Windows XP endless install loop.

That's definitely worth looking into, I'll check it out and report back with the results.

I have had it happen with Linux installs also. Not just a hologram MS disc.

IF I cannot fix the disc. Since I use Linux and can easy just go make a new and fresh copy of the disc or check the MD5sum. I can fix the issue in short order. Using a pay OS, I cannot suggest the same. Go grab a new image and try it. To see if it fixes your issue.

Still going to do the different XP cd thing, but I just burned a new iso of FreeBSD 7.0 retail and I get errors during the bootloader. Maybe the hdd controller on this motherboard is just flaky or something.

If your overclocked Take it to stock.
I did a quick find on the page and did not see any mention of if it is overclocked or not.

No overclock at all. I want it working before I apply the (fairly mild) overclock I have planned.

One thing I haven't mentioned though is how long the POST takes, during detecting drives. I thought it was a quirk of the motherboard at first and discounted it and then just kind of ignored it. (Even though it seems like a likely symptom of whatever is going on.)

Ok least we can rule out the Windows disc for now, I am thinking this is not a Windows related issue.. So we might be able to get this moved to general or a section specific to boards. Before we do that. Let's do some more troubleshooting.

Is the ROM on SATA, heck is the HD on SATA?
Since the SATA controller is not the same as the IDE.

Do have access to and know how to use a DMM?
My reasoning is it might have low rails. Hey got to rule it out..

What rev BIOS are you using, and did you flash it, or did it come flashed for you.
I am not an ASUS user, so I would have to research some if your unsure.

Have or can you contact the board manufacturer and see if this is a known issue.


Ah, the joys of troubleshooting.

Lot of questions, some I have answers for and some I will later after the next round of troubleshooting. (initiative levels running dangerously low, can't bring myself to mess with it today =x)

Is the ROM on SATA, heck is the HD on SATA?

Every cdrom drive and hdd i've tried so far has been IDE. I found a rockethead adapter today (plugs in the back of an ide device and lets you use a sata cable instead) that I mean to try with the hard drives. I have some sata drives but I need a working BSD system to empty them because they have important stuff on them, so they're effectively non-existent until I can get that done.

Can't use the adapter with a cd-rom drive because from what I've read, ATAPI and SATA do not work together, but I can use it on an ide hdd assuming it works. This would remove the hard drive from the ide channel.

Do have access to and know how to use a DMM?
My reasoning is it might have low rails. Hey got to rule it out..

This power supply was running an AthlonXP 3400 with 3 harddrives and a 7900gt just fine 3 days ago. Switching power supply.

What rev BIOS are you using, and did you flash it, or did it come flashed for you.

Revision 1901, and while there are newer revisions out there, I haven't seen anything while googling to point to this as a problem.

I may head to Worst Buy later to pick up a 5.25 usb ide enclosure and see if putting a cdrom into it helps. I will also look to see if they have a usb sata enclosure that isn't too expensive. Money is tight right now, but if I can get either it will help.

are you trying the same optical drive ?

I had this happen once and it was the cd-rom drive that was failing I could also get past it by ejecting the cd then reinserting it when asked.


try a different rom drive for sure.

3 different so far, and manually selecting the hdd or setting bios to boot from hdd first doesn't work either.

have you tried a different cd to install from? as in another windows xp cd?

also you may want to check and make sure the jumpers are in the right place I dunno if someone has said all this. have you tried both sata and ide HD?

Yeah most of this has been covered in the thread so far.

I've tried booting FreeBSD's install CD (older version errors out, I'm assuming because it's older than the hardware, the new 7.0 release just kinda... never does anything while it claims it's loading the bootloader...), NTFSDOS cd doesn't work, Ubuntu errors out. Oh yeah, the disk wiper thing too.

That's a bunch of different bootable cds that don't work. I need a working machine of some sort able to mount a UFS2 (FreeBSD) drive before I can empty a SATA drive and use it. I'm kind of at a standstill right now trying to decide which truly ancient hardware I want to use to build a temporary BSD server... But it can't be so ancient that it doesn't have SATA so my options are pretty limited right now. =/

I have the 3400+ board but if I absolutely can't get this 775 working then I'll have to use the 3400+ as my primary again, so I'm reticent to put it in an entirely different box if I'll just have to tear it out again.

Ok, making headway now maybe.

turns out this motherboard DOES have a second ide channel / connector, it's just hidden on the bottom edge opposite the front panel connectors. (I.E., it's below / right next to the very bottom pci slot, weird. easy to miss )

But it also turns out that it doesn't support ATAPI devices, haha... so after a few minutes of me cursing at it not booting from the optical drive i attached to that channel, i RTFM and ooooohhhh....

So right now it's failing to boot freebsd from the cdrom, but at least i've discovered something... i guess. Going to try installing windows next.