XP Pro OEM Reformat & Reinstall Frustration

We built a PC over a year ago and all has been well until recently. The computer hasn't been it's old self and it was just time to reformat and do a fresh install of XP.

Since we built the computer ourselves, we originally purchased an OEM XP Pro license. I began the fresh install with the Maxtor software CD that came with my HDD to run the pre-installation software (Max Blast 3). Next, I used the XP Pro CD to install the OS, but it would always hang up during the "preparing installation" phase.

I then installed a new Western Digital HDD and used their utility and it too would hang up when I installed XP.

Then I remembered there is an XP OEM pre-installation CD that I used when the machine was first built. I then used the Western Digital software to reformat and repartition the drive again, installed the OEM XP pre-installation software, then the actual XP installation software. Still no cigar.

To eliminate some of the variables, I went back to the original Maxtor HDD, the original IDE cable, and the HDD jumper settings that all worked for over a year. Even so, I'm now looking at an "NTLDR is missing, Press Ctrl + Alt + Delete to restart" message. I've tried cycyling throught the installation several times.

I'm at my wit's end and could use some help.

MD

 

Go here:http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm and scroll down to warning #2, and take a look at the part labeled One more suggestion from MVP Alex Nichol, as a way to get a missing ntldr copied into the root of your boot drive.

 

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