General Problem - Win XP refuses to install

Here are the details -

Computer: 900Mhz handyme down, new 80Gig Drive, clean 256 MB RAM (has been tested), 2 CD drives

The Situation: I am given this box and told to make it go! Alright, so first thing is to get a fresh install of Win XP going on it. But this seems to be insurmountably difficult.

The partitioning and formating of the new 80 gig drive goes smoothly enough. Then Win XP goes ahead and starts installing basic files, and then it tells me that it is time to reboot. Okay, lets reboot!

Reboot is cool, expect for when the install CD kicks in it seems to have "forgotten" that it has already installed the first step and asks me where to install this installation of win xp. So i go ahead with it, and it installs basic files, and then reboots, and then asks me where to install win xp, and then........ ad infinitum!!!

What i have tried: it was the same deal with the boxes old HD (now replaced), tested and checked the RAM, disconnected ancillary sound card, screamed at it, hit it with hammers, tried 3 different win xp install CD's, and ALL to the same effect.

Any suggestions out there?

Is this Home or Pro?

Is this a full version XP CD on a blank (never used) hard drive? Is the drive set as primary Master?

Are you choosing a Clean Install? NTFS? How are you partitioning?

It is not a SATA/RAID drive is it? Did you use the manufacturers' software to install the drive?

You might want to run the manufacturers' diagnostic as well as setup utility on the drive.

Also disconnect the second CD drive during install.

Thanks Jephree

It is win xp pro

Full versio XP on a brand spankin new HD, and it is the ONLY HD in there.

Clean install is being chosen, ntfs is a check, partitioning through the partition option in the Win XP install CD.

It is a standard IDE, and i just plugged it into the board to get it going. Which manufacturers diagnostic? For the HD or the Motherboard?

Let me try unplugging the second CD drive.

Cheers!

Are you choosing a single partition?

I was thinking of the hard drive setup & or diagnostic.

There is a general list here of the major manufacturers':

http://www.tacktech.com/display.cfm?ttid=287

Yep, C: partition is the only one i am looking to install on.

I will give the diagnostic a shot, but i would assume it to not be the drive cause the install has behaved the same way with both an old drive, AND the brand new one...

Oh, and i still have not had a chance to try unpluging one of the CD drives.

What a pain this is being!

Thanks for your wisdom

It was not so much the diagnostic that I was thinking of but the setup program.

It should not be necessary but also wouldn't hurt to try. It is basically just an initial format.

You say you had the same result on 2 different drives with 3 different disks which should eliminate either the drive or the disk as the issue.

What else could be wrong?

Elimination of the secondary CD drive should remove any misdirection issue.

All the searches I run point to hardware for this issue.

Are you sure that your drive & or RAM are compatible with the motherboard? Do you have the latest BIOS?

Also just to verify that you are following the proper steps please review the following:

http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

Especially steps 14 15 16 etc.

14. Setup will show a progress box and reboot when copying files is complete.

15. When you see the "Press any Key to Reboot" do not Press any Key. If CD boots anyway, remove CD and reboot.

16. From this point, you will follow the on screen prompts.

I seem to have solved it Jephree.

I dont know why it worked, but here is the last things i tried.

Changing the Bios to automatically detect the ATAPI and IDE devices. And this was done to accomodate the now singular CD drive.

Finally, I did unintentionally follow step 14 as you mention above. So it could be either of those at this point.

Whatever it was i just wanted to thank you for your help, i much appreciate it!

Glad you figured it out & thanks for sharing your results & for the thanks!

Let us know if we can help further in the future!

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