Cant install xp on a built cpu

[dacdd9]

I built a computer recently, and it starts fine can access the bios fine etc.

I set the bios to boot from cd first, have my xp disk in there and ready says press any key to boot from cd...

I hit a key and it goes to a black backround saying "setup is now inspecting your hardware configuration."

After that it goes to a blue dos screen the bottom says "press f6 if you need to install any 3rd party raid drivers etc."

Then it says setup is now loading kernell.dll and loads other various things finally getting to "setup is now starting windows."

At that point my built cpu always stalls and the computer freezes at that point never allowing me to install xp and im clueless as to why.

I have tried different sticks of ram to the same result. I have a P4 2.4 ghz hyperthreading and an ECS PT800CE-A Socket 478 Intel P4 VIA Motherboard with a 80 gb western digital hard drive plugged into the standard ide slot.

Heres the problem stated on microsofts site...

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=217073

pretty much tried everything to a no go any other tips would be great thanks a lot

 

[sPlAtOiD]

Have you formated your hard drive and do you have a active dos partition on the drive.

 

[Nubius]

Remove your hard drive and see if it gets past that screen. If it does then the HD is bunk. Does the BIOS see the HD? Also to truly diagnose the RAM you should get the program memtest86+ and put it on a bootable disk or floppy to test them for errors but I think it's probably the HD...anyway let us know.

 

[waynejkruse10]

could be heat
also make sure your drive is set to LBA, and fiddle around with thouse features

 

[derfist]

try fiddling with ur hardware such as ur vid card n memory. if u want, just try taking out some components n putting it back. when i mean fiddling, don't do it until u damage it.:bald:

 

[dacdd9]

if i dc the hard drive it still wont get past it

in the bios the cpu temp is 42 celcius

lets see... yes the bios does recognize the hd also

 

[Nubius]

if i dc the hard drive it still wont get past it

in the bios the cpu temp is 42 celcius

lets see... yes the bios does recognize the hd also

Is the HD correctly set to MASTER with the jumpers in the back and hooked to the furthest connection on the IDE? Also you could try putting it on Cable Select which would also mean it still needs to go on the furthest connection on the IDE Cable.

Also...You need to try that program I suggested to you

memtest86+

is what it's called....just search google and type in that name and you'll find it. Download it...make it a bootable CD and check your memory for errors just to make sure it's not that.

Do you have one or two CD-Roms in your current setup? Have you tried alternating them meaning disconnect one when you try the setup...if it freezes...then try the other? If you don't have 2 CD-Roms or ya know cd-burner and a dvd-rom or 2 drives is basically what I'm getting at, do you have a spare you could swap out for the time being?

On my secondary machine I built it hung up at that exact spot. It was two things.....the CD-Rom would read all those files at the bottom but then wouldn't actually start up....kept freezing...the HD caused this but come to find out, it didn't help that the CD-ROM was also dying....

So check and see if perhaps your CD-Rom for whatever reason is failing because that or perhaps the memory would the be the only reason for it to fail at that point.

 

[dacdd9]

Hi I have memtest on disc and can try later im not at home...

As for everything else Ive tried different sticks of ram... I have two xp discs one is mine and one is my bros.

Mine is minorly scratched and his was brand new neither will load up I am using one cd player its actually a dvd burner by NEC and both CD's halt at this point.

I have an old dell pentium 3 in which im using right now at my house due to the new pc not working, it has xp on it.

I am using the video card in my dell in my new pc whenever I try to get it working, and I am using that same NEC drive in both computers by means of swapping. If I have that NEC drive in my dell it will still make it past the "setup is now starting windows" screen.

So that makes me kinda think its not the dvd burner im using to attempt the install or bad or scratched CD cause that is brand new.

I can try memtest later if you would like what kind of resullts do iwanna be looking for?

 

[dacdd9]

Hi you said your hard drive cuased it to freeze at this point...

But at this point I thought that a hard drive was not even needed to get past that screen???

when I dont even have a hard drive connected to my dell and I boot from the xp disc it goes past that starting windows part and says press F3 to install windows and then if you do it says no hard drive detected.

When I am testing my built pc to get past that screen I dont even have the hard drive connected because my dell makes it past that screen with having no hard drive.

I intend on using a newly built hard drive that I installed in the dell in my new pc but im scared to format the hard drive and wipe it clean only to watch my new pc stall at that screen, because at least with the dell I have a working computer for now .

 

[Nubius]

Well memtest boots up just like winXP...the program starts running......you really don't look for any results...you want the tests to go by and really see nothing happen except for Test 1: showing it's percentage and you want it all to get to 100%....at the bottom of the screen it'll display where the error happened....this will be referring to the RAM stick itself and sectors and will say like 'error occured in 0033ff66 something like that, so you're not going to get an exact answer of what the error is, the point is your RAM should not have ANY errors and you are testing to see if any at all are present. You need to try each stick seperately first, then try them together and see if errors occur.

Your CD Being minory scratched wouldn't do anything as I bet mines even more scratched and it still works.

Also....did the dvd-burner come from dell originally? This may play some role in why it's freezing at that startup point. Again check the jumpers on the DVD-ROM to make sure it's set to MASTER and on the appropriate spot on the IDE cable or put it on CABLE SELECT and again put it on the right spot.

Bah.....I know it's gotta be the RAM, DVD-ROM, or HD causing this trouble for it to freeze at this particular spot...quite the puzzler.
If that NEC Drive did formerly come from the Dell, just to humor me I suppose, try another drive in there if you can and see if it gets past that screen.