That's the msg I get! I just built my first PC and everything seems to be in order. I had the xp pro disc in when I turned on the system and it started installing fine. I had clicked the necessary Enter button as required then the screen just went black and the error message came up "Error Loading Operating System"! I tried rebooting with and without the disc in but I get the same black screen. It won't let me do anything. Any suggestions??

Hi kpiela, welcome to G2G.

Are you using a SATA drive? If so, maybe you need to load the SATA driver from a diskette when you see the "Press F6" prompt?

Google has lots of info on this. I found this article which is pretty specific: http://www.alexnolan.net/articles/installxpsata.htm

Thanks for the reply. I am using SATA... I was thinking perhaps I've got them connected incorrectly. I will give that link a go.

I had the same problem with my laptop.
I have a SATA hard drive and for me it was really hard getting the drivers loaded because I don't have a floppy drive.
If you feel comfortable with it you can also slipstream your SATA drivers onto a Slipstreamed XP disk.
You might want to take a look at this article.

http://maxeasyguide.blogspot.com/2008/04/p...llation-cd.html

Regards,
Olrik

Make sure your hard disk is connected correctly. Use SATA connection no.1 on the motherboard and make sure that the cable is well secured. Sata connections are flimsy, easily disconnect or crack. Make sure that your hard disk is identified in the BIOS and set it to be second priority boot device (first device should be the CD drive). Consult the motherboard user manual if necessary.

Modern motherboards and hard disks do not need any SATA drivers. The needed support is already available in the BIOS and windows.