Can't load OS

sk8kingda3rd · 07-02-2008, 01:09 PM

I got a tower recently without a HD in it and i put a 320GB Maxtor in it and installed windows XP on it. But after it formatted the HD and went onto the second step of installation where it loads windows and asks for the product key, it says "error loading OS" and won't go any farther. I threw in another HD that i had been using on a different cpu and it said the same thing. Any help is much appreciated.

**eneles** · 07-02-2008, 09:52 PM

Welcome to TSF.

Is it a SATA drive? If so, you probably have to load SATA drivers from a floppy during setup.
Or - see if there's an option in BIOS to run the motherboard's SATA controller in IDE mode.

sk8kingda3rd · 07-03-2008, 01:33 PM

Thanks

but no its an IDE so any other ideas?

vladimirb · 07-03-2008, 02:48 PM

Hi mate,
try with different installation CD...
Maybe it is faulty installation CD...

sk8kingda3rd · 07-03-2008, 03:18 PM

Um its the only one I have and it has worked on all of my other computers and I thought of the disk issue already and I installed it to the HDD in a different computer fine so i'm pretty sure its something with the tower.......of course i'm not a computer genius so I could be wrong lol

**eneles** · 07-03-2008, 08:54 PM

Replace the ribbon cable.

Please post the system specifications.

sk8kingda3rd · 07-05-2008, 01:32 AM

Alright I changed out the cable with three different ones and got the same thing everytime. All I can tell you about the system is that its an intel pentium 3 processor @ 600MHZ, its got 512MB of RAM, and a P2XBL motherboard I can't run the system spec. program because I can't get the computer to go past the second part of a windows install.

dai · 07-05-2008, 09:27 AM

clear the drive with killdisk and then try the install again
http://www.google.com/url?q=http://w...tKHMcX57GZrCPQ

sk8kingda3rd · 07-05-2008, 09:00 PM

Ok so I killed it and went to install windows and it gets to the same part right before you start up windows (after the format) and now it says "disk boot error insert system disk and press enter" and it takes me to the windows setup again.

dai · 07-05-2008, 09:08 PM

can you see the drive listed correctly in the bios
what brand is it

sk8kingda3rd · 07-05-2008, 10:34 PM

Yes it shows up in the bios correctly, it is a maxtor diamondmax 21 @ 320GB & PATA. I dont think its a hard drive issue though because I slaved it to the CPU I usually use and it shows up and functions fine.

**sobeit** · 07-06-2008, 12:05 AM

what about the operating system disk itself, did it come with this specific computer or another one? or is it a retail version of xp?

sk8kingda3rd · 07-06-2008, 12:09 AM

its a retail version and i have since installed it on another HDD to test if it was the disk and it installed fine

dai · 07-06-2008, 01:28 AM

it is either not seeing the hard drive or there is a problem with the drive
recheck it is jumpered to master and connected to the end black plug
where is the problem occuring on the first reboot

sk8kingda3rd · 07-06-2008, 01:20 PM

It is jumpered to master and the issue occurs after you format so yea on the first reboot. I also tried putting it on the cable select pins but Im not sure what the cable select is for. Is it like if there is a slave present it makes itself master and vice versa?

dai · 07-06-2008, 08:06 PM

the inicial load goes into ram and it hands over to the hard drive on the first reboot
so it is not finding the drive
we know the computer see's it because killdisk cleared it and windows formatted it
their may be a problem with the load into ram
try installing with only 1 stick of ram in

sk8kingda3rd · 07-07-2008, 07:05 PM

okay did that now it says "disk read error press Ctrl alt del to restart"

dai · 07-07-2008, 11:11 PM

it seems there is a problem with the hard drive

07-02-2008, 01:09 PM	#1 (permalink)
sk8kingda3rd Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 31 OS: winXP-sp2/Mac OS-X Tiger My System	Can't load OS I got a tower recently without a HD in it and i put a 320GB Maxtor in it and installed windows XP on it. But after it formatted the HD and went onto the second step of installation where it loads windows and asks for the product key, it says "error loading OS" and won't go any farther. I threw in another HD that i had been using on a different cpu and it said the same thing. Any help is much appreciated.

07-02-2008, 09:52 PM	#2 (permalink)
eneles Serf Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 22,292 OS: Xp	Re: Can't load OS Welcome to TSF. Is it a SATA drive? If so, you probably have to load SATA drivers from a floppy during setup. Or - see if there's an option in BIOS to run the motherboard's SATA controller in IDE mode.

07-03-2008, 01:33 PM	#3 (permalink)
sk8kingda3rd Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 31 OS: winXP-sp2/Mac OS-X Tiger My System	Re: Can't load OS Thanks but no its an IDE so any other ideas?

