XP home SP1 install hangs after first reboot (green loading bar)

[gil_grissom]

Ok, I've tried installing windows onto IDE hard drive now, and still get to the same green loading bar. My memory has passed memtest, I have all 3 power connectors in the board. I have got a new PSU (modstream 520W).

 

WHAT CAN I DO??????????

[Starkey]

how much ram are you using to install windows, i think that windows will only really allow you to install with a max of 1 gb, not sure but i only ever install windows with a 1gb sitck

[gil_grissom]

I'm using just one 1gb stick (the other one didn't pass memtest)

[Starkey]

have you got any other copy of windows or even linux you could try and install?

 

also where abouts in the uk are you?

[gil_grissom]

I'm in Reading at uni there. I have a slipstreamed SP2 disk that doesn't get past driver.cab.... slipstreamed from my sp1 disk... but have no other disk to try out. I don't really wanna go and buy xp home again though, especially if it isn't the cause of the problem (although I think it could well be).

 

I'll try cleaning the disc with a soft cloth and then attempt to install again.

[gil_grissom]

I'm forcing an install using standard pc HAL right now, just to see if that works and if it's an ACPI problem with the mobo.

[Starkey]

try downloading linux ( i recomend mandake, click the link to dl) mandrake dl

 

then if linuz doesnt install you know there is definatly something wong with your hardware and could be the harddrives, motherboard, etc

 

im at aber uni at the moment

[gil_grissom]

Am downloading it now. Using standard pc HAL doesn't get past driver.cab... gonna try ACPI setting while I'm creating the linux disks.

[Starkey]

mmm, odd.

 

well give it a try. Its free so it wont hurt anyone

[gil_grissom]

well after wiping the slipstreamed disk and trying that again with ACPI multiprocessor HAL... it stayed on driver.cab for a while but is going along nicely now. Will try linux when it's finsished dl tho.

[gil_grissom]

Oh, one thing I have noticed is that my windows disk does not have smartdrv.exe.... do you know if that's what's causing the problem???

[Starkey]

im not sure what it is, a quick look on the net i found this

 

SMARTDrive is a disk caching program that intercepts system calls to the hard disk to control read/write access to the disk. SMARTDrive intercepts any calls to the hard disk and loads the needed data into a cache it establishes in RAM. (Unless specified otherwise, SMARTDrive automatically determines a reasonable cache size based on the amount of free extended memory available when it initially loads; the maximum amount it will take is around 2 MB.) Subsequent calls to the hard disk are intercepted by SMARTDrive, which scans the cache for the requested data. If the data is already present in the cache, SMARTDrive can access it directly in RAM. If the data is not in the cache, SMARTDrive accesses the hard disk and loads the necessary data into the cache. The least recently used data residing in RAM is cached back to the hard disk to make room for the new data. By loading blocks of data from the hard disk into RAM, SMARTDrive helps decrease the number of calls to the hard disk. This can dramatically speed up applications that repeatedly access the hard disk for data because accessing the hard disk is considerably slower than accessing RAM. Essentially, SMARTDrive attempts to maintain information in RAM that an application needs at any given time from the hard disk.

 

It could be a reason for windows not loading but installing ok