"Error Loading Operating System" while installing Win XP (P6N)??

Question

I have two harddrives (320GB each) on my MSI P6N SLI with Vista installed on one HDD, and everytime I try to install XP on the other HDD I get this error message (when Win XP restarts after formatting). I tried formatting both HDDs and install XP first but same error shows up. Any help is appreciated. Both HDDs are Seagate SATAII.

Answer 1

First off, XP-SP2 doesn't come with every SATA controller driver on the disk.  You might have to create an F6 driver disk for use in the text based installer section.  I don't know with your specific mainboard though.  I had to do this for my MSI P35 Platinum.  Read the help files on your mainboard's driver CD and check out on the net for creating a F6 disk controller driver floppy.  YOU DO HAVE A FLOPPY DRIVE????  If not, you might have to get one as XP won't read the drivers from a flash drive or CD/DVD drive.  If you don't want to buy a floppy drive, your only option is called SLIPSTREAMING.  That's where you make an image of the OS install disk and inject the drivers into it so that during the install process, the drivers are found and automatically installed.  I use a wonderful freeware program called NLite to slipstream my personal/client loads.
Also, you'll want more than 16GB of space for your OS partitions.  I suggest at least 20GB.  Don't forget that unless you use tweakui to relocate your MY <Whatever> folders, they will be on the C: drive.
I suggest you put BOTH OS's on the same drive, just create different partitions for them.  The standard for dual booting is to install the "older" OS first, then once that is working, install the newer OS's, then connect any "data" drives.  This way when you decide on a single OS, you simply wipe one drive, not two.  Going from a "two drive OS install" dual boot to a single OS isn't as easy as just pulling the OS drive you don't want.  Both OS's require the drive the boot loader is on, which is the first drive.  Also, the XP boot loader doesn't play nice with Vista so you need to install XP first, then Vista.
MAKE SURE you install your CHIPSET drivers before anything else.  Both XP and Vista will have all sorts of weird issues if you don't install this first. 
Then while in XP, put your Vista disk in and run the set up.  It'll ask how you want to install it, chose in another location.  It'll reboot and come up with the Vista installer.  Now for your target, chose that non-partitioned space on the first drive (set a partial size of at least 20GB since Vista will CRAWL with less than 10% free drive space on the OS drive).  Vista will install there and modify the FIRST partition's boot files by converting them to the Vista Boot Loader.  Once the install is done, boot into Vista and install all the patches and drivers.
One of the nice things with a dualboot XP/Vista is that BOTH OS's will see themselves as C: when they are the active OS.  The other OS will be D:  However, your optical drive will be E: on both.  I suggest you change this before connecting other HDD's (I use I:) so that the extra HDD's will be D:, E:, etc.
After you have your OS's working, connect the 2nd drive and format it under XP.  Assign a drive letter there too and then make sure that under Vista you have the same drive letter.
This method is if you're going to share the same "data" drive for both OS's.  If you want a game playable under both OS's, just install it under XP first, then under Vista.  Make sure to change the destination under both OS's to the same place on the Data drive.  Saves space as you don't have to have a single game installed at two different locations.
I use an 80GB drive split for XP and Vista.  Then I use a 250GB drive for my games/media.