Steve,

To keep this simple I recommend you run fdisk from the DOS disk that you
originally set your partition with and remove the primary and any extended
partitions, setting the drive to a *clean* state. Then run your XP CD using
a CDROM boot. The only option you will have, as there is no DOS partition
existing, is NTFS, which is your best bet for security and cluster
sizes(space conservation). Then set whatever size partitions you wish with
the presented options. Follow the setup instructions from that point and you
should have no problem from that point. XP has a very good installation
program and I suspect you have a pre-formatted FAT, corrupted or non-active,
partition you are fighting that the install program does not like.

Jeff


>
> 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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