Win XP will not install on K9N4 Ultra based system, please help!

Question

Hello, i was hoping some1 could help me with a problem ive been trying to sort out for the past week or so.  After buying and building a new system i havent been able to get Windows XP to install, the setup formats and copies the initial files correctly then restarts the computer for the first time, the Windows logo then displays on the screen but after that the screen goes blank and nothing happens, the HD led flashes regularly but nothing else happens.  Ive tried installing with both XP home and pro, neither worked, installing Vista works without any problems. I have tried using the Sata drivers from the motherboard CD and from MSI website but that doesnt make any difference, ive also checked the CPU temp which at idle is 25C.  Ive tried pretty much everything i can think of without buying extra components to try which i am reluctant to do. On one occasion XP did install but at the time i was trying to install to the second hard drive with a failed install still on the first hard drive, thinking that whatever was causing the problem had been solved i then formatted both drives to do reinstall so that i wouldnt have to screw around with the boot record manually, ive since tried recreating this situation but it hasnt worked when i tried it a second time.  Ive tried installing with only one hard drive installed with a freshly made partition and full format and it still did not work.
My specs are:
MSI K9N4 Ultra-F
AMD AM2 X2 3800+
Corsair DDR2 667Mhz 2 DIMMS 1Gb each
MSI Geforce 7300GT 256Mb
Seagate Barracude 7200.9 Sata2 hard disks (2) 250Gb each
450W Win Power PSU
There is also a Creative Sound blaster audigy sound card and a samsung DVD RW, nothing else is connected.
The only thing that i could think might be a problem is the PSU which is a pretty cheap one, also only has 20 pin and 4 pin connecters (both are connected) but i was under the impression that this would be ok.
If anyone has any ideas or knows something i dont about why this isnt working with XP please let me know.
Thanks

Answer 1

Have you checked the memory timings in BIOS Setup?  At one time MSI used to just get them wrong and I recall having to set DDR CL to 3 (correct for the DIMMs I had), instead of the 2.5 it chose - no idea on DDR2 though but check that your Corsair specs cross-check with what's used.  Is the Sound Blaster Audigy installed?  If so try taking it out and go into BIOS Setup and Load Optimized Defaults, then disable all the "fluff" which is not absolutely necessary for a basic install, like on-board audio, ethernet, unused IDE/SATA channels, FireWire(?) etc.  You want to get down to a minimum required Windows driver set and if that helps, start adding things back one by one.  Also check your mbrd seating for shorts and the CPU heatsink seating... does the CPU temp look right in BIOS Setup.