Half way through the installation of xp i get these errors:

"windows is intalled on a drive space double space or other compressed drive windows xp does not support compressed drives you must uncompress the drive before upgrading"

"Drive c uses an an unsupported data block size. Setup cannot configure your computer to start windows xp from the drive."

i dont know what to do...

What type of partition are you trying to install Windows into?

Have you selected the option to format the partition before installing Windows into it?

Hi,
yeah, windoze does not play well with linux....

One way is to partition the drive using, if you know them, the down and dirty windoze stuff the windows commands. or I prefer something like Partition Magic...not very expensive and the version on the old floppy works great..

Just partition to two pieces, maybe halfies....be sure to partition the other half to NTFS ...let Partition Magic do it's thing....it will have a little bit as the Master Boot Record etc. and then the Windows Partition, it does this automatically if you let it and tell it, there is a graphical thing that shows the drive as a cylinder....

EDIT

DUUUHHHH....that's what I get for working two jobs, started out telling you about installing XP and went off onto installing Linux....which is the only way I go...

but....when you've got the partition....install XP....I've just gone backwards like that once....

A couple of folks I've read have recommended just formatting the drive period, because linux uses LILO....and install XP then reinstall your linux distro...

LIke I said, I use the old partition magic....

duuuhhh...time to get some shuteye!

ain't xandros great!
woodsmoke

HI,
just thought I would check back in...hope I didn't mess you up too bad....

your distro forum should have several threads on this....

depending upon your distro, also you can use qparted but I have never used it, just know folks use it.....

Also Simply Mepis apparently has a formatting function on it, you run it as a live cd......

good luck...

ain't xandros great
woodsmoke

thanks for your help, but the only thing is that im trying to help a friend with this, ive personally never worked with linux, and he cant figure out how to format his drives inorder to allow the xp to install.

Another option you can try is delete the partition you are planning to install Windows into and re-create it from within the Windows setup. That avoids the less than wonderful Windows partition detection code.

In hunting around on this I came up with Qemu....I had heard about it, and forgot about it.....running Linux in Windows....

http://crmaykish.cr.funpic.org/articles/running-linux-inside-windows.php

http://crmaykish.cr.funpic.org/articles/running-your-favorite-linux-distro-inside-windows-qemu.php

This doesn't help in your case but I thought it interesting.

Unfortunately I haven't come up with more than has been said here....., but I'm still looking....I'm a new person at this!

ain't xandros great!
woodsmoke

Bingo....I knew I had seen it someplace:

It's for Ubuntu but.....

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=39513&highlight=virtual+pc

hope this helps!

ain't xandros great!
woodsmoke

I am still here listening. Can anyone step me through how to format/clear the existing drive that linux is on, inorder to put xp on it.

HI,
I'm on my lunch break, I'll holler back later

ain't xandros great!
woodsmoke

If you delete the partitions you don't want anymore and create a windows partition from the XP install it should work. If you have booting problems run fdisk /mbr to fix that.

If you are trying to upgrade rather than doing a fresh install you might want to check a windows froum to see if you can do that.

HI,
ya know....there's an old saying about "can't see the forest for the trees".....

I must have typed in fifteen different versions of things to remove LILO and put on the MBR and NTFS or FAT....

Well...I typed "Remove Linux and Install Windows XP"

and look what I got....very first hit...

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;314458

soo......boy my little pinkies are pink....

But,....almost a year ago.....I had, I think, Fedora or something, on a computer, I stuck in the "partition magic" floppy and it just formatted it.... now the thing wasn't working so maybe the LILO was corrupted and "partition magic" saw that....so...anyway...have fun

ain't xandros great!
woodsmoke

Hi Old Monk

I'm sorry I haven't replied in a more timely manner, but, I got two new online classes, I have three face to faces and....we had well....no ice....but tornadoes.

The absolute easiest way around on this is to get something like QT PARTED..... or Knoppix,........or if, you are older than dirt...kind of like me.... and reformat all of the partitions...yes the "partitions" and the MBRs to FAT 32....I know...old....wore out....and windblows.... but reformat to FAT 32 ....maybe use Acronis but.... not the new cra##$ ware that is marketed by Symantec in their "suite".... welll...ok if you already have it then use it....but beware the "phone homes" in the registry.....

anyway....reformat eveything to FAT 32....

you can then install XP FIRST.....then symbion....

I really do recommend though...you didn't post one way or the other.....maybe just pulling the HD if you have "valuable data" on it and take it to some "computer second hand store" that you trust.....or.....

yeeeccchhhhhh//// kind of like .... Clint Eastwood....in Paint Your Wagon...... Best.............can I really type that....? Best............Buy........or ....and this place is ok....they are quite up front....you pay full price....have them pull your data off the HD and format it to FAT 32....

then install to you're heart's content....

XP FIRST......XP is very jealous of it's "turf"

then symbion

and that really is a good distro....

but......Klikit....."just works".....

and...............we.....have....our....own......security suite

and....it just works

holler back if I can help any more

and again, I'm sorry about the tardieness

woodsmoke