Can't install Win XP on new HD - strange - please help!

[Nickel020]

Hi,
I got me a new HD as my old one got too small and now I have a problem installing WinXp. This isn't the first time I am installing Windows but I've got no idea what I could be doing wrong. The new HD is properly detected by the BIOS (as Primary Master at the correct size) as well as by the WinXP setup. In the setup there are no problems partitioning the HD, formating the Windows partion and copying all the files into the Windows folder. Then the system reboots and now it should boot from the HD and start the installation and here is where the problem is
For some reason it doesn't do it and instead boots from the CD again and wants to do the partioning, formating and copying of the files all over again. I thought that I might have configured the boot devices in the setup wrong(would be strange as I just substituted my old HD for new one, both are/were Primary Master) but no matter what I choose as boot devices (IDE 0-3) it doesn't work.

Please help me, I've got no idea what the problem could be!

Here's my hardware:
ECS K7S5A
Athlon XP 1800+
IBM Deskstar 123.5 GB (my old HD was a Deskstar 40GB, no problems here): Primary Master
Asus E-616 DVD drive: Secondary Master
Teac 40x CD Writer: Secondary Slave
512 MB Samsung DDR 333 RAM (I know that the board can only run it at 266)
MSI GeForce 4 TI 4200 64 MB
Creative Audigy Player
Realtek Network Adapter

 

[TrueBlueLS]

You've got the same CPU/Mobo combination as I do... so I'll throw out this suggestion. When installing from your CD, do you have to select for it to boot off of the CD drive? With mine you have to prompt it to. Make sure whatever you do when it goes to boot (after the first part of the install) that you bypass the CD drive.

 

[Nickel020]

I now disabled the CD ROM as 3rd boot device but it still boots from CD! (1st boot Device is Floppy, 2nd is IDE 0)
When booting it first checks the floppy in order to boot, then the HD but finds nothing on them (although there is something on the HD). It then goes on to boot from CD (even if its disabled).

 

[woodie1]

Does your BIOS have something like "boot other device" - disable that too.

 

[kursplat]

take the disk out....
good luck

 

[weber]

Why don't you use Norton ghost from your old HD to the new ?:beer:

 

[RustyNale]

For curiosity's sake, was your new hdd set to cable select? Did you move it to Master? I ask as some hdd's don't work when switched to master, even if they're the only device on that bus. If you did move the jumper, try moving it back.

 

[Nickel020]

I already tried taking the disk out in order to force it to boot from the HD but it can't find anything to boot from on the HD. I also now disabled the "try other boot devices" in the BIOS and now it doesn't boot from the CD anymore but doesn't boot at all. Even before I disabled this it always tried to find a boot record on the HD before it booted from the CD but never found anything although there was something.

Originally posted by: RustyNale
For curiosity's sake, was your new hdd set to cable select? Did you move it to Master? I ask as some hdd's don't work when switched to master, even if they're the only device on that bus. If you did move the jumper, try moving it back.

I'll try switching it to cable select (it is now set to Master) and see if that works (would be strange though as my old HD worked fine on Master and it is basically the same just smaller).

I could use Norton Ghost but I wanted to re-install Windows anyway as my old installation is not in the best state anymore (especially my Internet Explorer is behaving rather strangely) and I don't have Norton Ghost and have never used it before.

Thx everyone fro trying to help me!

 

[stevewm]

This motherboard has a boot menu feature built in. When the BIOS comes up hit the F8 key when it says "Press DEL to Enter Setup" A blue boot menu will come up with all your IDE devices listed, pick the correct one and press enter.

 

[Nickel020]

I already tried that but it says that it found no boot record on the HD although thereis one.
The problem is that it can't recognize the boot record created at the start of the WinXP installation after the reboot, not that it doesn't look for it (because it does but doesn't find anything).

 

[snidy1]

Before it reboots, take out the cd and it should ask for you to put it back in when install does't find it.

 

[jvang125]

how many partitions did you make? if you made multiple partitions, did you install xp on the c: drive? i'm thinking the partition that you installed xp on might not have been set active and therefore be unbootable. i'm not sure if the xp installer automatically makes the partition active before it formats it because i use a bootable floppy of partition magic to partition, set the drive active and then format. if you dont mind doing the install all over again, try using a bootable floppy with fdisk and partition the drive with it. and make sure you set the drive xp is going to be installed on active. then proceed with installing xp again.

 

[Nickel020]

I created two partitions and tried to install Windows on C:, but also tried using only one partition. I'll try if it works if I partition and format it with fdisk on Monday as I am not at home till then.