XP doesn't install on SATA?

[jtelep]

Help!! I just changed to a new MB (Asus K8V-X SE socket 754 with a Sempron 3400+) and now can't get XP to install to save my life. I was going to try the whole "re-install" bit but was concerned about losing data so I thought I would instead do it on a second partition on a WD 250GB Sata II. Bad idea apparently. This board uses the VIA 8237 chipset for it's SATA controller which I have read have notoriously buggy drivers so after trying a few things I finally decided to just go with a new PCI-based controller but this doesn't seem to have solved the problem. The install will just get into copying the files when it runs into problems every time. It's almost always a blue stop screen and I have seen a whole plethora of different errors. Sometimes it's the fact that it can't copy a file (like modem.sys or something) other times it's stranger like IRQL_NOT_LESS_THAN. With the new controller I am now just getting miscellaneous "STOP" errors with different id numbers after it. I don't know what else to do and I am running out of ideas. The only difference between this SATA drive and the last one I installed it on is the fact that this one is a WD 250GB 300 mb/s SATA II whereas the other one was a Seagate Barracuda 120GB 150 mb/s SATA I. I have read that sometimes the drives (when connected to a slower interface) are supposed to slow down but they don't always do so. I did however find a jumper setting on the 250GB that is supposed to force it to run at 150 mb/s but that didn't seem to buy me anything. I had this in my old system (which had all SATA I) but never as a boot drive but when installed it in Windows and set up a partition on it it worked like a champ so I am stumped. Could it be that the new partition isn't the first one on the drive? Could it be the size? The speed? (300 vs 150mb/s) I can't believe it's still the controller since I am using a different one and still seeing the same problem.

If anyone has any ideas on this I would really appreciate it as I don't have a system until I can get this fixed.

Thanks.

 

[slpaulson]

I'd run memtest86, and/or try changing what slots your memory is in.
Also, if you are overclocked, run it at stock.

 

[VirtualLarry]

You've seen this, right?
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=24910

 

[jtelep]

I never considered the memory as it's Kingston Hyper X and I was using it without any problems in the last board I took it out of now as far as the VIA 8237 chipset issue I also took that into consideration and am currently using a third-party pci-based solution for SATA just to see if the 8237 was the culprit but I am still seeing the problem. I wonder if there is an issue with the memory and that board.