Instalation errors and more errors

Got XP, formatted, tried to install, but it would give me an error about some IRQL thing.

Well, I got a new video card, that error went away.
Got as far as installing the setup files in the DOS looking setup program off the CD. But when it tries to restart my computer it freezes. I leave it for a while (could just be hanging), but after 2 hours, I give up and hit the restart button.

Boots up, enters it's own little setup OS, but I get that IRQL error again. Restart and I get another blue screen, this time it doesn't say what the error was. I try a few more times and I get seemingly random error messages, including IRQL, doesn't tell me the error, and couple others (been about 3 weeks since I tried).

I try reformatting and starting the whole process over, freezes when it tries to restart again. Hit the restart button and the setup OS starts up again... It gets to the setup process (farthest yet!), says it has to restart the setup program, so it does, and what do-ya-know, I get the IRQL error again.

After going through this process a few more times, there was once I got as far as installing devices, but it had to restart due to some error (they didn't say why), I restart and get the same old problems again, never got that far again.

I can't get help from Microsoft because it's an OEM.

 

Well, I ran the compatibility check, it's only error was that it couldn't upgrade from '98, which I'm using now and it works fine, I formatted so it wouldn't be an issue.

I'd install new drivers for sure, but I can't get to the point where I can install anything but windows.

I know the CD is good too, I installed it on another machine for testing purposes and it worked fine. That other machine is less than 1/4 as powerful as this one though.

 

The majority of XP installation problems are the result of XP's extreme pickiness about RAM. It will object to RAM that Win98 runs on quite happily.

If you have more than one stick of RAM, start swapping out the sticks and see if you get a combination that XP is happy with.