Win 7 Pro installation issues

[celestialgrave]

Decided to buy myself a couple xmas presents (512GB Toshiba SSD and Asus AMD 7870) and had installed the new GPU and used that a bit the last few weeks. Last night finally decided to install the new SSD and using it to replace my Vertex 2 as my OS drive. Seems like no problem, unplug the old one, plug in the new one and install Windows. Well I grab my trusty jump drive that I used before for installing Win7. I get it installed and realized, crap I had windows 7 Home premium on the jump drive for use with my laptop. So I thought, no big deal just throw in my Win7 Pro DVD (OEM copy). Boot up the DVD, load windows files, says starting windows, and then nothing. It just hangs at the setup background image and let's me move the mouse cursor around. Never starts the set up, no install windows 7 now window or anything. Thinking ok maybe the disc has gone bad. rip the image, loaded up Microsoft's usb tool, and say not a valid iso...go and download a copy of win7 pro...not a valid iso.
Searching the web I've seen numerous different possibilities from it being tied to hardware compatibility issues to needing to unplug non-essentials. Atm I'm at work and can't try unplugging everything until later. But what I don't get is why I was able to install Home Premium but can't install Pro. Also saw suggestions to just upgrade the Home Premium installation to Pro so that might be the easiest solution.
Just irritating that I can't simply put in my installation disc and be done with it. Any ideas why this could be happening? Hopefully I can have a good plan hatched out by the time I get home and get my desktop back up and running quickly.

Edit: Whoops probably wanting some hardware info.
Antec Sonata III w/ Earthwatts PSU
Abit IP35 Pro w/ Intel E8400
2x2GB Patriot Memory (don't recall the exact specifications right now)
Toshiba Q 512GB SSD (replacing OCZ Vertex 2 128GB)
WD Green 1TB
Samsung Spinpoint 2TB
Asus 7870 (replacing eVga Geforce 8800GTS 512mb)
Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Gamer edition

 

[Cerb]

Disconnect all drives but the USB stick or DVD the OS is on, and the SSD you are installing to.

If Windows' installer will not let you get to a point that you can choose a place to install, go get yourself a live CD/DVD/thumbdrive of GParted, and remove the existing partitions on the new SSD, that were put there by Win7 HP.

--

Alternatively you could do a simple clone of the old Vertex, then extend C: to fill the rest of the 512GB you have. I know, a new drive is a good excuse to get fresh new no-crap-on-it install, but...

 

[celestialgrave]

Thanks. Hopefully unplugging everything will do the trick. Yeah I think I have a Hiren's Boot CD lying around here somewhere with GParted on it. Yeah worse case I'll just clone the Vertex 2.