I am installing a new windows xp after format the old windows program ... my problem is .. my computer shutting down sudden every 2 to 3min after installing half way. It's fine from the beginning but i have no idea what wrong with it after trying again and again... Thanks

If you mean wiping out all the data and operating system then -
This is generally howyour format the hard disk and install Windows.
First you need a Windows XP or Windows Vista installation CD and the productinstallation code, which is printed on the Windows label on the bottom of yourlaptop.
Boot up with the Windows installation CD start and follow the instructions toinstall Windows.
Next Delete the existing Windows partition.
Next Create a new partition.
Next format this new partition - Format the partition in NTFS not a quickformat. This will prepare the Windows for a clean install.
If you do not wish to continue installing Windows then Exit and shut down the computer.

Hi neil720...

Installing the external CD Player...
You will go and start up and install Windows XP by doing he following:
Plug in your external CD drive, and let windows install it into the system...
Once the CD is ready to go, shut down the computer.
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You will first need to format your hard drive, I will give you instructions on how to do that.

1...To format your hard drive and install XP:
To set you computer back to factory fresh settings you will need to format the hard drive and install the XP operating system and the drivers.

1.Format the hard drive:
You do this by double left clicking on "My Computer",then double left click the main drive (normally C drive).
When the window pops open, you will choose "Format"
Keep in mind that once you format your hard drive you will loose all your files,programs,pictures,etc that you installed since the computer was new.
So make your back up on a portable hard drive,thumb drive,etc.
2. Once the formatting of the hard drive is complete you will need to install the XP operating system along with the drivers.
You will now insert the CD's into your external CD player starting with #1 first and continuing until all has been installed.
After all has been installed, shut your computer off and restart.
That will bring your computer back to Windows XP factory new condition as far as operating is concerned.
Please take time to rate me

If your vista is active it will not let you format the drive to install windows XP you have to shut down the computer , put the XP CD in the cd drive and start FROM THE CD, at this point you will follow the Xp installation Instruction and come to a page where you will have the possibility to format the partition where vista is installed,
Note, you should look for ALL rhe XP driver of you computer model BEFORE you do this sometimes a computer sold wit Windows Vista do not have any XP driver for all the peripheral installed in that computer

The problem is that XPinstallation CD does not have a SATA driver, unless you have a SATA drive on adisk etc. and can install the driver when XP asks for a hard drive driver then,XP cannot detect the hard disk and therefore won't install XP. The FIX. Go into the BIOS anddisable the SATA drive (enable IDE emulation), this will make XP think it is aIDE/PATA hard disk. Then you can install XP normally. When Windows hasbeen installed then install all the device drivers (including the SATA driver),then shut down and boot up and got into the BIOS and enable the SATA drive.

if you know the Administrator password of the current XP installation on the harddrive, you can boot from the installation CD, choose the option "repair windows" and "recovery console".
After enterng the admininstrator password you will get the standard "old MS-DOS lookalike" console when you will be able to format the entire disk.

looks like old xp machine. power supply could be flaky,bad caps on the board,dust build up on the cpu fan or graphics card causing it to over heat and shut down

ok ...the issue is only that it might recognize the operating (win98) system if its installed on it ..if it was just a slave there will be no problems..just attach it ..on the bus and power ...and boot the system ...if you want you may use a partition magic program to format and rename it ...but you can do that with the xp ...by clicking right on the drive in my computer and format from there ... if it doesn't want to format it ..just boot from the installation cd ( xp) and continue like a normal installation until you are at the point where you have to choose the partition to install the program ...choose the new added hard disk and format it ...by deleting and reformat ....but after this just stop the installation and restart the old OS ...but I'm sure that you will be able to format it quick from xp directly ...so , just attach it and boot...click my computer to see if it sees it ..and format

Its hard to tell just like this without having the computer in hand to check and test the jumpers and connection and all, but quick like this i think it might be a trojan virus that corrupted the boot sectors of the old hard drive, and when you copied the stuff from the old to the new, the virus followed and infected the boot sectors of the new one too. Try to reformat completely using the original windows install disk, and not the system restore/reinstall disk and reinstall windows after the format with the original windows disk again. If I was right, it should boot up OK with a fresh format and reinstall with the real windows CD, then install a virus scan and a spyware scan and scan and clean the old drive completely 2 or 3 times to be sure theres nothing bad left on it, then try to copy the whole disc, but skip the Windows repertory, the Program Files one too and the Documents and settings one also, cause those 3 are the ones most prone to corrupting a fresh install even if there is not any viruses in them. If it does not boot up OK after formating and reinstalling Windows though and says it's unbootable, then either there is a config error in the BIOS of the laptop, or the IDE controller that drives the disk is defective. If it's the BIOS settings, it's gonna be easy enough just changing the settings and won't cost you too much, and if its the IDE controller... then that's another story cause it's integrated in the motherboard like any other computer, so basically another computer will cost less than a new motherboard for a laptop. So if that is the case and the IDE controller is shot, you can still try to use an external USB drive to run the computer but not all computers support booting from the USB though, so before buying a brand new external drive, check the BIOS first to see if it does support USB booting.

please re install the recovery software.

it might be a low power, because of automatic shutting down some of the associate programs of windows will become currupted, try to replace your power supply.