Fatal server error: no screens found - EEE PC 1000h (Page 2 of 2)

Hi!

Yes, there are several other ways - ranging from "lots of work" to "very expensive". You could for example remove all your memory modules except one, try to re-install Windows - and is it crashes again, put this module into a different socket and try again. This module fails in all sockets? So the module seems to be bad; try the next. You find out that all modules fail when inserted into a specific socket? So this socket is broken - leave it empty or get a new mainboard.
Or you could get a hardware SIMM tester - these nice devices show up on eBay every now and then (and cost several 100 € even when used).
Both variants have one great disadvantage: If you have some of your RAM soldered onto the mainboard (which gets more probable as the computer's dimensions get smaller), this portion of memory can not be tested this way.
Or you could simply get the memtest ISO image available on the download page and instruct your CD writing application to create a disc from a pre-existing image file - and be happy... ;-)

You shoudl as well dive into the Knowledge Base on the Microsoft web site - searcgh for your error code ("0x0000007e") there; you'll find several possible solutions.

Did you try to start XP in Safe Mode, [F8] at boot ?
PCI.SYS is the Driver file for "NT-Plug & Play PCI-Enumerator" service. Did you verify, that you have a working driver file PCI.SYS ( it's localized to the language of the Windows distribution, wrong language might also be an issue )? Provided that it works, every hardware, which gets detected via PCI-BUS, directly or indirectly (e.g. USB-Controllers/Hubs with attached faulty external USB hardware), might cause a Blue Screen. Think also of
soundcards, joysticks, (W)LAN-Cards, PCMCIA-stuff, "exotic" interface cards, (with laptops:) docking station. Unplug everything you don't really need for booting and try again. What processor is involved (Intel, AMD or ?; there was a problem with AMD "Power Now!"-technology on AMD Mobile processors, if I'm not wrong. ). What type of interface uses the harddisk (IDE-(P)ATA or SATA ?). Perhaps you need a supplemental driver. Have a look at the root folder of the bootable partition on your harddisk. Are there any LOG / TXT-Files, which could help, finding the cause ? Are there any "shorted" file or folder names visible ( e.g. "PROGRA~1" instead of "Program Files" )? Is the CD / DVD drive ok ? I recently had some trouble with a defective DVD drive, which "torpedoed" an installation of W2K. This was not obvious at first glance, because everything up to the last reboot went as usual ! (You say you could not boot ISO Image!)

First of all the external harddisk must be bootable. An USB stick would do also. The system, which serves as "carrier" , must not have XP on its harddisk (disabling access to the harddisk in BIOS is not sufficient. The bootable media gets easily access !) or you alter its filesystem ID in MBR temporarily to Linux (with "fdisk" in Terminal window of "GParted"), thus hiding it.
Up to the second last reboot during installation, XP is not fixed to a certain drive letter or hardware surrounding. If you stop here, first copy the whole unready installation from the media to the wanted harddisk partition (needs NOT to be bootable, but should be primary !) on your system , then copy NTLDR, NTDETECT.COM and BOOT.INI (which you must adapt to the new partition) to the bootable primary partition and at last, let the system boot , continuing installation.  My trick with BOOT.INI in that situation is, that it gets more menu entries for all possible partitions. So if I counted wrong, I just try next (and do not need a second bootable medium for editing BOOT.INI again, which I do of course from within XP, when I'm ready ).

Hi,

Yes, totally wrong !!! I just reviewed your posts, this information is definitely NEW ! Sorry, I'm no clairvoyant .

Does " I am trying to partition it with XP " mean, that you want to use Windows' "fdisk"-console on your externally (DVD over USB) attached XP SP2 installation media, to create a new partition (of available unallocated space)  on your EEE PC's harddisk ?  If I use "GParted" before I install a new Windows OS, I always do partitioning and first format (FAT32) with it and present a ready drive (conversion to NTFS is better done by Windows). Especially if you have (hidden) Linux partitions, I suspect Windows to be a "steamroller", which flattens all former work (except for its former versions).

Next aspects:

1. Boot OS
Booting from DVD/CDROM, attached by USB to a PC system, is standard today. The installation of Windows starts with an OS, that is very similar to former MS-DOS. To work with an optical drive needs special drivers, a bunch of which is included, but there might be drives, which are not represented, and therefore not working.

