Installing XP Pro after XP Home crash, getting setup fail, .SIF SP1.cab, value 0

Hello Hotrodmech =)

>> I went to the CD and found the txtsetup.sif file in I 386 folder and copied it to the first floppy but
>> I did not erase the one all ready there, do I need to?

YES, replace the file on floppy with the file on the CD, and then check ??

In case if this fails, then plzz let me know if u are using a Slipstreamed XP CD ??

>> "SP1.cab."

oh yeah i can see that its XP slipstreamded with SP1..... so the error u are getting is totally normal, its a common problem with slipstreamed cds :)
Slipstream non-bootable CD generates error?
http://www.jsiinc.com/SUBF/TIP2900/rh2938.htm

So just copy the file from the i386 folder, and "Replace" the file which is on thefloppy,,,, dont put both togethers, u just need to put the one from i386 folder :)
Post Back if any difficulty...... good luck =)

O.K. I tried it both ways, no luck. Here is what happens, on the first floppy of the 6 from MS website for boot there is a file labeled txtsetup.si_ it is 70 kb in size, I have replaced it with a file from the CD that has the windows XP pro install but it is labeled txtsetup.sif and it is 445 kb in size, sound O.K. so far?
  Now when I run the 6 boot floppies at around the 4th one I get a message that says a file is missing and it cannot continue?!!

 I will have to go through it again to find out exactly what file it is that is missing if it will help any.

 Is there anyway I can start this laptop from scratch? Like it is a new hard drive? Seems like some files that are loaded on the laptop are stopping it from booting up to the cd?

Just to be sure, I ran the 6 boot floppies with just the new 445 kb txtsetup.sif file on the first floppy. When I get to the 4th one I get 'file usbehci.sys could not be found'.

 And that is the end of setup.  

start from scratch,,,, download the Boot floppies again, and this time download the ones for SP1
get some new floppies and then check if they are throwing the same error ??

coz by looks, its looking like a bad floppy or wrong download of boot disks :-/

What exactaly is the downloaded boot program called? Boot for Windows XP pro for SP1? Is it on the microsoft website? Where else can I get it?

this is the program for 6 bootdisks from XP Pro SP1 >> http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&familyid=83f53be9-28fa-40e8-8ec2-631504ef5e26

u need to download and run it on another system,,,, and when u will run the exe it will extract the necessary files on the 6 floppies !! :)

I downloaded the 6 SP1 boot floppies, ran them on the laptop, I got farther than I ever did before! But still no luck, tries to copy files from the XP Pro CD but is unable to do so.
 The CD is running but it starts and stops, actually goes full speed than 1/2 speed several times then throws an error. Do the old CD drives have trouble running newer CD's? This slipstreamed version?

 I think jng1 is right. I will reload windows 98 and then be done with it. Unfortunatly I have no restore/backup discs/floppies for the system, purchased laptop off ebay with system installed but no discs came with it, so I will have to locate those!!? I could purchase some old OS from ebay maybe? Anywhere else they are available? Maybe a second hand computer store. One problem is I will need boot floppies to start the CD rom drive because it still does not reconize it on startup.
 

 Thanks for your help, it was a learning experience.

>> The CD is running but it starts and stops, actually goes full speed than 1/2 speed several times then throws an error

this indicates that either the CD u slipstreamed is a corrupted one, burn a new Slipstream CD from scratch and try with that.
OR ur cd drive is getting bad,,, try either running a lens cleaner cd or think abt getting a new drive :)

What model laptop is this?

Is the Win XP CD you bought a "Legal" version?  If it is go back to store and ask for a replacement.  Just in case CD is bad.

There's actually three sets of boot disks for Win XP Pro

XP (origianl)
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&familyid=55820edb-5039-4955-bcb7-4fed408ea73f

XP SP1
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&familyid=83f53be9-28fa-40e8-8ec2-631504ef5e26

XP SP1a
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=bbe82a74-76af-4c21-b853-d9f07cbfa559&DisplayLang=en

I am using a store bought XP Pro CD, my laptop is a IBM Thinkpad 570E with external floppy and external CD Rom ( EXP traveler 3220 32X) both drives worked fine before the crash. I have tried XP Pro floppies and the XP SP1 floppies which did the most.

>> I am using a store bought XP Pro CD,

can u manage to try this CD in another system to check if it can continue the setup from there ??

If you mean try to install it by running all the floppies and doing a fresh install all I have is this PC I am now using which has XP home installed. And it works fine, I do not want to install the Pro version on my PC, nor do I want to create problems I don't need!
 I have accessed the Pro CD on my home PC to copy the Txtsetup.sif file and it does autorun when I install it in my drive, on the home PC. So I am assuming the CD is fine. But you know what happens when you assume anything?

This maybe out of your area of knowledge but I have found the Windows 98 program on ebay for $25. It comes only as a CD, where would I get the boot floppies I would need to get my CD started to load this OS? I looked at microsoft download center and did not see anything. Ideas?
 One more thing about my external CD rom drive, it worked when I loaded the XP home version of Windows on my laptop when I had Windows 95 running.