I can't get windows xp installed!!

[merc68]

I just put in my new ga-p35-dsr3 mobo and e6750 with 2gb of ballistix 800 memory. My problem is when trying to install XP after the first reboot it goes to the cd again without me touching a button on the keyboard. I tried pulling the cd out, resetting the bios to go to the hd. It just goes into a loop of reboots if I try either of those things. Now correct me if I'm wrong but I don't need to install drivers if I have the sata ports running as ide do I? I still can't think how that could cause the comp to just automatically boot from the cd anyway. Any ideas would be great.

 

[MightyMouse957]

I just put in my new ga-p35-dsr3 mobo and e6750 with 2gb of ballistix 800 memory. My problem is when trying to install XP after the first reboot it goes to the cd again without me touching a button on the keyboard. I tried pulling the cd out, resetting the bios to go to the hd. It just goes into a loop of reboots if I try either of those things. Now correct me if I'm wrong but I don't need to install drivers if I have the sata ports running as ide do I? I still can't think how that could cause the comp to just automatically boot from the cd anyway. Any ideas would be great.

Well did you at least try installing the SATA drivers... I don't know for sure, but if that's the only thing you haven't tried; go for it.

 

[magoo]

Are you speaking of a first reboot after the full OS is installed or the first time the OS reboots while it is installing for the first time????? The following is a very good tutorial, and one I refer to all the time,even though I've installed XP a zillion times:http://4help.alienware.com/cgi-bin/...WFuIG9zIGluc3RhbGxhdGlvbg**&p_li=&p_topview=1 Pay attention most to items under point #7.

If this is during the install, the OS always reboots with the message: press any key to continue. You dont touch anything at that point, and let the OS do its thing until it prompts you for information.

If you've completed the first full install of XP, thats different.
In the BIOS you need to make sure the HDD is the second boot option, if you have more than 1 HDD, make sure the OS HDD is listed first, make sure that SATA is turned on in the BIOS.
Then make sure the OS disc is out of the CD drive before you boot into windows.

 

[merc68]

I'm getting to exactly #7 on that guide When it reboots the press any key to boot from cd pops up for just a split second and then it does just that without me touching a key. It almost acts like a stuck key on the keyboard but I have tried two that I know are fine.

 

[Tigerbiten]

Run Memtest86+ and a hard drive checker off the Ultimate Boot CD.
It sound like the install is getting corrupted as it goes onto the hard drive.
If the memory and hard drive turn out to be error free then you've eliminated two possiblities of whats causing it.

The other thing to try is putting the CD drive as the second boot device.
If there's no OS on the hard drive it will skip to the CD drive to boot.

Luck ..............

 

[magoo]

I'm getting to exactly #7 on that guide When it reboots the press any key to boot from cd pops up for just a split second and then it does just that without me touching a key. It almost acts like a stuck key on the keyboard but I have tried two that I know are fine.

Thats what its supposed to do.....if you leave it alone it will continue to load XP automatically.
I still dont get it. The OS loads its files, right.
You get to the first reboot,right.
The message comes up to press any key to boot from CD......step 7, You dont touch anything......if you do, you will FUBAR the install.

Then what??? If you leave it alone does the OS load continue, or does the system crash??

Are you reformatting an old drive, or is this a clean install on a new drive???
If its an old HDD did you reformat the drive? Like the tutorial says.

 

[merc68]

After the format it loads files on the hd and reboots. It then says press any key to boot from cd. I am not hitting any keys and it boots from the cd anyway and restarts the windows xp installation process all over. This is a format on an an existing drive. I ran the seagate tools and the drive checks out fine.

 

[MrGuvernment]

keyboard USB if so unplug it once it goes past trhe bios, also make sure IN the bios the cd is not even an option to boot from, some bios's let you "activate" options to boot from as well as put them in order.

 

[merc68]

I've tried unpluggin the keyboard and I've tried different keyboards. If I remove cdrom from the boot order it then just keeps rebooting itself after the post.

 

[magoo]

After the format it loads files on the hd and reboots. It then says press any key to boot from cd. I am not hitting any keys and it boots from the cd anyway and restarts the windows xp installation process all over. This is a format on an an existing drive. I ran the seagate tools and the drive checks out fine.

I assume the HDD is clean, not partitioned?
Try the repair function.......load the files initially......when the screen comes up to choose a full install or repair or quit; choose repair and see what happens.

Or, plug your HDD into a different SATA port and see if that makes a difference.

Is the CD ROM a SATA or IDE????

 

[deactivatedadam]

Saw the post, had a similar experience, had to register and reply.
Hello all, great forum, reading if for a while, just built new pc off other's opinions here.(enough highjacking already

Anyway, I just built my own with a EVGA 680i board and an E6750, installed xp no problems, until i tried service pack 2 and had already has I think windowblinds with a modified bootscreen. Long story short as I should have rebooted for SP2 to take effect, it got stuck in a constant reboot loop, I couldnt do anything about it, scared the heck out of me before I did some frantic research online. Found out it was because SP2 wont work correctly with a modified bootscreen. I had to go in and manually change the boot.ini back to normal. Not sure if this has anything to do with yours, but since you said constant reboot without booting from the cd, may want to at least pop into your boot.ini and take a look.

Cheers, good luck

 

[merc68]

I thank everybody for there suggestions. Turns out it was the hard drive. It passed the tests on the segate cd but as soon as I borrowed another drive the computer worked fine.