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syntax error in the .sif file

I am doing a new install of win xp. After files from i386 have been copied, and xp starts the setup, I get the following:

"there is a syntax error in the .sif file that setup uses at line: 2092. setup cannot continue. shut down or restart your computer."

please advise.

ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION

NightWalker3k

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BOTA-X

Are you using a setup information file? Its under \I386\WINNT.SIF

toast_master

ASKER

The error occurs before I get an option to reformat.

I am using original media with sp2.

Thanks

NightWalker3k

I am a bit confused, copying i386 files is the last step of the textbased setup befor the
computer reboots and starts the installation gui.
Prior to copying any files you must select a partition to install xp on and
after creating a blank partition you can format it with ntfs during the textbased setup!?
This option is only available if you are not reusing an existing windows partition but
delete the system partition and create a new blank one...

This only works if this is an unmodified setup cd from microsoft.
Could it be that you got a sepcial "recovery" cd from you computer vendor?
They often tend to automatise the whole setup (you can see this on the allready mentions WINNT.SIF)
and in most cases this cds work only with the computer they were supplied with.

toast_master

ASKER

The C drive has been reformatted.