Goal: To install windows on an IDE drive, located on Primary IDE Master.
Problem: When booting from the windows cd, it will do the initial install just fine (when it's in the CMD looking bootup). Then when it finishes and restarts the computer, it will boot into the exact same 'installing windows' setup screen. It will never get 'into' windows and 'continue' the setup via the GUI like usual (in which case it would give an approx time left for install).
Troubleshooting Tried: If I take the windows cd out on that reboot (right after the first install), it will just display an error regarding "No System Disk" (forgot the exact error). The only thing it wants to do is boot off the windows cd and reinstall all over again. This is on a new computer build. So just in case, I've replaced the mobo+cpu with the exact same kind, but swapped them out (ECS nForce3-A + AMD Athlon 64 3000+), tried 2 different harddrives, replaced the IDE cables, replaced the power supply, swapped out different ram chips, and even went so far as to swap out different cd/dvd-roms. System is stripped bare, no added on PCI cards, etc. Virus checking is disabled in bios. I've updated the BIOS firmware. This mobo supports SATA, and with a SATA drive, windows will install fine, but the SATA drive is not mine, and this comp will only have IDE drives, in which case windows refuses to install properly. Just in case, I also tested both drives, which are IBM drives, with the IBM Drive Fitness Test, and all test's came out 100% perfect no problems. I also erased the mbr and wrote all 0's to the drive just in case it might of been a boot sector problem. Then a clean format using NTSF. Still no luck. Then I tried the recovery console, and did the fixmbr command, as well as the fixboot command at one time or another. Tried again and still no luck. I've must of tried to install windows 40 times over the past 3 days, and it once it gets past the initial first install, once it restarts it will never boot up and just go right back into the initial install to no avail.

PLEASE HELP. This is killing me, for I thought I knew computers but I'm NOT seeing what the problem could be, I've narrowed it down by replacing nearly everything but I'm still not getting it. Can't think of anything else. I'm leaving the country in tomorrow night, so I pray someone will respond to this ASAP for I need it up and running before I go. Any ideas? Thanks for any at all.

Have you checked that your BIOS is set to try to boot from the Hard Disk first, and the CD second? It sounds like maybe you don't have the Hard Disk configured as a boot device.

Hi Spixe, welcome to SAF

nstead is right... sounds like your BIOS is set to boot from the CD and probably not searching for "other boot devices"

Chris

QUOTE (nstead @ Aug 19 2005, 03:53 AM)

Have you checked that your BIOS is set to try to boot from the Hard Disk first, and the CD second?  It sounds like maybe you don't have the Hard Disk configured as a boot device.

Haha, guess I should of been more specific. Yes, I've done that, that's a given in this case. When it's set to boot from the harddisk first, it will say there is no system disk found. In which case the only option left is to put in the cd and hit enter, thus booting off the windows cd. Otherwise, if the cd is in, and the bios is set to check harddisk first, it will do the 'press any key to boot from cd', in which case I don't, but then it will just hang after the 6 secound count (to press the 'any' key) because obviously for some reason it wont find a system disk. Again, in which the only option is at that point is to insert the cd.

At time, if I install windows up to the first reboot, and then take out the cd (as a form of testing), when it boots back up, it seems to automatically want to boot from the cd again, because you can see the cmd say "Boot from CD: " as if it was searching for one, and just basically hang until I put one in.

Killing me

edit: Something just noticed, guess I never paid attention before. While using the drive as a secondary (booting off the sata), even after a clean reformat, wiped it with all 0's, ntfs, etc, the 20gb drive only shows 19gb available, with 65mb already used. Is this normal? Possibly causing the problem?

I hate to say it, but it sounds like a bad XP system disk to me.

To get around the booting from your HD problem, you may try using a Win98 start up disk to start your system, then type in: sys c:.
See if that can help, at the same time I’m looking for any compatibility issues on motherboards that support SATA drives regarding IDE, but I can’t see anything wrong so far.

By the way, a 20 GB hard drive showing only 19 GB is quite normal, depending on what and how it's reading. Remember that 1 KB is 1,024 bytes, not 1,000 - or 19,5 GB = +/- 20,000 MB.

QUOTE

I hate to say it, but it sounds like a bad XP system disk to me.

Unfortunately, I think ranchhand is right.

Chris

QUOTE (Ironbender @ Aug 19 2005, 03:32 PM)

By the way, a 20 GB hard drive showing only 19 GB is quite normal, depending on what and how it's reading. Remember that 1 KB is 1,024 bytes, not 1,000 - or 19,5 GB = +/- 20,000 MB. QUOTE I hate to say it, but it sounds like a bad XP system disk to me.  Unfortunately, I think ranchhand is right. Chris

You know, I thought the same thing. So I went and borrowed a friends version. Same deal. Tried with both Win xp home and pro now. Both CD's are fairly new as well. I'm starting to think it might be some sort of virus hiding deep in the bios. And everytime I install on my IDE drives, it will install it in the mbr or something. But that's really weird, I know. And wouldn't explain why it still exists even after writing all 0's to the drive and the mbr, even with resetin gthe bios, etc. Is there a bios anti-virus that you (anyone) can recommend?

I am also starting to think it's a virus because while I can still mount these IDE drives as a secondary drive (while booting off windows SATA), after a clean reformat, it will still show there is 300+ MB of "used" space. This is also something I never paid much attention to throughout my comp experience, if after a reformat if it's normal to have that much used space. However, I think that's weird. But no anti-virii software is detecting anything, and wiping the drive clean doesn't fix it either. Thus perphaps its normal? I'm about to throw this machine out the window

To be more specific, if it matters: If I have it boot off the harddrive first, then after the initial install when it goes to reboot, and it says "press any key to boot from cd", and I dont press any key, it will just hang at the ". . . . . " where it count 6 dots I believe (where normally after the countdown it would boot from the HD). Never budging from that point unless I restart. Otherwise, if I set it to boot from the cd first, then it will, or if the cd is out, it will just say "Boot from CD" and never leave until I put in a cd (regardless if HD is set to be next on the list to boot from, I'm assuming it does that because it does not SEE an OS on the HD, so it just waits for a CD).

There is something wrong with the install process, probably not a virus.
Try acting as follows:

1 - set your BIOS to boot from CD first.
2 - install Windows.
3 - when Windows ask you to remove all disks (just before reboot), enter BIOS again and set the BIOS to boot from HD first. Remove the Install CD and let Windows try to boot.

I've had some similar issue in the past, but can't remember exactly how I sorted it, but it was a BIOS setting related thing.