On XP clean install primary hard drive missing after first reboot

As you have tried by changing cable, jumpers and other things, I would like to ask you that what happened when you just connect single drive as a master drive? Also do u get options from which hdd you want to boot, when you are connecting it as secondary?

If I connect the the 500 GB as the Master Drive, after a low level format, the BIOS sees the drive, and Windows XP sees the drive during the initial phase of the set-up.  When I partition and format the drive under Windows XP Setup, the drive disappears from the BIOS and Windows refuses to boot from it.  After the Windows XP install first pass, (when connected as the only drive) The BIOS shows "NONE" under the Primary or Secondary IDE ports (depending upon which one its connected to) and of course in that situation, no boot from the HD.   Then if I add (as a master) a working 6.4 GB HD drive with Windows installed on it, it correctly sees that drive as the primary master, and sees the 500 GB HD as the primary slave.  I can boot from the 6.4 GB HD, and can see the installation files that the XP Install program has copied to the 500 GB HD in the Windows Folder.  I can access that drive in this configuration, can repartition and reformat it using Windows Drive Manager.

When configured with a working 6.4 GB HD, the BIOS gives me the option to boot from the 6.4 GB, or the 500 GB.  I'm assuming that the failure to boot has something to do with the MBR, but attempts to repair it have failed at this point.  I haven't tried to set the BIOS to boot from the 500 GB (in a dual drive configuration) as I had wiped the installation files from the drive before you suggested this option.  I'll attempt to reinstall and try that.

Thanks for the insight.

I'm re imaging a system drive using Acronis now, and will update you on the results of booting as a Primary Slave.  Haven't tried that one yet, but sounds plausable.

I restored an Acronis image of the C: drive (working and bootable 6.4 GB) to the D: drive (non-bootable 500 GB Drive), set the BIOS to boot off the 500 GB drive, and it boots fine.  It sees both drives, but the working system drive is of course the D: drive.

I then pull the 6.4 GB C: drive from the system, and make the 500 GB drive the primary master drive, and the BIOS fails to see the drive.  Won't see it under drives, or allow me to select it under boot devices.

If I restore the 6.4 GB drive to the system, the BIOS sees both drives, and allows me to select the 500 GB drive as the boot drive, and it boots.

It appears that I need to have a drive of a size less than 500 GB in the primary master position in order to boot, and I'm OK with leaving the 6.4 GB drive is as sort of a dummy drive.

How can I change the drive letters so that the Primary Slave is recognized as the C: drive rather than the D: Drive?

Have you checked your Mainboard mfgr for a possible BIOS update, to see if that might solve the problem?

Possible the 500G drive is fail. What is your system board make / model?
Try to install XP but partition it into smaller sizes see if it would work that way?
And if any chance, hook that drive on other system and check see if it has errors?

Sounds like the master boot record is the problem also.
Was this hard drive used for any other OS lets say Vista?
Also since this is XP home was this setup installed on another hard drive exactly the same as this one?
I do believe if you change the hard drive/other components and re-install xp home onto a new Hard drive but it's different brand from the original you may have voided the OEM.
I know you can change a few things before it's voided the COA
Once you regester xp home that image is used to certify your system if it nolonger matches maybe flashing the bios may help.

oops I see you have already flashed the bios.

The system board is an ASUS P4G533- LA which is an OEM board for a Compaq Presario 6330us tower.  I tried partitioning the 500 GB drive into smaller partitions, but it still wouldn't boot as the sole drive.  

I've discovered that as long as there is another drive on the same IDE cable, it will boot.  I've washed the 6.4 GB drive I had been booting from, placed it in the master position, and then placed the 500 GB drive in the slave position.  

I then restored my Acronis image to the slave drive, and it's working fine.  The master drive is a 6.4 GB blank drive.  I've never seen anything like this.  Remove the 6.4 from the drive cables, and the machine fails to boot.  It either comes back with a message Primary (Master or Slave) Drive Fails or "Hit any key to reboot".

Reattach the small drive to the ide cable, and it boots fine.  All environment variables point to the C: drive which is the 500 GB drive.

This drive (the 500 GB) hasn't been used for any other OS, and is brand new.  Actually the second new drive, after RMA'ing the first drive.

The image I'm using, was created on the same computer, using the 6.4 GB as the sole drive, created by the usual means using the Windows XP OEM CD from HP.  Since it was the same MFG, it saw an HP BIOS and activation was avoided.

I've been able to install all updates, and it's still booting and running fine as long as there's a second drive on the cable.  I'm stumped.

That sounds like you are using Cable Select... The 500GB HDD is plugged in to the END of the IDE cable, right? And I know you have done this, but please reverify your jumper settings..... Actually, most WD drives can have the jumpers removed, if it is a Master without Slave Present.....

The problem may be the drive jumper. If you have a single WD hard disk jumpered to master it will behave just as described. Remove the jumper (single drive setting) and try booting with WD drive as only drive installed.

With jumper in master position, a slave drive is required.

johnb6767 slid in front of me while I was typing and thinking :)

This is the solution that I finally decided upon.  Only difference, is the additional drive needed to be added as a master, and the problem drive set as the slave (using cable select).  I was then able to boot from the slave drive, install windows and had it working with no problems.  The Master drive has no files on it, but appears to be required by the Motherboard and/or BIOS in order for the computer to boot from the larger 500 GB drive.  Why, I don't know, it just is.