If Michael Stevens' link does not do the trick then I suggest
you try a basic test that will take no more than ten minutes:
1. Get a Win98 boot disk from www.bootdisk.com.
2. Boot the machine with this disk. Press F8 repeatedly
during the boot sequence.
3. Select option 6 (Safe Command Prompt).
4. Run a:\dos\fdisk.exe and do these things:
- Delete all existing partitions.
- Create a small primary partition, e.g. 100 MBytes.
- Set it "active" (here is an answer to your previous question!)
5. Reboot the machine as in Steps 2 and 3.
6. Type this command:
a:\dos\format c: /s
This will format the small partition and place the DOS
system files on it.
7. Remove the floppy disk, then reboot the machine.
8. Report the result.


"Jordan" <Jordan@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:6016E968-4AFA-49CD-A746-0C3A04FBCFFF@microsoft.com...
> UPDATE:
> I tried Andrew E's method of reformating and then partitioning. It didn't
> work. I am unsure about what Talahasee and Harry Ohrn are speaking of. If
you
> guys could go in depth a little more, I would be able to follow it. I
think
> there may be some confusion. I'm trying to install Windows XP, not 98.
Sorry,
> I'm not to good with this whole setup thing.
>
> Basically, I'm frustrated, and I don't know what to do. It always takes me
> back to the same screens, and its getting really frustrating. I found a
> Windows XP guide to installing. Basically, I can get to the END of step
> THREE, and then it starts over with Step Three. Here is the link to the
> guide, so you can see exactly what I see EVERYTIME:
> http://www.petri.co.il/install_windows_xp_pro.htm
>
> If anybody has any suggestions, I would greatly appreciate them, because I
> am at a complete loss right now. Thanks for everybody's help so far! Its
so
> frustrating getting this stuff running, but once I do, it will be worth
it.
>
> > 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.
> >
> > -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?