acer 5102 problems

Slapps

hope someone in here can help me!!
I have just brought a 2nd hand acer 5102 which i brought with no hard drive ( this didn't bother me as i had a couple hanging around lol) tho i have tried 3 different hard drives and we can't even get into the setup screen. it just tells us that windows hadn't shutdown properly or that a hardware component has been changed and asks me if i want to start up in save mode and the such. thing is i think the keyboard is not responding as i can't get it to change how i want to start up or f2 it so therefore it just counts down and restarts to ask me the same question lol

hope someone knows what the hell i'm going on about lol
any help will be greatly received
thanks

asininity

To test the hardware you could download a LiveCD of linux which doesn't need the HD to function as it runs from the CD.

Now you say it didn't come with a hard drive. On the HDs you put in it have you got a previously installed XP? If you have that would be the problem because that install wouldn't be configured for the new hardware.

Reluctant_spender

Is it a usb Keyboard? you made need one with a green plug on the end, a ps2 type.

Slapps

asininity wrote: »

To test the hardware you could download a LiveCD of linux which doesn't need the HD to function as it runs from the CD.

Now you say it didn't come with a hard drive. On the HDs you put in it have you got a previously installed XP? If you have that would be the problem because that install wouldn't be configured for the new hardware.

der at me all hard drives have xp on will reformat a hard drive and see if that helps
thanks

Slapps

Right I put in a clean formatted hard drive and now it's coming up with NTLDR is missing please press ctrl/alt/del to restart. This we tried and again nothing so thought it might be the keyboard so swapped for another and again I still can't do anything.
Has anybody got any other ideas as to what the problem is.
many thanks

Slapps

bumped as i really need some help here
thanks

asininity

Post the exact message for us.

Slapps

NTLDR is missing please press ctrl/alt/del to restart

asininity

OK after the formatted hard drive did you reinstall XP? If you have in the bios have you got the boot setup to boot from a floppy disc, usb disc??

Slapps

can't reinstall anything as it won't even restart after pressing ctrl/alt/del.

asininity

Have you gone into the BIOS and selected the CD Drive to boot from in the boot order, make sure your xp disc is in the drive and it should boot from the cd and you can install xp.