XP Pro will not load

[KenP]

Posted in XP General but recommended I post in Hardware so here goes.

Dell Dimension PC w/Win XP Pro - Started getting msg bout hard disk
Failure on startup. Ran diagnostics and rec'd error code indicating drive
was failing.

Purchased and installed new WD Cav Blue drive. Drive has Zip Drive on same
cable. Tried all kinds of combos. Removed zip, reset jumpers and still XP
will not load. Initial blue screen comes up indicating set up is checking
configuration then screen goes black and that's it.

Thought it mite be cause new drive not partitioned so put drive in another
PC w/same XP O/S cd and it installed and loaded w/o problem. Then put in
original PC and no can read error comes up.

Have talked w/WDC T/S and they say it not drive and I agree. I've changed
cables tween HD and MB with no diff results.

Two or three hairs short of hairless. Any help will be greatly
appreciated.

KenP

 

[DL]

Is this a sata or ide drive, and if sata what sata version does your mobo.
controller support?

 

[LVTravel]

Is this a sata or ide drive, and if sata what sata version does your mobo.
controller support?

DL, the ZIP drive doesn't come in SATA "on the same cable" as the WD drive
so has to be PATA (EIDE.) I posted comment in other thread about the ZIP
drive and jumper settings. The internal IDE ZIP drive has caused issues in
many computers if not set properly. I still think the OP has jumper issues.

 

[DL]

Yep, I missed the zip comment

DL, the ZIP drive doesn't come in SATA "on the same cable" as the WD drive
so has to be PATA (EIDE.) I posted comment in other thread about the ZIP
drive and jumper settings. The internal IDE ZIP drive has caused issues
in many computers if not set properly. I still think the OP has jumper
issues.

 

[KenP]

PATA/Ide

Is this a sata or ide drive, and if sata what sata version does your mobo.
controller support?


.

 

[Anna]

Ken:
Assuming you haven't as yet resolved the problem you reported...

It would be helpful if you included a bit more detail re your system and the
problem(s) you're encountering...

1. Presumably the Windows XP Pro installation CD you're using is the same CD
you previously used to install the XP OS onto the HDD that became defective
(or at least was reported as "failing"), right? And the system
booted/functioned without any problems before that HDD was reported as
"failing", yes?

Just out of curiosity re the HDD you replaced...
The "diagnostics" you used which reported a failing hard disk were the Dell
diagnostics? Or did you use the HDD diagnostic utility provided by the
disk's manufacturer? Or some other third-party diagnostic program?

2. Can we assume you're working with one or more PATA hard drives, not SATA
HDDs?

3. What precisely do you mean when you say "XP will not load"? What exactly
happens when you attempt to boot from the XP OS installation CD? Are any of
the OS setup files installed before the BSOD displays or does the BSOD
*immediately* display after you "Press any key..." to boot from the CD? Or
are you able to get to the "Welcome to setup..." screen but when you press
the Enter key it's at that point that the BSOD comes up?

5. Your BIOS boot priority order indicates a first boot to a CD-ROM and not
to a HDD, right? You've checked to ensure this?

6. What do you mean when you say you "reset jumpers"? Assuming this is a
PATA HDD, is the disk jumpered as Master or Cable Select? Or assuming that
WD HDD is the only device connected on the IDE interface cable, is it
unjumpered - Single? In any event you're sure it's been correctly jumpered &
properly connected to both the data & power cables, right?

7. And, as you've indicated, you've disconnected the ZIP drive when you
attempted to install the XP OS, right? Presumably no other storage devices
are connected to the machine when you attempt to install the OS onto your
new WD HDD, right?
Anna