Mr. Jules

Alright here is my dilema...

I just purchased some new parts (mobo, CPU, Ram & GPU) so I am attempting to wipe out my primary hard drive and reinstall my copy of windows. I have done this numerous times before so I am not unfamiliar with the process but I've hit a snag that I cannot figure out.

Once my system has gone through the initial install process of selecting a partition, formating the drive and copying the necessary installation files my computer restarts. At this point the system should just restart and continue the installation but instead it says "booting from CD.....Error Loading Operating System." Now I have had this error in previous systems and have solved them with random changes in the bios or whatever. This time is different however because I can't find a way to get past this error and on with the OS install.

So far I have tried:
-2 different hard drives (one SATA one IDE)
-2 different optical drives (one SATA one IDE)
-3 different copies of XP (home and pro)
-1 copy of Vista ultimate
-Tried changing the HD access modes in the bios (LBA, Auto, Large)
-Changing the first boot device from CD to HD after the initial install process.

After all of this the only outcomes that have resulted are either I get the "error loading OS" or the system reads off the cd and tried to start the WHOLE install process over again like nothing has been done yet.

I am stumped guys and incredibly frustrated that I can't use the parts I just spent $270 on. Please help!!!

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Crapalation

Have you double checked the Hard Drive Boot Priority? I've had this same problem happen to me, maybe a year ago... trying to remember what I did to remedy the situation.

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mahtareika

That is wierd. Are you going through and reformating before installing?

Jaffa Cakes!

Have you tried doing a Repair on the first screen of the Vista install? "Repair my PC" and then try repairing the MBR.

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mhsbrian

Change Memory if you have any laying around and run the CD reinstall again.

This next one won't sound nice but check for popped caps on the board. Flakey stuff like that can be cause by popped caps.

I'd really lean towards the memory though.

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Jaffa Cakes!

Download memtest, burn it then run it for a few hours if you don't have any RAM.

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Mr. Jules

I have made double and triple sure that the boot priorities are in order. Last night I used kill disk to write "0"s to the drive and wipe it out atleast on a low level. I have not tried to repair the MBR but will and then will run memtest to ensure the memory is still good. Thanks for the suggestions, keep em coming and I'll update you all on any progress. Thanks

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Mr. Jules

Thanks for all the input guys but I did end up figuring it out with the help of my brother-in-law. It was as simple as the fact that I had some old IDE cable that was some how causing a buffer under run potentially. I don't really know why it was causing such dilemma but simply switching to a 66pin cable solved everything. Again the simple solutions prevail. Thanks everybody.

__________________

Intel Overclocking Guide

The Definitive DFI A64 Overclocking Guide

Stable E1000/E2000 Rigs Configuration Thread