So you see options of:

1. XP
2. XP Recovery
3. XP Installation

I can't visualize why you'd see that, at least not within install media in a drive/USB etc. It may be part of the recovery partition, but that isn't typical labeling.

Could you post a screenshot or picture?
 

Barty1884

Retired Moderator
Hmmm, odd.

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/t/279170/remove-please-select-an-operating-system-to-start/

Looks like similar issues have happened to others (it's been a while since I've used XP), and they're leftovers...... from either prior installed, or from install media.

Looks like they're safe to remove, as described in the link (Check All Boot Paths)
 
Solution
Mar 19, 2018
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Oh...you are right... It might be from the fact that I started the installation in "In-windows" 2 days ago and it remained unfinished... Omg... I'm so sorry for this...Also thank you very much for your help :D. I really appreciate it :). I was confused by the fact that the installation was going until that point... Omg Thank you very much once again :)
 
Mar 19, 2018
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Omg... now I can't access my Windows ( normal or safe mode...) My 2 dvd-roms are broken and the only method that I can install my windows is from my USB... But it doesn't recognize him :(... Do you somehow have any new brilliant ideas? ;)) Or I will just have to buy a damn dvd-rom and don't be a cheap f**k :D. I don't use the PC that much...but this time... once in 6 months or something and it doesn't work :) :(
 

Barty1884

Retired Moderator
I'm guessing you removed the wrong option... somehow.

What PC do you have specifically? Older motherboards don't always support booting from USB, although some do (depending on the brand/age).

It's possible the USB is under the "HDD" labelling during boot override.
 
Many moons ago, I used to install XP in following way:
- booted Win98 from floppy / CD;
- partitioned the hard drive, formatted C:\ partition as FAT32, make it bootable, boot Win98 command line mode. Add SmartDrv in Config.sys
- copied \i386 folder onto C:\, and start WinXP setup from there.
 
Mar 19, 2018
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It is an old one... from 2004 with some upgrades. I was told that I had one of the best motherboards that there is ( an Asus ). At boot menu the first option is Removable device that contains the followings: Legacy floppy/ LS120/ ZIP/ ATAPI MO/ USB FDD/ USB ZIP. There is IDE Hard Drive/ATAPI CD-ROM and Other Boot Device ( with SCSI Boot Device and INT18 Device (Network). All of them have Disabled (ofc) :D. Sorry I'm answering you just now... I fell asleep
:/. And thank you once again for your help :)
 
Mar 19, 2018
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If nothing works with my current situation I will try your method ( as soon as I get a functional dvd-rom :D ). Thank you so much.