Here's the situation:
I was previously running a Western Digital 80 GB 7200rpm HD with Windows XP Pro running very stable system. My error, the inciting event was going to a poker website that introduced zillions of popups into my system, possibly also spyware. After multiple anti-spyware programs failed, I ended up attempting to edit my registry myself and my system crashed like a rock. The original HD would not even reformat correctly so I bought a new drive and am attempting to reinstall from scratch.
Here are the problems: The new drive is a Seagate Barracuda 250 GB 7200rpm HD and I am trying to install Windows XP Professional. What has happened so far is I was first able to partition the drive into 40 GB, ~100 GB, ~100GB partitions (with NTFS), then installed Windows XP Pro on the 40 GB partition. It appeared to go fine, despite the fact that I was only expecting to be able to partition 133 GB due to something I heard about what my motherboard can recognize. After the Windows XP Pro Setup formatted the partitions and copied the files from the CD, it tried to restart the computer and go into the next step of the setup, but it flashes another screen for 0.25 of a second (can't even see which screen it is) and keeps returning to the screen where the only option is to install Windows XP Pro on one of the petitions.
So I tried again by deleting the partitions, then repartitioned it. It only recognized 133 GB this time but I was not alarmed because it was only supposed to see that much because of the type of motherboard I have. I repartitioned it, and installed Windows XP Pro on the first partition but it does the same thing: Partitions fine (using NTFS), copies files from the CD fine, but restarts and flashes another screen for 0.25 of a second (can't even see which screen it is) but takes me only to the screen where the only option I have is to install Windows XP Pro on a new partition, not the next step where I can set up windows and its components.
So I tried someone else's Windows XP Pro CD, and it does the same thing: It lets me delete partitions (recognizes 133 GB), format the partitions (with NTFS), install Windows XP Pro, copies files from the CD fine, but when it restarts for the next step, it flashes another screen for 0.25 of a second (can't even see which screen it is) but takes me instead to the screen where the only option I have is to try to install Windows XP onto a computer that already has an operating system on it! It won't let me get to the next step where I customize different parts of Windows XP Pro.
To summarize, my initial HD crashed, would not reformat, got a new HD but can't install Windows XP Pro despite trying 2 different CD's (one of the CD's has been tested fine on another computer) and it keeps going back to the Windows Setup screen. Possibly I received a virus? But I'm using a different hard drive? The CD isn't the problem because I tried two CD's and one of them works for sure? What else? I haven't changed anything else--motherboard, videocard, sound card, etc.
Please help!!! Anyone?
I was previously running a Western Digital 80 GB 7200rpm HD with Windows XP Pro running very stable system. My error, the inciting event was going to a poker website that introduced zillions of popups into my system, possibly also spyware. After multiple anti-spyware programs failed, I ended up attempting to edit my registry myself and my system crashed like a rock. The original HD would not even reformat correctly so I bought a new drive and am attempting to reinstall from scratch.
Here are the problems: The new drive is a Seagate Barracuda 250 GB 7200rpm HD and I am trying to install Windows XP Professional. What has happened so far is I was first able to partition the drive into 40 GB, ~100 GB, ~100GB partitions (with NTFS), then installed Windows XP Pro on the 40 GB partition. It appeared to go fine, despite the fact that I was only expecting to be able to partition 133 GB due to something I heard about what my motherboard can recognize. After the Windows XP Pro Setup formatted the partitions and copied the files from the CD, it tried to restart the computer and go into the next step of the setup, but it flashes another screen for 0.25 of a second (can't even see which screen it is) and keeps returning to the screen where the only option is to install Windows XP Pro on one of the petitions.
So I tried again by deleting the partitions, then repartitioned it. It only recognized 133 GB this time but I was not alarmed because it was only supposed to see that much because of the type of motherboard I have. I repartitioned it, and installed Windows XP Pro on the first partition but it does the same thing: Partitions fine (using NTFS), copies files from the CD fine, but restarts and flashes another screen for 0.25 of a second (can't even see which screen it is) but takes me only to the screen where the only option I have is to install Windows XP Pro on a new partition, not the next step where I can set up windows and its components.
So I tried someone else's Windows XP Pro CD, and it does the same thing: It lets me delete partitions (recognizes 133 GB), format the partitions (with NTFS), install Windows XP Pro, copies files from the CD fine, but when it restarts for the next step, it flashes another screen for 0.25 of a second (can't even see which screen it is) but takes me instead to the screen where the only option I have is to try to install Windows XP onto a computer that already has an operating system on it! It won't let me get to the next step where I customize different parts of Windows XP Pro.
To summarize, my initial HD crashed, would not reformat, got a new HD but can't install Windows XP Pro despite trying 2 different CD's (one of the CD's has been tested fine on another computer) and it keeps going back to the Windows Setup screen. Possibly I received a virus? But I'm using a different hard drive? The CD isn't the problem because I tried two CD's and one of them works for sure? What else? I haven't changed anything else--motherboard, videocard, sound card, etc.
Please help!!! Anyone?
