Problem with Windows XP Pro installation. Please Help!

first thing is, once you press a key when the machine boots from the disc the first time, where it says something like press any key to launch setup or something, never press it again. once you go through the blue not cool looking vga graphics screens where it formats and copies files, you never need to go there again, so don't press the key when it says to after the first time.

if it continues, consider turning boot from cd off or take out the cd to force a hard disk boot. if windows xp doesn't start, or it starts the setup again and asks for the disk, then you definitly have a hardware problem or your windows xp disc is damaged and allowed itself to copy a corrypt file.

After you power up the computer press "delete" to enter the bios configuration interface. Change the boot device priority so that your hard drive has priority over the the CD-ROM drive. That should allow Windows to load properly, if not, reformat and start over again, but make sure your system is configured to boot from the HDD once Setup is complete and Windows reboots the system. I just built a PC for someone last night and went through the very same process.

Actually, you have to hit 'any key' for it to boot from the WinXP cd, otherwise, it just skips the CD and goes to the next device which is usually the HD. If it doesn't then there is a hardware problem.