XP Pro does not install on SATA system 1

[pmonett]

I upgraded to XP Pro a while ago from my Win98SE system. All worked fine for months on end, I thought I was finished with crashes and reinstalling.
Along the way, I upgraded my mainboard to a SATA-compatible system, and I put SATA interface cards on my two IDE drives.
It worked fine, XP rebooted and I updated the drivers and all was well for more months.
Until my XP install borked. It took barely a week, during which I experienced strange slow-downs and wierd errors, then XP suddenly did not boot any more.
Compounding the error, I did not use the Recovery system in XP (woes me !!) and I tried using a Ghost image I thought I had made. Unfortunately, the image was not good, and I lost my XP install.
That is when things got really annoying. I thought "Okay, XP is gone, let's reinstall". And I did. Around a dozen times.
Each time, the install procedure would run fine during the Copy File session. As soon as the PC rebooted to complete the install, wham ! it just stayed on the start screen and did not move any more. Not an inch.
I tried installing Win98 and doing an upgrade instead of a clean XP install. No dice.
I tried installing XP and including the SATA drivers on boot. No dice.
I tried installing XP and NOT including SATA drivers. No dice.

I have come to the conclusion that the only way for me to reinstall XP is to remove the SATA controller from at least one disk, and revert to IDE at least until I get XP running.
Does anyone have another solution ? I really wish to evade the hardware stuff if I can. It is always a pain.

Pascal.

 

[pmonett]

What can be installed ? Windows 98SE.
As for XP, it goes through the CD boot process right up to the point where it says "Starting Windows", and stays there.

Last night I got so tired of it all I just re-ghosted my Win98 image back on and left it there.
Tonight I'll attempt to do an upgrade install instead of a full write over, but somehow I doubt this will work.

Thanks for your interest, six3077,

Pascal.

 

[pmonett]

Latest news : I am bringing my PC case to my friendly vendor from whom I bought all the pieces. I just got off the phone with him and he thinks it is a RAM problem.
So now I've heard basically everything on this issue. First, it was the mainboard that had an issue, but the BIOS update did not solve the problem. Then it was the Maxtor HDD that did not like booting XP, but a Seagate did no better. I even tried changing video cards, to no avail. Now, I have been promised that my twin Crucial 512 DDR400 are at fault.
If that is not the case, it will have to be the CPU, won't it ?

Why do I have the impression that computer hardware and black magic are inextricably linked ? And what voodoo doll do I have to buy to get it all working ?

Pascal.

 

[six3077]

ROFL
good to see some humour of of this. I suppose it is possible that it could be the RAM, especially since you've tried just about everything else.
Please let us know....and again,
good luck.

 

[queball1]

I realise I'm probably a bit late but I am having a similar issue but using a p4p800s (see hard drives) whilst trying to resolve my issue I have some across some settings in the bios that may assist.

Basically win 95/98/me/nt4/linux use legacy
and 2000/xp use native os

There is a setting in mine under the main menu in IDE configuration where I need to turn on Enhanced mode for natice to work. If you can find the equivent, Id bet it is the problem

 

[pmonett]

Well, here's the latest news : I used my lunch hour (and a half) to bring the whole shebang to my vendor, who is currently in the process of eating his hat.
Indeed, RAM had nothing to do with it. Since I explained everything to him that I have posted here, we agreed that the only things that have not been replaced are the mainboard and the CPU. Okay, the DVD player either, but give me a break. Yes, I'd like a break.
We also came to an agreement about the fact that the CPU is almost by default excused from being the culprit (efficient watercooling and cautious OCing do not a CPU burn).
Which leaves the mainboard. That I bought less than six months ago. Which means the guarantee is still on - even with CPU OCing.
Added to that that XP crashed out inexplicably after having run incredibly stable (for an MS product) for months (24/7 by the way), and now my vendor is swearing on his (future) children that the mainboard has to be the fault.
So I left him with it. I hope that he will have the replacement installed by this evening. I need my BF1942 fix . . bad.

In any case, thank you all for the incense ;-).

Pascal.

 

[six3077]

any word whether it was the main board yet? I don't think it could be the CPU, especially since you can run win98 on there.
Hopefully it was just the mainboard and the problem is now solved.
Let us know!

 

[pmonett]

EXTRA, EXTRA !
*** NEWS FLASH ***

This just in : I just got my vendor on the phone and the guy actually had the gall to tell me that THERE IS NO HARDWARE PROBLEM, on account that they tested my mainboard with another HDD and CD-ROM and it worked fine.
So there is nothing to replace, everything is working fine individually and I can go get the useless hulk whenever I want.

In other words : I'm screwed, they don't know why and they have stopped caring.

Good Lord, it could almost be enough for me to go get an XBox and be done with it.

Now is the time to cite MDXer's sig : Shoot me ! SHOOT ME NOW !!(*)

Pascal.

(*) Love that cartoon by the way. I have it on tape and I'll digitize it as soon as I get XP working again. In other words, maybe next year.

 

[six3077]

damn, that's not the news you want at all!
Did u ask them to try sticking xp on the machine, at least just to see how far they get?
What about getting another copy of the xp cd and trying that? (can't remember if you have already done that)
from the sounds of it, then it must be a setting in the bios?...or not? *shrug*
absolutely no help, sorry.

 

[pmonett]

Okay, final act :
yesterday I had a day off for personal reasons. I took advantage of that fact to do a bit a preparatory work the night before (ie stripping the PC down to its bare components). So, yesterday morning I took some time to fiddle again (switching disks, video cards and even PSUs) - to no avail, of course.
Fed up with the whole thing, I went off to get a different mainboard. Brought back another ASUS (I want dual-channel RAM), the A7N8X-E, and slapped the bare requirements (HDD, DVD-ROM, RAM, CPU, GF2), plus the "old" PSU and my cooling system. Booted fine, adjusted BIOS settings to my likings, rebooted on CD, installed windows.
It went fine, obviously.
Then I called my vendor to tell him what I had done. I refrained from chewing him out, but I'm sure he could tell I wasn't entirely pleased. He pledged to accept my old mainboard and honor the guarantee, so all is well that ends well.
Except that I lost almost a month on this nonsense and I had to forward $150 before getting my version of the facts recognized.

As of yesterday, 6 P.M.-ish, I had the relief of finally seeing the XP desktop on my screen again. Now I am in the process of determine whether or not I have suffered any data loss.

That's all, folks !
Again, thanks for your support.

Pascal