XP Install Problem

[Mykozo]

XP quite often makes me hate it, but very seldom completely stumps me, as it has this time. I hope someone has the answer to my question so that I can stop using this $1500 box sitting next to me as a paperweight. I am no stranger to XP, but have never had this particular problem during installs. Thank in advance, and I apologize about the long post.

Here's the problem: On my new rig (I'll put specs below) I cannot seem to get XP to install on it for one reason or another. Here is what happens...ok, boot from disc to install, setup examines hardware configuration, and goes to install screen (which partition to install on). This is where it gets funny. If I don't choose a partition to install on fast enough, the computer shuts itself down. If I'm relatively quick, it lets me choose a partition, format it (quick of full), which it executes successfully. It then loads the data it needs for the next phase of install before restarting and going back to GUI during the install. It tells me "Windows XP installation has 39 minutes remaining" The CD reads a bit more, then the computer shuts itself down. Restarting, which takes it back to where it left off on install, yields the same results for the probably over 20 times I've tried it. Sometimes it doesn't even make it that far. Sometimes it will shut off during the Windows splash screen.

And now, for what I have attempted...I have tried the install on 2 different partitions on my IDE drive, and on a SATA drive as well. I have tried both a standard XP Pro install disc (WXPVOL_EN, a volume license, and yes is legit) and also a SP2 slipstream disc that I made as well. I have installed on my old machine the slipstream disc, which indeed does install with SP2, so that is not the issue. I have even gone as far as installing XP with SP2 on my old machine, booting it up in safe mode, removing all chipset and processor drivers (hell, I deleted every system driver I could that didn't require a restart, and by the time I was done, there were NO VIA chipset drivers, OR the driver for the AMD64 chip I had in my old machine), in hopes that XP would boot up on the new machine in safe mode so that I could manually add the drivers, but no dice on that either. When booting in safe mode, it first froze @ kagp30x.sys (I think?)...and after ditching those drivers with that drive booted on the other machine, it now freezes at mup.sys (I refuse to go back and forth deleting drivers to no avail, at least until I get some informed advice as to what the issue will be). When trying to boot XP normally on the new machine I get the BSOD Stop 0x0000007B error, (I'm fairly certain as to why, but I never intended to try and get that installation to boot up on the new box without being in safe mode). The BIOS recognizes all of my hardware, all of my memory timings and voltages are set per the manufacturer (shouldn't matter, but why not) and, uh, yeah...thats about it.

Specs:

Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6600

-EVGA 122-CK-NF67-T1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i LT SLI ATX Intel Motherboard

-Kingston HyperX 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model KHX6400D2K2/2G

-EVGA 640-P2-N825-AR GeForce 8800GTS 640MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SUPERCLOCKED HDCP Video Card

-RAIDMAX RX-630A ATX12V / EPS12V 630W Power Supply (man I love these modular power supplies)

Stumped is me. If I absolutely have to, I have another PCI-E vid card I can try to install with, as that is the only thing I can possibly think, but it will be kind of a pain to get to it. Before I really start getting deep into this and swapping out hardware, it would be nice to get some of that good ol' TNL advice prior to breaking my neck trying to get this bitch to take an XP install.

Thanks again.

[torgo]

I've had similar issues installing xp onto a machine with a SATA drive. Learned the hard way you have to have your SATA drivers on a floppy disk.

but you mentioned IDE too, so I dunno.

I'd download a linux distro and install it, just to confirm it's not a faulty hardware issue. ubuntu is only one cd and is easy to install.

[Mykozo]

I've had that problem with my old Asus K8V SE Deluxe, but that was only because it somehow lacked the actual native SATA drive support that it was supposed to, and could only run SATA's in a Promise RAID array...god that shit was lame. Not that big a deal, but still...lame.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH for the Ubuntu idea. I haven't delved into any Linux crap yet, as I'm a rather happy end user at the moment. Downloading now, will report back. Thanks again.

[torgo]

yeah one thing about linux, most distros will give you detailed info on your hardware and if it is a hardware problem you might even get lucky and have linux tell you exactly what is faulty.

[Dyne]

if your using XP there is usually not a need to install SATA drivers since XP has them included. the only thing you would ever need to install from a floppy at OS install are RAID drivers (which you cannot do here anyway).


if you're running SATA and EIDE for drives it's usually best to install the OS on the SATA. in your bios is an option to enable both EIDE AND SATA. SATA has no boot order if you only have one so it *should* automatically take priority. normally a blue screen during the OS install is bad ram. if you have two sticks pull one out and only try with one.

also during an XP install when it reboots the first time let it sit. DO NOT "press a button to boot from the cd" or you will endlessly loop thrrough the process over and over. boot priority for the install should be

1. optical drive
2. SATA drive
3. whatever else

then after the install make your SATA the first boot drive and dont even make anything else boot. it just wastes a couple seconds at startup and when the hell do you ever boot from anything other than your OS drive anyway?

also if you have two drives there is no sense to have more than one partition on your OS drive. make one drive an OS drive and the other a dump drive. sounds like with all your failing to install on multiple partitions the boot tabe might be pretty fucked. a total reformat (ALL partitions) should fix this. but like i said check that ram first since 99% of OS install failures are usually that.

[Mykozo]

I bit the bullet and bought Vista, and it installed no problem. I had tried installing XP on both drives, and neither one would work. I know not to boot off the disc after the first reboot. Have you ever actually known someone that has done that? Like repeatedly? LOL if so. I tried both sticks, one stick, then the other, and it still did the same thing. A total reformat of all drives was already done, and still no dice. The only reason I had more than one partition on my old system drive was that I had two XP installations, one for gaming and the net, and one for audio/video production with all the services I need turned off and the such. Previously I had my IDE as my system drive, and my SATA as my media drive, only because I got the SATA after I had already done the installations on the IDE, and saw no real need to reinstall on the SATA if there was no problem. Both partitions were wiped and the disc was reformatted as a single partition. I did an Ubuntu Linux install and that worked fine, so I knew it wasn't a hardware issue. And yes, it is the RAID drivers that would need to come off of a floppy, which I had to do to get my SATA to work at all on my old Asus K8V Deluxe mobo, cause the only way SATA's are recognized by XP with that mobo is to run them off of the Promise array.

Well, I was had by Microsoft, but, whatever...Vista so far has been fine. Turn off all the bs security admin confirmations and the annoyance factor is greatly reduced. This new system kills, lovin' it.

Thanks for the tips everyone.