New build: POST!, but Windows won't load

[apathos]

I built a new system (a couple of previous parts). First the list:

intel i-5 2500k
Stock fan
Asus P8P67 Motherboard
OCZ Fatal1ty 550W PSU
GTS 250 GPU
Antec Three Hundred Case
(No optical drive - old one is IDE - no IDE on this board) - purchasing new one this week.
250GB Barracuda with Win XP
640GB Caviar Blue with Win 7 x64
500GB Caviar Black (empty/new)

I got a successful POST on the first try! Thanks to Tom's guides! This is my first solo build too, so I'm very thankful.

But now Windows won't load.

When booting the computer, I get a message that says "no hard drive detected". But then it continues on, and if I do nothing I end up at a screen that says "unknown file system - grub loader" All i can do here is reboot

If I go into the BIOS it will let me choose which of the drives to boot. The 250GB was the original drive, and if i understand correctly, must have the MBR. Choosing any other drive under BIOS (EFI) runs me back to the grub loader error.

But if I do select the 250 GB drive, I have the option to boot XP or Win7. But selecting either one has the same result: The OS starts to load with its system loading screen, does that for approx 5 secs, then reboots. In XP i actually see the flash of a BSoD before it reboots. Then if I do the same thing again, I get the normal "Windows didn't load correctly..." message. But safe mode does the same thing - load for a few seconds then reboot.

FWIW, if I take the 640GB Win7 drive out of the system, I get to the option screen for XP/Win 7 without having to go through BIOS.

Am I having issues just from trying to put old HDDs in a new system? Do I have to have the SATA drives connected to certain ports or in a specific order?

Does this actually belong in the Windows forum? If so, I'd like to request a move. But I thought since this was a new system, I'd start here.

I appreciate any help I can get!

 

[mdd1963]

Aare you attempting to simply install previously used drives with other prior Windows installs, and use them in a new system with a new MB and chipset?

Rarely will this be successful; choose the fastest drive, get you Win7 install CD, boot from CD, delete your partitions/recreate partitions, and start over.

 

[daship]

Installing a Preinstalled system from a different chipset = fail. You should have paid attention and bought a dvd drive so you could reinstall. Now you can wait for a drive, or you can put the old PC together and make a USB boot drive with Windows 7 USB tool.

 

[apathos]

Ok, I obviously was not aware of the difficulties surrounding this. I have moved my main hard drive before with no issues.

So, clear all that previous stuff away. I have a DVD drive now. I have no problem with installing Win 7 new. My only question then is: since I used a Win 7 family 3-pack to install the OS on my old HDD, will installing Win 7 on the new HDD eat another one of my product keys? If so, will there ever be a way of getting the used product key back? After all, it's not like I'll ever be using that system again...

 

[apathos]

Best answer selected by apathos.

 

[reahrens]

Best answer selected by apathos.

n Since you replaced the motherboard and CPU you will have to re-activate the Win 7 install again, you can do this over the phone toll-free with Microsoft rep, http://support.microsoft.com/kb/950929/ is a KB article that shows how to obtain the correct phone number to re-activate a product that has been 'kicked out as already in use' http://support.microsoft.com/kb/302806 is where you can learn more about product activation, or you can do it online with Microsoft in the activation part of install