Windows 2000/Xp will not install - Going Crazy!
In the 10 years I have been building my computers I have never had a problem I couldn't fix until now:
After 3 years without a single issue my computer running WinXP Pro wouldn't boot after I tried to install a USB wireless mouse.
I enabled PnP OS in my Epox 8K7A motherboard in an attempt for XP to find the mouse. It found it, but when prompted for a driver and putting in the CDROM, WinXP searched, but couldn't find a driver. That was odd since it's a new mouse with new CDROM.
I rebooted several times because it installed the mouse with a question mark. Upon rebooting WinXP also found my video card all over again and installed that. I kept deleting it after rebooting.
Well, WinXP Pro wouldn't boot after 5 or 6 of those reboots.
Not Safe Mode, or *any* other mode. In Safe Mode it hung on amdagpdrv.sys or something close to that. So, I figured I hosed XP.
After the initial shock of having to reinstall my system for the 1st time in 3 years, I went about reinstalling WinXP.
That was 4 and a half days ago of working on this full time every day. :-(
Here's the deal- Windows XP Pro and Windows 2000 Pro will not install no matter what I do.
I have an IBM 60 GB drive with updated firmware and a Western Digital 120GB drive.
I am a web developer and cannot work under Windows ME...which installs just fine.
I am praying that someone can think of something I have not.
Upon trying to install Windows XP regardless of whether it is as an Upgrade or a Clean Install, XP will freeze prior to running setup. The screen will lock and the little green graphics that indicate things are working just freeze.
The HD light stays on though constantly, but it's a steady glow and nothing can be heard as if it's copying files...it just stays on bright orange. I've let the installation sit there like that for 2 hours with nothing changing. Cannot use keyboard to CTRL+ALT+DEL...keyboard is useless. Must power down from the switch.
After this happening twice I decided to download the drive tools from IBM and Western Digital. I did that and tested both hard drives and both passed just fine. Zero errors. I checked for errors with Partition Magic 8.02 and no errors appeared. I ran scandisk and there were no problems.
I decided to just completely hose my 60GB drive. I used Erase from the IBM Drive Fitness Test floppy.
Then I used FDISK from my WinME bootup disk to delete and repartition the 60GB IBM drive. I formatted each partition with the WinME boot disk.
So, a fresh 'new' drive to install things on. I install Windows ME with no problems (again). I then go to install Windows XP. *Exact* same error happens. Before reaching setup as it's copying installation files it locks up. Enough with XP.
So, I try Windows 2000 Pro and I have a full bootable version of Win2kPro. No need to install Windows ME.
Again- I reformat every partition on the IBM drive just for the hell of it. Reboot and go to install Windows 2000. One of two things happens. When it goes to check for hard drives it just freezes with HD light and sometimes floppy light staying on steady. OR- it will detect both hard drives fine and I'll let it install to which ever drive it wants. I hit enter and it then locks up.
I have actually PULLED out both hard drives and put in the 120GB Western Digital as a single drive, with a freshly formatted 25GB partition.
The exact same thing happens for both Windows 2000 and Windows XP Pro.
I have tried formatting the partition with just the Windows ME floppy and also tried deleting, and creating, and reformatting with Partition Magic 8
The results are the same. Both Windows 2000 Professional and Windows XP Pro Windows Boot Loader has some weird issue with my hardware. This is odd because I haven't changed my hardware since I built my system back in 2001. It's the same hard drive and same CDROM's I used to install the operating systems on my system 3 years ago.
I also replaced the IDE cable for the hard drives...made no difference. I tried installing under Fail Safe Defaults in the BIOS. No difference. Same thing happens.
I checked for viruses, none found...
I decided to flash my BIOS again even though I had the latest available for my motherboard...made no difference.
I have run fdisk /mbr quite a few times, and when the Windows 2000 install fails I have run Recovery mode and attempted to run CHKDSK /P. It locked up before even starting 3 times I tried to get back inot the Windows2000 setup. One time it ran and found no errors. I exited, tried to install again and it locked up again. I have also ran FIXMBR and FIXBOOT when Windows 2000 fails to install.
Nothing I have done has helped. I tried to install both operating systems with just a single drive in the system. When I saw that made no difference I hooked both of them back up the way they were 60BG as primary master and 120GB as secondary slave.
BIOS has always auto detected the drives without issue.
A couple times after I have completely reformatted the IBM drive and run scandisk /all and made sure there were no problems...Windows 2000 told me it didn't find a drive to install on....check to make sure the C: drive was formatted and not damaged. Setup could not continue.
I dropped to DOS and type c: and enter and it there all black waiting for an OS. :)
:(
I even borrowed a Windows 2003 Server CD from a network admin and the same thing happens. Windows Boot Loader has some issue with my IDE drives either upon trying to detect or after detecting then hitting enter to install it on a partition. It locks up...
The furthest I ever got with Windows 2000 is when it copied all the setup files and the Windows 2000 Starting screen comes up. Then...it freezes. I have never seen a desktop.
I ended up reinstalling Windows ME to get E-mail and Internet access. It installed fine and I ran all the updates and installed Office XP, antivirus and a few other programs including Diskeeper 8. I just finished defragging all my partitions. No errors or issues at all.
BUT- I really need either Windows 2000 Pro or Windows XP Pro installed.
Is there *anything* I am forgetting to do to diagnose this problem?
I was going to swap IDE ports with the CDROM just for the hell of it.
Maybe I should get an OLDER version of my boards BIOS just to be able to install Windows 2000/XP?
Please help. In 10 years I've worked around computers I haven't seen such a weird issue. The same software installed on the same hardware 3 years ago...but it won't now.
Any ideas?
TIA
Dean