Disk Boot Failure, Insert System Disk And Press Enter.

[Mastrehalo]

Hello, I am building this computer for my father but I cant seem to install windows XP.

My hard drive has no OS right now but this is what happens.

1 Boot windows
2 installs stuff and formats HDD
3 the pc has to restart *restarts*
4 goes back to 1

It will keep trying to installwindows when it restarts even without my confimation.

Usually when installing winxp it restarts and goes to the install menu that tells you how much time you have left in your install.


My boot order is
HDD
CD

if I change it it is the same.

if I take the cd out it says

DISK BOOT FAILURE, INSERT SYSTEM DISK AND PRESS ENTER.


anyone else have his problem?

Update:I replaced the fresh hard drive with the one I am using that already has windows, and it still gave me the same error. So maybe it is not my HDD but something else

anyone?

[ANZAC_ELITE]

From what you describe above you have never booted from the hdd, it has been constantly booting from the cd as this would appear to confirm.

if I take the cd out it says

DISK BOOT FAILURE, INSERT SYSTEM DISK AND PRESS ENTER.

It could be the cable, can you try a different one? (I have had faulty brand new cables before) but the fact you say it formats the drive would argue against that, though your working drive you tried fails to boot as well would argue for that. Try a different cable if you can.

More thoughts, if it is a IDE hdd, is it on the same cable as the rom drive? is it set to master? or do you have both drives as cable select on the same ide cable? if you do, the hdd might be positioned incorrectly on the cable, e.g. when using cable select as a jumper setting the os drive needs to be on the end of the cable. This would also cause your working drive not to boot.

I presume you have checked that the hdd spins up at boot to ensure it is actually getting power? once again though the fact you state it formats would confirm it does.

That would be the first two things I'd look at.

EDIT: When you look in the bios is the drive recognised? What drives are they btw? ATA or SATA? Worst case scenario is a dead IDE/SATA slot, try using a different one.

Also can you give us your hardware spec's please.