ARGH!! Can't install Windows XP... locks up when reading hard drive

[Trevelyan]

Okay...

I just got my new Western Digital 800JB hard drive and I'm trying to install WindowsXP -- to no avail. I put in the CD and it loads the WindowsXP setup (the part where you choose where to install Windows XP and format your hard drive)..

WELL, it freezes when I try to format the hard drive (in NTFS) or when loading setupp.ini sometimes... I DON'T GET IT... when I formatted in FAT32 mode with a disk and just tried to install winxp without formatting again it went ok, but when I rebootted I got another error and winxp couildn't load.

ARGH!! Is there something I am not doing?/

Here's my system:

XP 2000
epox 8k7a latest bios
512 mb crucial ram
geforce 4 ti4200 128mb

 

[krakken]

Try booting into a RAM testing software.

 

[Trevelyan]

you think my memory is the problem? I've never had problems with it before...

 

[Trevelyan]

Hmm... OK, update:

I can get it to the point where it starts to format the hard drive, but it freezes at 0%... and the hard drive light is not on. Sometimes, it will freeze and the hard drive light will stay lit and so will the floppy drive light..

So I started the windows 98 installation and it formatted the hard drive without a hitch... what is going on?

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE someone help!

 

[SemperFi]

Check the jumper on that WD drive. When the drive is master with a slave drive the jumper is different than if it is master without a slave.

After you run that memtest software use the western digital utilities available online and use to test your drive. YOu could also check your bios settings for the controller.

Semper Fi

 

[Trevelyan]

I've tried three different jumper settings: cable select, master, and no jumper at all.... both give it as the master and all three yield the same problem.

I'll run memtest through the night tonight... I've already diagnosed the drive and no errors were found.

I just set up windows 98se, and then when I tried to upgrade to XP, bam! lockup when it rebooted... it seems to be due to the same thing too...

 

[SemperFi]

Maybe it is your xp cd.

 

[Trevelyan]

I've tried three different XP CDs... same thing

 

[SemperFi]

I am running out of ideas fast.

But here is one did you swap cables to the drive. One other thing you might try is put the drive in a working xp box and format the drive with ntfs.

Semper Fi

 

[Trevelyan]

Still no go

Win98 is running fine though... I just don't get this...

 

[Jeff7]

Did you also run the diagnostic utilities from the Western Digital site?

Based on the picture at Epox's site, this board has a total of 4 IDE connectors. To which connector is the HDD connected? It's possible that it needs drivers during setup - where it asks "Press F6 if you need to install custom drivers."

 

[SemperFi]

Jeff7 has a good point if you have the drive hooked to the Promise or Hot Point chip you need to press f6 at the begining of setup of windows. You need a floppy with the drivers on it. The floppy should have a file called txtsetup.oem on it.