Hello. First off, here is my computer build:

Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.40ghz
Phoenix AwardBIOS (LATEST update)
2gb Kingston DDR2 RAM
2x XFX GeForce 8600 GT (SLi mode)
(Currently running Windows Vista against my will due to the problem I have)
Any other specs needed just ask

Okay, heres my beef. I just got this C2Q the other day and popped it into my new mobo (ECS EliteGroup NF650iSLIT-A). I tried to install Windows XP Pro Service Pack 2 with it. First half of install is fine (the half you do before system restarts and it goes into software/driver setup). It goes to load XP for 2nd half of install and every TIME I will get "Error Loading OPERATING System". Friend of mine thought it was BIOS not supporting to C2Q, so i flashed my BIOS (Phoenix AwardBIOS v6.00PG latest revision--2-13-08 I think). That still didnt do the trick. Not sure this would have any effect but I am INSTALLING Windows XP Pro SP2 onto an IDE hard drive (80gb Seagate Barracuda). I tried installing XP Pro sp2, XP Pro 64-bit and finally succumbed to installing Vista (32-bit Home Premium). Vista seemed to work flawlessly. If theres another way out of using Vista and installing XP, Id love to, due to Vista's resource hungry ways and just utter evilness, lol. So please, help me with this problem because I dont wanna get stuck using Vista!!I have a Intel board that tells me that if I wont to install any thing other than Vista I have to go into BIOS and change SATA A's to IDE then you can load any thing you wont. May be you have to do the same thing for your board. I would go to co of the board and ask them what to do. Repair Install of XP...Nope, that didnt work at all, didnt even get a repair option. Looks like im stuck with vista How could you not get a Repair option ? ?
Is this a legitimate XP CD ? ?

Did you follow ALL the instructions ? ?I sure hope its legit, lol. Its a Dell original cd with XP Pro SP2 on it. Normally, from past experiece with xp, on a fresh install, I havent ever had to repair nor chose that option. I always see the system recovery tool, which in part sorta repairs things, but you do it manually. Im not sure what is wrong. I thought maybe that my IDE based hard drive was the issue, so i replaced it with a SATA hard drive. I went to install XP and yet again it gave the same problem with being unable to load the operating system. Ive gotten the latest bios update from my mobos site (ECS Elitegroup NF650iSLIT-A). My quad core works just fine as well as every other piece of hardware inside. Im currently testing some new ram I bought yesteday because one of them is bad (I keep getting BSODs pertaining to my memory) but thats irrelevant to this topic. But still, I seriously dont see what the problem is. Gah! Im starting to accept the inevitable to just use Vista, because for some strange reason thats the only OS that itll boot to. But to keep the topic fresh, I am still wanting to desperately use XP Pro!


***FINALLY. Problem solved. I stumbled across a link I found through Googling my problem. A person with the same problem posted in a different forum on that site and someone mentioned to change the hard drives from CHS to LBA. XP booted up and got half way through install then BSODed out on me cuz bios.inf was corrupt or missing. As of right now im using the REPAIR option that I never saw before and now I know why. It never recognized windows being installed so there wasnt anything to repair. But as of now, ill keep you posted on whats up. For now, the problem with XP not booting up is solved!