cant #@$$@# install windows xp to save my life

[heyzeus1]

really need some help here. i am completely unable to install or repair windows xp pro. i have tried everything. i can get to the point in the install where it says 'setup will now load windows' after all drivers are loaded and i get 'unmountable boot image' blue scree.
before you suggest anything look here at the list of things i have tried.

I have 2 windows xp pro cds, i have tried both
I have 2 hard drives, i have tried both, with every combination of one or the other, master/slave, different ide cables or connectors, etc.
i have two motherboards, this happens with both of them.
I have tried fail safe bios settings, disabling caches, lowering dma values for ide channels, etc.
i have tried removing sticks of ram and placing them in different slots or only leaving one in.

what the hell?

my specs
foxconn 915-p7ac
p4 ht 3.2 gig
1 gig 3200u ram
40 gig seagate master hd, 100 gig maxtor slave
geforce pci-e 256meg 7600gt
lite-on-it dvd-rw cd-rw



i am completely baffled.
please help.

 

[nchavie]

Have you tried a different optical drive?

 

[heyzeus1]

optical drive?
i only have 2 ide drives

 

[JonnyBlaze]

Have you tried to erase then create a new partition during setup?

 

[heyzeus1]

i cant do anything during setup, i never get that far, i cant even get to the recovery console.
its been suggested that i just format the drive with a utility, but considering all these problems, i am afraid i will still get a blue screen during the next setup, and then i'll really be screwed, having no OS.
i just now tried a very complicated process to add the recovery console to the boot menu, which would then be loaded off the hard drive instead of the cd. however that resulted in a blue screen as well. this one gave no error message just numbers
0x0000007b
0xfc79524
0x0000000
0x0000000


i should not that my computer DOES boot, but this install of windows has now been through 2 motherboards and processors. its literally filled with un-needed drivers, and works pretty poorly.

 

[heyzeus1]

i also just tried disabling sata drives, turning off udma. and a 3rd hard drive. all with the same result

 

[Puffnstuff]

Are you using a legit windows cd? Are the disks scratched or damaged in any way? Have you tried cleaning the disks or using compressed air to blow out the dvd drive?

 

[heyzeus1]

yes, no, yes, and no. thats the one thing i havent tried is another cd drive. i dont have one. i didnt blow it with air either, but i can try that.
or, i may borrow someones computer, stick my hard drive in there and try installing windows.

 

[Puffnstuff]

You need to install it on the hardware that you'll be using it on. I've swapped mb's before and was able to bring xp pro back up but I uninstalled all of the drivers for the previous board before removing it.

 

[heyzeus1]

well, cant i just install windows, and no drivers, then pull it out, put it in mine and install drivers?

 

[gsellis]

When you started the installation, you pressed F6 and loaded the SATA drivers, right? From Floppy... right?

It sounds like you are missing the driver that you need for the SATA controller. It will seem to start to work ok, but on the restart Stop 7b.

 

[heyzeus1]

fixed it. (kind of)
what i had to do was 'slipstream' sp2 into my xp installation folder, thereby fixing the error 'the installation on your computer is newer...' when trying to install straight from windows.
so i was able to format and clean install windows from windows.
got a new wierd thing though. bios STILL does not recognize my hard drives (one reason i was eager to re-install) after using the raid driver at beginning of install as per manufacturer instructions. also, the mobo cd now claims 'this uitl not for your mobo!'
also, i left my previous install on another partition. will this damage/confuse things?

 

[heyzeus1]

yeah for some reason install appears to take sata driver but does not.