XP Pro won't install

[The Great Destroyer]

alright, i got a free pc from work (sans-HDD, they made me destroy all those in my free time). i put my 160gb hitachi drive that i used to have in my desktop in it, along with a spare ati 9200, since it will just be for web surfing. mobo is generic Intel, onboard gpu, 2.4ghz P4, 512 RAM.

i boot from cd, allocate half the disk for the OS, quick format, and install. after the first reboot the screen goes black and wont load the OS. i reset, and i get an error message on the black screen similar to this, but different .dll file: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/320252

i try the install again, then i get the hal.dll file seen above error message. so i follow the instructions in the link and completely format the partition before the install. after the reboot, the screen goes all black and i can't do anything except reset. i take the disk out and try it again, and i still get the hal.dll error message.

[SXRguyinMA]

bad install disk maybe?

[slaveofconvention]

bad install disk maybe?

That would be my first thought too - I've seen multiple installs fail because I kept forgetting to throw out a disk, and it was always something along those lines.

[mDust]

Is the HDD IDE or SATA? If it's IDE, then I don't have a whole lot to say. But if it's SATA, then try starting the installation process with the startup floppy disks. Since XP was coded before SATA was standardized it can do some pretty funky things with SATA HDDs when random, non-standard SATA drivers are present. A slip-streamed install disk with at least the first SP should install fine though too. It's also a more useful alternative than floppies...but so is anything else.:)

[The Great Destroyer]

its IDE. and it may be the install disk. previous disk i was using used to BSOD after loading drivers. i'll try that and see if a new disk works *hunts hard drive for the .ISO file*

[The Great Destroyer]

well, i just burned a new cd, and its stuck on the black screen again after the first reboot, so im starting to think its a hdd problem.

[Oneslowz28]

Try installing Ubuntu onto the drive to rule out a bad HDD.

[Snowman]

I had this same issue had to stick an nvidia card in to install windows and then swap out for my ati card

[Luke122]

Check the ram.. always my second guess when doing an install (after bad source disc). :)

[The Great Destroyer]

good idea. guess i'll run memtest86 after i get out of class today.

[The Great Destroyer]

well, memtest came back fine. a friend of mine mentioned using a program to write all zeros onto the HDD, then reinstalling XP?

[slytherock]

last times I had problem like that:
1- bad dvd drive; cant get all windows installed
2- bad cpu; keep crashing on me

hope 4 u its only the drive

[HackSore]

I had a problem installing windows just recently, first problem was the install would run until "setup is starting windows", would stick on that screen and not progress.
After checking the windows disc and hdd in another machine, i tried one stick of RAM at a time, same problem each time. Removed gfx card and a pci usb 2.0 card.
This time it got past the starting windows screen and proceeded to the format/install screen.
Turned out the pci usb card was the problem.
Tried to install and got errors copying files.
switched out the sata cables for the hdd and the ide cable for the optical, and replaced the optical with a known working drive, and windows installed with no issues.

So try and rule out bad install disc and bad hdd first, then go from there.

[Drum Thumper]

Why not use LinuxMint or Ubuntu since this machine will be used only for web surfing?

[The Great Destroyer]

its for my roommates. he can barely operate his macbook, they would be lost with anything linux-based.

im going to try what HackSore suggested and see if its the graphics card.