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On Thu, 29 Dec 2005 21:50:01 -0800, Jordan
<Jordan@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

>Hey Everybody,
>I've built a new computer, and I've got all of my hardware installed
>correctly, and everything seems to be running fine, except for the fact that
>I can't install an operating system. Whenever I partition the space to
>install Windows, the disc copies all of the files into the right directories,
>and then says that it needs to restart to continue setting up. So the
>computer restarts, and then it goes RIGHT BACK to the screen asking me which
>portions to partition. It shows the one that I did earlier, but I can't do
>anything with it but delete it. THere is no recovery or anything.

Get a copy of the Windows 98 boot disk.

Use IT to fdisk and format.

THEN pop your Windows XP CD into your CD Rom drive, answer the
questions as they come up, install to C:\windows

the problem you are having MAY be that when you see the prompt upon
the reboot

"press any key to boot from the CD Rom."

You have been pressing the key.

Don't!

Once you have begun the install, you don't have to do ANYTHING until
you begin answering questions during the final installation.

That confused me as well, and I found myself re-installing and
re-installing and reinstalling.


Quite literally, once you have fdisked (partitioned) in Windows 98
and you have formatted in Windows 98,
and you have begun the install with your XP Pro disk, you don't have
to mess with the computer again until you are being asked to respond
to questions within Windows XP.

I got confused with this myself early on, and found myself hitting a
key every time I saw the "hit a key to boot from the CD..."

That puts you in a loop.

By the way, you should only have to format / partition from the
Windows 98 disk one time to "get rid of the XP install crap."

AFter you do this one successful install, you should be able to
install from the XP CD in the future.



good luck.

Tallahassee
>
>-I have tried multiple variations of the boot orders
>-I have left the entire thing unpartitioned when installing windows and it
>still did the same error.
>-I have tried mulitple variations of sizes when partitioning space
>-I have entered into the bios, and changed my HD to Large
>-I have checked to make sure the cables dealing with slave/master are correct
>
>Here is what happens when I try to run it without the CD after partitioning
>the space: It doesn't boot, and it asks me to put the boot cd in the drive. I
>have formatted using FAT and NTFC or whatever its called.
>
>I have an ABIT AN8 Motherboard with an AMD3700+ with 1 gig of ram.
>
>Can anybody help me?