New Build, Major Problem!

[MrFUrious]

I just finished putting an all new system together with the following components:

Antec SLK3000-B case
Asus P5ND2-SLI Deluxe mobo
Intel P4 630 CPU
Patriot PC2-6400 DDR2 RAM (2x1024)
2x eVGA 7800GT OC Video Cards
2x Hitachi Deskstar 80Gb SATA II HDD's
Koutech Multi-Card Reader/Floppy Combo
Asus DVD Combo Drive
NEC DVD Burner
Ultra X-Finity 600W PSU

The problem I'm having is that I can't get WinXP to install. The HDD formatted fine, but once the actual install started the system rebooted at a non-reboot point. After the reboot, XP starts installing again from the beginning (slips the format portion), then 3/4 of the way through reboots again.

I've tried pulling out the extra video card and harddrive with no luck. Tried changing them both out with the pulled ones to no avail. Pulled the RAM and tried each stick separately with no change.

The real odd thing is now it won't get past Posting. After the POST, when you'd expect the Windows loading screen to come up, it just reboots and will continue this cycle over and over until you shut it down.

Quite frankly I'm stumped, so hopefully one of you can help get this figured out.

[ktkendall]

CPU may be overheating and doing a safety shutdown due to improper heatsink fan installation.

[gary_hendricks]

As ktkendall puts it, it could be a CPU overheat problem.

Other possibilities:
1) Motherboard malfunction.
2) SATA controller or PCI Express problem.

[MrFUrious]

Well, looks like I'm going to be SOL for a few days after pulling the CPU heatsink to check that it was mounted properly. One of those stupid plastic tabs broke while I was reinstalling it, so I need to get a new one. With no PC parts stores in the area, I'll have to wait for the big brown truck.

Debating on whether I should order some different RAM as well, just incase. I had emailed Patriot prior to purchasing it and they assured me it was compatable with my mobo, but it's entirely possible I got a bad set of chips (unlikely that both are bad, but it could happen).

[glc]

Disconnect the card reader till Windows is installed, or you will have a nasty surprise when you see your drive letter assignments. The card reader will be drive C. It's also best to disconnect ALL USB devices except keyboard and mouse.

[jayb1234]

Intel fan/heatsink spare parts and thermal pads.

[MrFUrious]

Originally Posted by glc Disconnect the card reader till Windows is installed, or you will have a nasty surprise when you see your drive letter assignments. The card reader will be drive C. It's also best to disconnect ALL USB devices except keyboard and mouse.

Card reader was disconnected during prior install attempts (reader has a dedicated USB connector while the floppy uses it's own IDE connection), and only the mouse and keyboard are using the USB ports presently.