i m trying to load xp on my new buid desktop but keep getting disk boot faiure any ideas???

Are you trying to boot the XP CD?

Is the BIOS set to boot the CDrom before the Hard Drive?

Just built my first pc...oading os (xp and it boots and starts then says..unable to proceed with instalation no hard drive detected...?
Its a sata connection maxtor 160gb....please help..

Did you load the SATA drivers at the F6 prompt?

No i didnt how and when do i do that?

Originally Posted by fisher4772

No i didnt how and when do i do that?

At the beginning of the XP installation where it starts loading up the base drivers that it will need for the setup program (the keyboard, mouse, VGA graphics driver, etc), there will be a few seconds where it says "Press F6 to load additional mass storage device drivers" or words to that effect. Press F6 at that point. The install will carry on a little further and then there will be a screen asking you to insert a floppy disk into the A: drive with the drivers on for your mass storage device, i.e. your SATA driver.

The disk should have been provided with your hard disk .... or you could probably get one from the hard disk manufacturer's web site.

Before you get to that point, of course, you should be entirely confident that your hard disk has been detected by the BIOS (see the links in my signature if you aren't sure).

Hope that helps

OK still trying....theres nothing like detect hard drive in my bios....

When you start the computer do you see the BIOS POST screen?

This should show your RAM being counted; your CPU being ID'd; then the list of detected drives.

What is the make & model of the motherboard?

yes i see this screen....its a biostar nf4 st a9 board.....

So does that screen show your detected drives and include your SATA hard disk in the list? If it does, then that means that your BIOS is detecting your hard disk properly and, therefore, the solution to your problem seems to be loading the SATA drivers by pressing F6 at the appropriate point during the first phase of the Windows XP installation.