Problems installing Windows XP on Hitachi 500GB drive

[HITekJeff]

I could use some help troubleshooting this issue, installing Windows XP on a single Hitachi 500GB hard drive. On one of my systems, I decided to replace my old drive with this one.

Details:

Windows XP 2002 version with SP1 Full Retail version.

Drive is connected to my SATA on the MOBO and detects fine.

Plextor 216A - SATA DVD drive used for install.

Everything goes fine with booting from the XP CD, the drive formats just fine with NTFS.

After drive is fully formated it says the usual copying windows install files to directories. Then reboots as usal after the files are copied.

After reboot this is where it hangs up -

The Windows XP disc is booted once again, but instead of going to the installation as usual when doing a new install after the reboot above it goes to the format drive portion again, f8 to agree, etc. If I select to install to that portition again, it says an OS is already installed there, to delete...etc. as usual.

So, we've established the drive is detected and formats just fine. It also appears to have copied the install files to the drive, but won't go into the install. I even tried reformatting the drive again to see what happens and it hangs in the same spot everytime.

My thoughts to this point, given the drive formats OK, is there is something to do with the Windows XP SP1 2002 Full retail version itself. I don't know if I need SP2 to slip stream if that would make it work or not.

What are your thoughts on this issue?

If you think making an SP2 slipstream would work, can someone post details on how to make one since I've never done that before or point me to a site or article that would explain it?

Thanks for the input.

 

[DougLite]

Google Results to get you started on slipstreaming, or use nLite to roll just about anything into (or out of) your XP CD.

Having SP2 on the disc certainly wouldn't hurt.

 

[RavenD]

After the part where it copies the files to your hard drive (right after formatting), arent you supposed to boot off the hard disc, and not the install disc?

 

[serial_thrilla]

you know how when you boot off the xp cd, it gives you an option to press F6 to install additional storage drivers (such as your motherboard's sata drivers)? I was wondering if you missed that step...if you did, make sure you make a floppy disk with those drivers on it, and the floppy, unfortunately, is your only choise, cause that's the only thing that the xp install would accept at that stage.

Serial_Thrilla- A+ and Apple certified computer repair technizzician.

 

[HITekJeff]

In response to some of the questions:

No, it's not defaulting to booting from the CD/DVD drive after formatting. It will copy the windows install files to the hard drive, then reboots as usual. At this point Windows XP boots from the hard drive to begin uncompressing and installing the files that were copied. This is where it has the problem. Instead of booting as it should, it goes back to the full install, format, press f6 to load drivers, etc.

There's no need to install the drivers because they are only needed for RAID for my mobo which is not being used.

My mobo is an MSI K8N Nforce 3.

While it supports only SATA 1, the hard drive is shipped defaulted to the 1.5GB transfer speed and requires the download of software from the Hitachi web site to switch it to SATA 2. So I'm 99 percent sure everything there is OK, plus it formats fine and copies files to the drive fine as well.

I checked the mobo BIOS and I'm running the current version, I don't think I'm overlooking anything there.

It's got to be something I'm just overlooking. Has anyone else had this issue with this hd model and Windows XP SP1 2002 full retail version? Maybe it's an unsupported driver that's not on that install that's needed, but why would it copy the files to the drive OK? Maybe it would but lack a boot driver?

Any more thoughts on this appreciated.

 

[Y2K SE]

Why not try rebooting without the CD in the drive?