Windows XP forum: Why does winXP install keep deleting boot files?

Thanks I will try that, I am unfamiliar with SATA and this would make perfect sense. The main order I was doing drivers was:

- Chipset, GPU, Sound, everything else (inc service packs)

but then I was also trying:

- SP2, SP3, Chipset, GPU, Sound, everything else.

I will try the order you suggested after installing SATA drivers (which I guess I have to download...???)

Sorry, just starting reading those links you posted. The first thing that pops into my head is that they make it sound as though SATA was not recognised in the setup. I managed to install easily (and partition) my SATA drive, but ran into problems a little later around driver install. Without checking, I am fairly sure that BIOS was set to SMART. But I will go in and have a look at it.

Also, I have 4x SATA ports on my MOBO, and 4x RAID. I used the SATA port, but is it better to use the raid? I only have the one drive.

I remember having a SATA 3.5" floppy (about 5 years ago...) will search for drivers as they are def not anywhere I can see.

XP will still install without SATA drivers but will either not boot with a "no hdd found" or if it does load is unstable. So I would still look at re-installing XP and installing the drivers during the setup process.

Not RAID unless you are intending a raid setup.

BIOS disable ACHI, unless you have the SATA drivers for this motherboard. You haven't said if this is a self-build system or a purchased one, but for purchased the manufacturer's web site for this PC may have all the drivers you need, including SATA drivers.

May be Jimmy's idea is best, slipstreaming it.

Mark

I was thinking Malware, but what can I do to prevent that? I was only installing drivers and service packs for the problem to start. I didn't even have time to install applications or any net surfing... Unless you count downloading service packs, but they are now stored on one of the IDE drives so I don't need to re-install. So the last time I tried installing, there wasn't a reason to connect to the net

The same copy of Windows is installed on the same computer, so it is still only one licence per computer. The boot files are still on an old HDD that is all. I will get around to re-organising that drive and finding all the files I wish to keep and then formatting it. Is this in violation? Microsoft has some pretty extreme rules (like that sticky on the OEM) so I am not sure.

What I do is start by creating my own slipstreamed install disc (google it), and then with any space remaining I load on things like AV installers, drivers, etc. So by the time I connect to the Internet, I have the system at SP3 already, and I have at least some AV protection, etc. You still will have a couple years worth of updates to install after that, but it's a good starting point.

Maybe some day Microsoft will come up with a solution to this issue for the rest of us. People with ActiveDirectory can just have the updates pushed from the domain controller, and can be kept isolated from the Internet at large until that time comes. However, there's nothing approaching that kind of an elegant solution for we regular folks. One upon a time there was a program that would grab all the necessary updates and then apply them in a slipstreamed fashion, but Microsoft shut it down.