2. "USB reentrance loop"

Let the installation start over USB. The hardware of the target system is inspected by "pci.sys", it comes to USB, which is at the moment working under high duty, because data from the attached optical drive flow, "pci.sys" gets upset and "applies the emergency break" : blue screen.

Hi,
I think, the best way would be, to have a second system (PC or laptop) with a built in optical drive and a free FAT32 drive (convert it later on the EEE machine to NTFS, if wanted) on an own partition (5 GB would do,  can be deleted afterwards) of the built-in harddisk . After creation of that partition with "Gparted" (formatting included), you should store a copy of the MBR, because XP will install its own MBR. Then you set the bootflag on the new partition and reboot, starting the installation with the optical drive (Boot sequence !). You direct the installation to the new drive. First the setup copies all files to the new location, then it reboots (and has already exchanged MBR !) several times. You have to force power off, when a countdown arises before reboot (the second last), because afterwards the system gets "married" with the hardware (and drive letter !)... and you need a "virgin state" for transfering it to your EEE machine . I would prefer an USB Stick for transfer, to which the whole content (hidden files !) of the partition gets copied, but an external harddisk would also do.  Note, that you do not transfer the Volume Boot Record of the installated XP (BTW "GParted"'s VBRs are NEVER bootable), which is necessary to start XP stand-alone,  ... but you use a Linux bootloader, which does this job without the Windows stuff directly. To restore status quo on the "host" system, put the stored old MBR back ( brings back the bootflag to the former place automatically )  and delete the 5GB partition again (with "GParted"). Knowhow follows, if you decide to do it that way.

My problem is, that I don't know how "Xandros" boots , i.e. how you can add the necessary item to the boot menu ( syntax ?). A quick research on the web did not answer this question.

With GRUB, it would be something like that :

title Windows XP SP2
find --set-root /NTLDR
chainloader /NTLDR

At last, you boot your EEE machine, select Windows XP and watch, how the new system settles (you probably need a driver disk , "shipped" with the EEE, or a Download).

Hi!

It should be no problem to copy your Xandros installation to the SD card - in prionciple, you could dio trhis using GParted by simply copying the Xandros partition. then boot up you hard drive-installed Xandros (at best with the SD card plugged in!), set up a new boot loader on the SD card and ionstruct it to boot Xandros off the SD card - and you should be done. This way you'll keep all yopur currently installed software packages, files and settings.
However, installing Xandros on the SD card shoudl not be a problem as well - however, you'll likely have to do some more configuration work afterwards.

Hi,

The plugged SD Card must be recognized as harddisk in the (USB- , PCMCIA or PCI-BUS attached) Cardreader by the BIOS. Then you can change the Boot sequence in BIOS, to have the SD Card treated  as first boot medium. Otherwise ( formatted as "Superfloppy") it is recognized as "ZIP"- or "LS120"-Drive (but not correctly partitioned that way, therefore not bootable) or ignored. Criteria of a bootable harddisk are a valid Master Boot Record (with bootflag set) and a (first) Volume Boot Record at block 63 of the harddisk). These conditions are easily creatable with HP's HPUSBFW.EXE, which accepts also (Photo) Flashcards. Within that little programm, you only can integrate DOS or Win 98 bootfiles. But if you do it under Win XP ( and do NOT use the boot item ), the card gets automatically bootable, if you set the bootflag in MBR and copy NTLDR, NTDETECT.COM and BOOT.INI to its bootable partition ( = some sort of a rescue disk for XP, if repartitioning confuses BOOT.INI.)

With GRUB4DOS you even get a Linux Bootmanager this way by renaming GRLDR (copied to the bootable partition) to NTLDR and writing a suitable "menu.lst". If you know, how "Xandros" starts, you could integrate it in "menu.lst". But if you prefer "Xandros" own bootmanager, that should be no problem, too. If it finds a "harddisk", it will install all necessary elements.

Actually, it doesn't give you any option, it just starts installing. Quite weird. It's a restore disk as there is no disk for Xandros on the EEE, just the restore that comes with the 1000 Linux series. There are some tutorials which show you how to do it which proves it can be done.

http://wiki.eeeuser.com/xandrosbootfromusb

http://forum.eeeuser.com/viewtopic.php?id=9379

Just finding time to understand them.

I will try with them when I have time but the reason I want it is because it was the default distro that came with the EeePC and I did like it.