When you did an fdisk to set up the new HD, did you set the "c" drive
partition as "active"?
If you boot off a floppy, can you get directory and sub-directory listings
on the "c" drive? When you get to "c" drive, can you run a simple DOS type
program off the "c" drive such as chkdsk?

From the diagnostics you have done, it sounds as if the "c" drive is
functioning OK except it will not boot. Either the partition is not active
or the system files are missing or not in the correct place on the drive. In
either of these cases the drive will function but will not boot (as if it
was not a primary HD master). If the partition is not active, it is simple
to fix through fdisk. If the partition is active, then why the system files
did not correctly install is an unknown to me.

There may be other causes for your problem for which other members may have
answers.

Good luck.

Tom Mayer


OK, here's my problem.  I'm putting together a new system and I've gotten to
the stage of installing Win XP.  All the hardware seems to test out fine.  I
go through the process of installation and afterwards it goes right back and
starts the installation system again.  It looks like it's not going to the
HD to boot or the HD is not set up to boot properly.  I've tried setting up
the BIOS in all kinds of configurations, from standard floppy, HDD-0, CDROM
to all CDROM to all HDD-0 (after installation).  No matter what I try, I get
a "boot disk error, insert system disk" if I remove the Win XP CD.  If I
leave it in, it just goes ahead and launches into Setup again.

I spent an hour with a Microsoft person and they couldn't figure it out
except that it might be a bad WinXP CD.  So I replaced that, no change.  I
swapped the CDROM for another, no change.  I've tried going into the
"repair" stage from the Win XP setup and there are windows files on the disk
(brand new Western Digital).  I ran chkdsk and got a message that the volume
seems all right, so it didn't run chkdsk.  I forced a run and got a message
that there was "one or more errors" in the volume, but I don't know if
that's important or not in this case.  The HD is detected OK by the BIOS,
but the system won't boot!

Could it be a defective HD?  It doesn't seem likely to me (Win files are on
the HD seemingly) so I haven't gotten a new one.

Anybody know what I should do?

Thanks,
Steve B.

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