XP Pro CD has no WINNT.exe

[slickvic22]

Trying to install windows xp pro on my back up computer. Deleted and created partition. Formatted. It is the upgrade cd, but is a copy. I have "tweaked" it so it will boot to the a drive and then i can boot to the cd rom. I go into the i386 file and there is no winnt.exe. and Winnt32.exe won't run in dos. I have explored my cd on my main computer and winnt.exe does not show anywhere. Where can i get this file? or any other suggestions?

Yeah, choose to boot from the CD in the BIOS and it should start the setup for you. If you can't boot from the CD, then use the six bootdisks from here Be sure to get the correct set.

[slickvic22]

I have a boot disk already. It boots from the cd. Sort of. Its a copy of XP that my school gives out. All legal. I burned it to a cd so i could reformat. I found a boot disk program on the net that lets you boot to A: w/ cd rom support. It was created to replace the 6 floppys. When my computer boots, it starts at a: prompt. Type r: to go to cd rom. CD I386. I386: Can't find winnt.exe and winnt32 doesn't run in dos. Where can i get winnt.exe? is that all i need???

[John Prophet]

"It boots from the cd. Sort of."

what do you mean?

Do you have any other windows cd's...I thought if you boot from an upgrade cd that you can do a fresh install anyway and it would just ask you for a "qualifying product" such as a w2000 or w98se disk etc.

I know, type in "setup.exe" . . . and then post the message it gives you.

Then, download the six floppy disks and the post when you have XP installed. We'll all wait anxiously.

[slickvic22]

It's not a windows xp cd or a direct copy. My university has a multi license from microsoft that allows them to give they OS to thier students and staff. I downloaded it from the school server and burned it to a cd. It doesn't have any boot software on it. So i had to find a boot floppy. I didn't want 6 floppys to do it, trying to do it w/ one. I found a boot on just one floppy, coppied it to the cd aswell ad the upgrade stuff. It will boot to the cd, but only to an A: prompt
the computer im doing has a faulty a drive.
at the a prompt i can go into the cd and find all the upgrades programs except Winnt.exe. wasn't included in what i downloaded.

[slickvic22]

the cd i have w/ xp upgrade on it isn't a copy of the original. my school has a mult license which allows it to give its students and staff a copy of xp. I downloaded it off thier server. Burned all the files to a cd. my floppy drive doesn't work on my comp. so i found a boot disk program that only uses one floppy and used nero to burn the xp programs onto a bootable cd. I reformatted so there is no exsisitng OS. I don't have a 98 cd yet, getting one soon i know i need, but just trying to get the program to run now so i can make sure it works. After booting to the cd rom, i go to I386, and type in Winnt.exe. Says Bad Command or File name. where can i get winnt.exe? is that all i need??

Try this If it gives an error again about "winnt.exe" then try burning the CD again and make sure the files you're burning have "winnt.exe" in them. You really just need the "I386" directory.

[slickvic22]

thats what im saying i don't ahve winnt.exe. where can i get it and is this the only file i need???

[slickvic22]

solution fixed, got a copy of xp home, copied the file over and made a bootable cd. now all i do is insert my copy of xp pro and it begins just like a MS cd from the store, except no activation.