Install Problems with XP Home SP2 and SATA HDs

[Guest]

To whoever can help;

I have beeen assembling a PC for a friend and after a bit of strife have got
it to run the XP boot CD. It loads all the files and drivers and gets to the
main page asking whether you want to install windows, repair windows or quit
the setup. There it just freezes.

There are two Maxtor 200GB SATA HDs that are recognised in the BIOS. It is
an AMD X2 4200+, in a ECS KN1 SLi Lite, with 1 Gig from a 2 gig matched set
of Cosair RAM, a Geforce 6800GS graphics card, a X-Fi fata1ty sound card, a
Haupaugge TV Card, and a Firewire and USB 2.0 card. There is also a DVD-RW
and a DVD reader.

Any ideas what might be up?

I thought with SP2 Microsoft had included the SATA drivers?

Thanks in advance

 

[Guest]

:

I thought with SP2 Microsoft had included the SATA drivers?

Usually works without any problems, but there is an option on the DOS-style
screen where you can press F6 to install a third-party driver. Check you
mobo disc on another computer to find the required driver first, and copy it
to a floppy. (assuming you have a floppy drive of course, otherwise you need
to find a workaround)

 

[Guest]

Since posting i have found a spare IDE HD and have installed that.

The windows installations is exactly the same freezing before starting to
instal windows.

Any ideas?

 

[Guest]

My thoughts are that you have a faulty component somewhere. Ofen these don't
show up in DOS because it only uses a small subset of the machine's
resources. When it tres to go into Windows, though... bluescreen.

I'd try giving the machine a good workout with BartPe, Knoppix or Ubuntu.

Basically if you can get a 32-bit OS to run stably then the hardware is
probably OK. If not then substitution is often the only way to nail the
problem. Diagnostic programs may help but I find they often tell you nothing.

All NT-based OSs are a llitle touchy as to memory-compatibility problems,
might be worth borrowing another brand of memeory for a try, or setting the
BIOS to use a lower access-speed.