New ASUS Mobo installation problem..

[Antykain]

I just bought a new P4P800-E Deluxe ASUS mobo few days ago. Hardware installation done, no problems. I was using a 8I848p-g Gigibyte mobo previously, so I was doing a fresh install of WinXP as well. The first part of the WinXP Home went good, the initial copying of files, did the low-level format, it finished, then began to copy files again. Then, when the installation does its first reboot process right after the format/copy, it goes right back trying to install WinXP from the very start.. wanting me to reformat again. What gives?

My boot order is CD-ROM > HDD. After a few times of trying, I took the HDD out and put it in my old, backup system. And had to reinstall windows on it. It worked without a hitch. Is there some setting in BIOS that I am missing that needs to be done? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

System Specs... if needed.

~Thermaltake Soprano w/ 430w PSU
~ASUS P4P800-E Deluxe
~Intel P4 3.20e Ghz w/ HT
~2Gig Corsair XMS TWINX2048-3200C2
~eVGA GeForce 6800GS CO
~Creative SB A-2

...

[Gizmo]

There's a small possibility that it's a setting in the BIOS that's holding you back. Look for an option somewhere along the lines of "Anti-virus protection" in the motherboard BIOS and disable it. If that's enabled, the BIOS refuses anything being wirtten to the hard drive.

[glc]

Sometimes you have to pause the first reboot, go into the bios, and move the HDD in front of the CD drive in the boot order. Gizmo's suggestion is very valid - bios antivirus protection will prevent anything from being written to the boot sector.

[Antykain]

Right on.. I'll try both options there and see how it works out and post back with anything that happens..

Think there is anything else that may be causing this? I am kinda stuck.. lol.
Thx again for the replies.. wish me luck.

[Antykain]

Ok.. the 'Anti-Virus Protection' in BIOS was already disabled.. I tried to reverse the Boot order as said, and still no results. When I let the HDD boot first, it gives the msg 'Reboot and Select proper boot device, or insert Boot Media in selcted Boot Device and press a key.'

I am hoping there is something else in the BIOS settings I am missing.. Kinda wondering if I have a bad mobo, cuz like I said.. the HDD installed on my old Gigabyte GA-8I848P-G 478 mobo and this current Compaq without any problems.

Any other advice?

Btw, my HDD is a Seagate ST380020A if that helps one bit.

[Alfie]

The system should boot off cdrom to install OS,after that and when Windows restarts the system,an option is offered to boot off of cd,ignore this,and the system should begin to boot off hard drive and continue installing,this option will be asked each time XP reboots the system,at each instance ignore it.
After XP is installed,change boot order back to hard drive as primary bootable device.

[glc]

Put it back in the old system, get Windows working properly on it, then change the parent IDE controller to a "standard dual IDE controller" - you do this by using the update driver wizard, choose from a list. Shut down, move the hard drive to the new system, and it should boot into Windows and discover your new hardware.

That Deluxe board has a lot of bios options for the controllers - that's a standard IDE drive, so you could turn all the SATA controllers and the RAID functions off - keep it simple.

[Antykain]

Originally Posted by glc Put it back in the old system, get Windows working properly on it, then change the parent IDE controller to a "standard dual IDE controller" - you do this by using the update driver wizard, choose from a list.

I do not see the option anywhere to change the controller anywhere as stated above. I was looking in the Control Panel > System > Hardware > Device Manager > IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers ... Right area? I looked in BIOS as well.. nada.

[Antykain]

Well.. I finally have things rolling here. Windows is finally installing correctly.

Solution? New HDD. Went out and purchased a Western Digital 200gig drive. Had the other Seagate drive tested at the shop, and they had the same problem with it. They then put it in a older system, and it worked fine. For whatever reason, this Asus mobo did not like the Seagate drive. The new WD HDD is helluva lot quicker as well. 7200rpm as compared to the 5400rpm on the seagate. Big difference so far.

Anyway.. Thx for trying to help me out guys. Appreciate it. I'll be back soo with another problem, surely. lol..

[glc]

For the future, you were in the right area. In there, there would have been something like an "Intel Ultra ATA Storage Controller" - that's what you open up and use the update driver function.

Doesn't really surprise me - I like Seagate drives, but yours was a "U Series" - which are OEM only super cheapos.