*sigh* help plz

[ChickenSalad]

hi, i am having problems installing windows xp. when it tries to install i recieve an error, "cyclic redundancy check". i did some troubleshooting on microsofts website and it said i need to replace the harddrive, which i did. i recieved it today and tried to install windows on the new harddrive and i recieved the same error. i did some more research, typing in a different error(which i recieved on the old harddrive as well), "sxs.dll:syntax error in manifest or policy file"(sxs.dll:syntax error in manifest or policy file "d:\1386\asms\52\msft\windows\net\dxmrtp\dxmrtp.man on line 5 ") and it is telling me that something is wrong with the CD itself. so basiclly what is my next step? to replace the CD? to replace the harddrive again? replace both? also my cd rom is making a humming noise, fairly loud at a certain speed. when it starts up its fine, then in the middle it makes the loud hum, and then when it reaches its top speed it stops. it also stops when i tilt the computer case on an angle which makes me think that something might be wrong. i am confused as to where to head from here. i am kind of bummed out so my mind is blah right now. plz give me some advice to steer me in the right direction.

links for the errors:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/811150/en-us

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/812247/en-us

specs:
antec p180
250gb 16mb sata seagate
lite on dvd-r
corsair xms2 667 2g
e6420
p5b
corsair 520hx
evga 7600gt

so close, yet so far

[Cricket]

Do you have another optical drive you can swap into that build?

Cricket

[ChickenSalad]

no, i don't

[ChickenSalad]

actually, my g/f's dad will probably have one. so is that the first step you recommend?

[LeftyAce]

Is the optical drive you are trying to use SATA or IDE? The P5Bs are hit-or-miss as far as IDE opticals go. SATA opticals work much more consistently.
It does sound like a cd drive problem, so that's where I'd start to troubleshoot/swap parts.

[ChickenSalad]

i went with a retail liteon sata, as recommend here, becasue of the problems mentioned. i will swap cd-roms first and let you guys know what happened. thanks, just posting the problem and getting this advice has cleared the fog of dissappointment that was preventing me from thinking clearly.

[ChickenSalad]

i am sorry but i believe that i made myself unclear with my original post. i haven't swapped the cd rom but did talk to my g/f's dad which made me realize i might have overlooked a detail when originally posting. the detail being: with the windows error it happens after the drive is formatted, and installed onto the harddrive. then it gives me the timer (ex. 39 minutes until windows loads) and then the errors pop up. when it is installing at that stage is it using the harddrive alone, or both the cd rom and harddrive? what was recommended to me was to try to check the ram first. would this be a good first step? or do you guys think thats its unneccessary and to just go and try the cd rom?

[Spiritofliberty]

It might be the CD, any scratches? Or maybe the CD drive. Try changing the CD... Coz I have the cyclic redundancy error to when I tried to install Office 2007(only solved when I change the disc)

[LeftyAce]

Checking the ram is pretty straightforward: Download memtest86+ and burn the bootable cd. Fire it up and let it run for a few hours (a few passes). If it finds errors, then the RAM is ur problem. If the CD doesn't boot properly, then that points to the cd drive.

Make sure to use nero or deepBurner (free) to burn the .iso file from memtest; windows won't burn isos properly.

[ChickenSalad]

would i have to actaully have an OS running to run memtest? if so then that isn't possible. i was thinking something along the lines of trying one stick at a time, or possibly swapping it out. also i am thinking that it could be the actaully windows xp cd as the microsoft website suggusted. but alright, i will try the ram, then cdrom, then move onto the cd itself and get back to you fellas with some results cuz right now all i can do is speculate. thanks

[LeftyAce]

No, Memtest is a bootable cd; it IS it's own OS. Try it; assuming you don't get a corrupt download (very rare) and don't burn it wrong (also pretty hard to do:-) it'll test your ram AND the cd drive at the same time; if it won't boot, then you know the problem isn't isolated to the XP cd. If it does boot and finds errors on the ram, there's your culprit. If it boots and finds no errors, it's the XP cd, etc.

[juppy]

Originally Posted by ChickenSalad i was thinking something along the lines of trying one stick at a time, or possibly swapping it out.

That would work fine to rule out the memory too, if you can't get the memtest program working. If you've got at least two sticks of RAM in there, just try the install with one stick at a time. If it works with one of the sticks, then the other stick you aren't using is likely messed up.