07-03-2008, 02:48 PM	#4 (permalink)
vladimirb Hardware Team Tech Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina Posts: 1,193 OS: xp pro sp3, Server 2003 My System	Re: Can't load OS Hi mate, try with different installation CD... Maybe it is faulty installation CD... __________________ Realm: Bronze Dragonflight - EU Undead Rogue --- Level 70 --- Spec: Combat Orc Shaman --- Level 70 --- Spec: Elemental Tauren Warrior --- Level 70 --- Spec: Protection Troll Priest --- Level 57 --- Spec: Shadow

07-03-2008, 03:18 PM	#5 (permalink)
sk8kingda3rd Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 31 OS: winXP-sp2/Mac OS-X Tiger My System	Re: Can't load OS Um its the only one I have and it has worked on all of my other computers and I thought of the disk issue already and I installed it to the HDD in a different computer fine so i'm pretty sure its something with the tower.......of course i'm not a computer genius so I could be wrong lol __________________ "I reject your reality and substitute my own" -Adam Savage

07-03-2008, 08:54 PM	#6 (permalink)
eneles Serf Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 22,292 OS: Xp	Re: Can't load OS Replace the ribbon cable. Please post the system specifications.

07-05-2008, 01:32 AM	#7 (permalink)
sk8kingda3rd Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 31 OS: winXP-sp2/Mac OS-X Tiger My System	Re: Can't load OS Alright I changed out the cable with three different ones and got the same thing everytime. All I can tell you about the system is that its an intel pentium 3 processor @ 600MHZ, its got 512MB of RAM, and a P2XBL motherboard I can't run the system spec. program because I can't get the computer to go past the second part of a windows install. __________________ "I reject your reality and substitute my own" -Adam Savage

07-05-2008, 09:27 AM	#8 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 40,005 OS: vista 32x ultimate retail	Re: Can't load OS clear the drive with killdisk and then try the install again http://www.google.com/url?q=http://w...tKHMcX57GZrCPQ __________________

07-05-2008, 09:00 PM	#9 (permalink)
sk8kingda3rd Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 31 OS: winXP-sp2/Mac OS-X Tiger My System	Re: Can't load OS Ok so I killed it and went to install windows and it gets to the same part right before you start up windows (after the format) and now it says "disk boot error insert system disk and press enter" and it takes me to the windows setup again. __________________ "I reject your reality and substitute my own" -Adam Savage

07-05-2008, 09:08 PM	#10 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 40,005 OS: vista 32x ultimate retail	Re: Can't load OS can you see the drive listed correctly in the bios what brand is it __________________

07-05-2008, 10:34 PM	#11 (permalink)
sk8kingda3rd Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 31 OS: winXP-sp2/Mac OS-X Tiger My System	Re: Can't load OS Yes it shows up in the bios correctly, it is a maxtor diamondmax 21 @ 320GB & PATA. I dont think its a hard drive issue though because I slaved it to the CPU I usually use and it shows up and functions fine. __________________ "I reject your reality and substitute my own" -Adam Savage Last edited by sk8kingda3rd : 07-05-2008 at 10:37 PM.

07-06-2008, 12:05 AM	#12 (permalink)
sobeit Mentor Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: NEAR Posts: 4,711 OS: windows/linux	Re: Can't load OS what about the operating system disk itself, did it come with this specific computer or another one? or is it a retail version of xp? __________________ Do not feed the trolls.

07-06-2008, 12:09 AM	#13 (permalink)
sk8kingda3rd Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 31 OS: winXP-sp2/Mac OS-X Tiger My System	Re: Can't load OS its a retail version and i have since installed it on another HDD to test if it was the disk and it installed fine __________________ "I reject your reality and substitute my own" -Adam Savage

07-06-2008, 01:28 AM	#14 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 40,005 OS: vista 32x ultimate retail	Re: Can't load OS it is either not seeing the hard drive or there is a problem with the drive recheck it is jumpered to master and connected to the end black plug where is the problem occuring on the first reboot __________________

07-06-2008, 01:20 PM	#15 (permalink)
sk8kingda3rd Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 31 OS: winXP-sp2/Mac OS-X Tiger My System	Re: Can't load OS It is jumpered to master and the issue occurs after you format so yea on the first reboot. I also tried putting it on the cable select pins but Im not sure what the cable select is for. Is it like if there is a slave present it makes itself master and vice versa? __________________ "I reject your reality and substitute my own" -Adam Savage

07-06-2008, 08:06 PM	#16 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 40,005 OS: vista 32x ultimate retail	Re: Can't load OS the inicial load goes into ram and it hands over to the hard drive on the first reboot so it is not finding the drive we know the computer see's it because killdisk cleared it and windows formatted it their may be a problem with the load into ram try installing with only 1 stick of ram in __________________

07-07-2008, 07:05 PM	#17 (permalink)
sk8kingda3rd Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 31 OS: winXP-sp2/Mac OS-X Tiger My System	Re: Can't load OS okay did that now it says "disk read error press Ctrl alt del to restart" __________________ "I reject your reality and substitute my own" -Adam Savage

07-07-2008, 11:11 PM	#18 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 40,005 OS: vista 32x ultimate retail	Re: Can't load OS it seems there is a problem with the hard drive __________________