New PC Built, Unable to Install OS

Here are my specs:

PC Case:
AeroCool AeroEngine II
(+2 AeroCool AeroFlow 120mm Fans on side)
Motherboard:
Asus P5K
Processor:
Intel E6750 Core 2 Duo 2.66ghz Conroe
(Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler)
Hard-Drives:
Primary: Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 500GB SATA 3.0gb/s
Slave: Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 750GB SATA 3.0gb/s
Memory:
8gb (2gb x 4) A-Data DDR2 800 SDRAM PC2 6400
Graphics Card:
EVGA superclocked 512mb 256-bit GDDR3 GeForce 8800GT 1900MHz
Sound Card:
Bluegears B-Enspirer 7.1 channel PCI sound card
Power Supply:
OCZ GameXStreme 700W ATX12V


My problem is most likely simply to you guys but for me it is a headache. I am trying to install Windows XP Pro x64 from a cd but the cd wont start. Everything listed above seems to be functioning just fine and is connected fine as per the BIOS. Even the "Press any key to continue" message comes up after it recognizes a disc in the DVD drive on the PC, but after that.. it flashes to the bios image and then back to black indefinately... When I put in Linux.. it gives me a Linus version or number and does the same thing.. just hangs there on the black screen continuously.

So my basic problem is.. I don't know how the heck I am supposed to install this operating system onto the PC. some people are telling me I need a boot disc, but I don't have a floppy drive and was under the impression that I didn't need one. Others are telling me I need to make the DVD drive the boot drive (which I have already done), but that didn't work.

I have no idea what to do. I just want to install Windows XP 64bit on this PC already.

Thanks in advance for the help.

I dont see how that would help, but I will try that if nothing else works.

Right now I am on the phone with ASUS tech support and they are telling me that it's strange because the P5k mobo doesn't require a floppy for OS installation since it tricks the OS into believing the SATA HDD's are IDE's.

I'm still on the phone and he is trying to get some more information..

not sure if this would apply to 64-bit XP, however when I was installing a mates 64-Vista I had to reduce the ram below 3GB in order for the installation to work. RAM was fine, and still is... Just needed to take it out for the installation.

do you have it set to boot from your CD or DVD in your bios?

I'll try it but my bios is recognizing all 8gb so I don't think my ram is bad or the problem.

Where can I set the controller to IDE?

I'm at work right now so everything is being recalled from memory.

Also Stans question. Make sure the Optical drive is in the boot order first. Although it should boot to it anyway if the Harddrive has never had an OS.

If all this checks out the next thing would be to make sure the media you are installing from is good.

You should take out all but one stick and try. May be a faulty module.

I read through a ton of pages and finally found this...

So I called my g/f and she checked and it is already set to IDE mode.




So it's already set to IDE, what gives? What else could it be?

I did not see mention of your optical drive in your config. Is it IDE or SATA? If it is IDE, what do you have it jumpered to, Master, Slave or Cable Select? If it is set to Master, try cable select or vice versa and then slave as a last resort. Failing that, do you have access to a SATA optical drive? I've had issues on a couple of systems that have only the single IDE controller with only a single IDE cd/dvd rom drive installed.... jumper settings have helped, slaving a second drive to the controller has helped and then I just gave up and went completely sata and have not had the problem since....

Let's review here

1. Your computer posts fine
2. Your computer DOES try to boot from the cd, as it says "press any key to start install" from the os install disc right?
3. Once you do push any key, instead of starting the os install program, you know the blue screen we all know and love. It simply goes black and hangs? Requiring a restart where it repeats?

4. You have done this with linux and windows?

Ok first of all, have you tried a different cd rom? I don't remember even seeing what brand/model you have currently. What is the interface?

This sounds like something simple and almost silly but given what your saying, there is definitely something wrong.

Something is happening when it tries to start the os install program from the cd. If you think about all that happens when you try to do that a whole lot of possibilities come up.

I would suggest the following.

1. Break your computer down all the way back to the start. Taking out the processor, ram, mb etc.
2. Check for damaged connectors, lose fitting plugs, lose hsf etc. Heck even check the psu, it could be as soon as there is any sort of load on it, it craps out.

This is what makes computers fun, when there is a problem, there really is a big problem that is extremely confusing.

The next step I would do after the cd/dvd drive is eliminated is a rma of the mb. It almost sounds like something is wrong with the bios, where it wants to go to the bios setup screen upon hitting a button rather then just boot off the cd.

In my case, IF it was a bad SATA power connector, would my drive still be recognized in the bios? My power supply has 6 sata power connectors, I'll try using a different one and see if that does anything.

I may have missed it but you haven't told us that you tried taking out all but one Memory Stick. If that doesn't do it put in a different memory stick. Try each stick in each slot, if one or some of those work then you have a problem with Memory sticks or slots being bad.

If one stick works in some slots and not others RMA the MoBo. If some sticks work and others don't you have bad RAM sticks, RMA the ones that don't work.

If none of the sticks work you likely have a bad MoBo, RMA it.

Yes, even if the BIOS see's all the memory, you still may have a bad module. I would pull all but one out and try it that way, if it doesn't work, try the next one and so on.

Your Memory was sold in pairs to esure that the sticks work well in Dual channel Setups. You don't have to run it in pairs but when you do you want Memory sold in pairs to get the best preformance. The machine will work just fine with only one stick.

Hope it works.

She tried 2 sticks individually and got the same result, nothing changed.

I'm going to try the other 2 when I get home, but this is looking like it's not a RAM problem.

The error occurs before any sort of windows install screen comes up.

It's literally like this...

[name of cd rom drive in green with some numbers]

press any key to continue....

At that point if you hit any key.. it goes to the "ASUS" bios logo then it goes back to the press any key to continue screen... then if you press any key.. it goes to a black screen with a " _ " blinking continuously and endlessly until I power it off or restart.

It says exactly "press any key to continue"?

Normally when a PC boots it will post then attempt the boot sequence. If there is a bootable media in the Optical drive and the optical drive is listed before the hard drive in the boot order it will process that media. In the case of a Windows install media part of the design asks you if you want to boot from the optical device as opposed to just doing it. It will say something like "press any key to boot from CD or DVD". I dont remember ever seeing "press any key to continue" from a Windows media. This is very strange. Also if your bios will let you disable the splash screen I would do it so you can see what is happening during post/boot. It would be helpful to have more information about the "press any key to continue" message.

she wasn't able to update the bios off of the dvd we burned. i burned the bios on a cd here at work and also put it on a floppy.

i'm gonna try updating the bios first when i get home and then move on to finish testing the ram, i have a cd with memtest86 on it, i'll run that to check the ram.

then i'll double check all the power connections and sata cables and the jumper on the ide dvd drive

then i'll just suck on my thumb if none of that works.....

i'll get more info when i get home at 6-7pm

asus tech support is open till midnight so maybe i'll call them up and have them try to help me through the process

my working pc (dell dimension 8200) has a working floppy.. so if i really need to.. i can rip the floppy out of that and use it to run an xp boot disc or something, maybe it will help

off to the chiropractor, will check back in round 7-9

Got an RMA from Newegg, I will be sending this back to them tomorrow. It will take me about a week/two to get the replacement, lets hope that works.

Thanks for the help again and I'll keep you guys posted if the new mobo fixes the problem.