Disk boot error

its prob the bios of the board being outdated and unable to read the size of the drive. Also it could be the lba address is wrong thus leading back to the bios. see if there is a jumper on the hard disk that "limits" the size of the drive and try that. if it works you will need to update the bios.

also went upgrading a system i normally do one part at a time just to prevent issues like this. eg. install the ram first > power on> works > install next part etc etc. if all else fails try to go back before the upgrades and start using this method and you should be able to determine the problem.

SATA or PATA Hard drive?
Does the drive show in the BIOS?

Did you check that the new hard drive is partitioned and formated before trying?
Some hard drives come without either. and cam be a problem if you don't realise.
jb

Your SATA port is probably configured to use AHCI which requires you to use the F6 method to install XP from the CD.

I'm supposing that the HD is recognized by the BIOS and that the issue is only when you are trying to install XP

its SATA and no it doesnt recognize it at all,and even tried a new hard drive,and every time i try to install xp it doesnt even recognize a hard drive to even put it on so its prolly a bios prob .its ok though, i upgraded to a new mobo and proccesser while i got the cash so im not to worried bout it to much anymore till this one craps out and i have to put it back in, comps from 2004 so its a dinosaur by todays standards so its prolly the bios i have a question about memory though,the mobo took 4200 memory 533mhz but the dude at the comp shop gave me 5200 667 mhz but it registerd in the comp so i dont think that was a prob but i dunno im movin on...thanx guys

There are 3 senerios here you must deal with:

During install of XP, during the beginning of the install, you will see a message that says "Press F6 if you need to install a 3rd party driver". Press F6.
When prompted later in the installation, you must insert the disk, usually a floppy, and point Windows to the correct SATA driver for your system. If your motherboard came only with a CD, then you must copy the drivers from the CD to a floppy, or you can also use a USB thumbdrive, XP will copy and install the driver, and find the drive, and continue with installation. Point is XP cannot see the drive without the drivers installed.

OR...the easiest way to get around this.
You can go into the BIOS and set the SATA controller to Native or Emulated IDE mode, then XP can see the drive with the SATA driver.
If the mode is set as ACHI, then you MUST load driver for the controller during the Windows install, (per directions above) or XP will not see the drive.
**Be aware that whatever method of these 2 you choose, once install XP, you must leave it that way. You cannot change the mode later. AHCI mode is supposed to be slightly faster, and enables some of the advanced features of your SATA drive, such as being hot swapable. In real life though, for most people the Native IDE mode is just fine. The speed difference is very, very small, you won't notice any difference.

Check this as well...especiall if the BIOS does not even detect the drive. Then this is likely your first problem you must resolve:
If the SATA drive is SATA II, or 300, and your are plugging it into a SATA I, or 150 controller, there is a jumper on the drive that must be set to make the drive compatible with some SATA I 150 controllers. So check that as well.

And there is 3rd option:
Vista has the SATA driver included, will install no matter what you set the BIOS to.
You still though must make sure the jumper on the drive is set correctly, if needed.

Sorry, did a double post...just deleting this one.