Ahead of you there- tried running with HDD first, DVD drive first and HDD
only (DVD removed from boot order) with no luck.

The problem's still the Vista install. I can get it to start, but five
minutes in it gives out as nharmon91 describes.

Could this be due to having a SATA HDD connected, whether being used in the
install or not? I'll try disconnecting the SATA and running the install with
the IDE only and see if that makes any difference.

"Wizard" wrote:

You need to change the boot order in your Bios.

Malkira wrote:

I've been getting exactly the same problem as this when trying to install
Vista Ultimate from an OEM disc. It stalls between 3-5% through expanding
files. I've also tried upgrading from Windows XP Pro (SP2) and experienced
the same issue- the install does not complete. I've tried reformatting and
repartitioning the drive I'm installing onto (both using the option within
the install interface and also plugging the HDD into a different machine
running Vista for a full format), as well as using alternate install media.
None of this has been successful, and since then my PC (with a fresh install
of WinXP in the interim) will not recognise the HDD unless the WinXP CD is in
the drive. I have yet to try a flat install (will have a crack at it this
evening), though I don't hold out much hope.