WIndows XP Install Problem

[darwin4ever]

Are there still Windows XP Guru's here ?

I tried (twice) to install Windows XP with SP3 on an older machine (+- same age as Windows XP).
During install I provided the default Administrator with a password

After installation, nothing works .
Startup of Windows XP works fine, and after providing the Administrator password, I try
- Control Panel / User Accounts --> error "Windows cannot access the specified device, path or file. You may not have the appropriate permissions to access the item"
- It doesn't matter on what I click, always the same error, even for command prompt.
As a result it's even not possible to check anything or to create another user.

In the past I have installed Windows XP dozens of times on different machines, always with the same CDRom, and never got any problems.

What might be going on ?

I really need this installation for compatibility reasons. Meaning I know, it's old, and there have been Windows Vista / 7 / 8 / 8.1 / 10 / 11, that's not the point.

 

[Math Geek]

have you tried safe mode to see if that helps? often with XP that was a way around a lot of errors.

 

[ImWolf]

Was this a clean install on a formatted HDD?

In the past, I have never set a password while installing XP. Not needed for a home machine, and never need to deal with Administrator Permissions.

When I search "Windows cannot access the specified device, path or file." , there are many articles on the subject returned.

 

[darwin4ever]

Was this a clean install on a formatted HDD?

In the past, I have never set a password while installing XP. Not needed for a home machine, and never need to deal with Administrator Permissions.

When I search "Windows cannot access the specified device, path or file." , there are many articles on the subject returned.

It's a Windows XP Pro, should have mentionned that. Indeed it's a clean install (twice) on a formatted (twice) HDD

I know those results, for normal files I can understand, but why do I have those permission issues with the default Administrator just after a fresh install.

 

[darwin4ever]

have you tried safe mode to see if that helps? often with XP that was a way around a lot of errors.

Yes, I did, exactly the same.
I could navigate to the cmd.exe in System32. The file is there, I can ask the properties for it, but cannot launch it due to the same error with everything