problem with starting up new computer

[Mullit]

I just got a new computer, nice high spec and everything, but ive got a problem.
I cant install windows because there are no graphics drivers installed so nothing comes up on the screen and I cant install my graphics drivers without an OS.
I tried moving a CD drive from my old computer into my new one to see if I could install them simultaneously but the mobo on my new comp only has 2 connections and they are being used by DVD drive and HDD.

what do I do?

 

[Dtere]

Ok, let me make sure we're on the same page here.

You can start your computer, see the bios load page, but when it starts loading off of the windows CD you cannot see anything, the screen goes black?

I don't understand why moving your old computers cd drive would help this situation, care to elaborate? Do you think you have a problem with the DVD drive?

We need to know your mobo, cpu, graphics card, and PSU (power supply).

 

[The Helper]

Are you getting any error messages at all? Do you ever see anything display on the monitor and if you do where does it stop?

 

[hobo218]

My friend ran into the same problem when he just custom built his computer.
What he believes happened is that there was an extra power cable plugged in somewhere inside the case that wasn't needed. When it was plugged in, the display wouldn't show anything. When it wasn't, it worked perfectly fine.

He's not online at the moment, but when he is I'll ask him and then post back.
Sorry for the somewhat sketchy details.

[EDIT]
What motherboard do you have?

 

[Mullit]

I have found the problem now. it just so happens that my vga cable broke the same day my new computer arrived. so i plugged in an old CRT monitor that had a vga cable permanantly in the back of it and proceeded to install windows. but now ive got another problem, I have a 250Gb hard drive but when it comes to the drive partitioning bit of the installation it only says I have ~132Gb.

for any later problems the parts are the following:
mobo: ASrock 775Dual-VSTA
GPU: im not sure of the exact model but its an ASUS 512Mb PCI-E card
CPU: intel pentium D 3.4ghz dual core
PSU: EZcool supersilent 450W
RAM: 1GB DDR2

 

[Dtere]

Does the bios read the hard drive as 250GB? Is this your only hard drive?

 

[DDRtists]

That 250gb hard drive thing is a problem with windows.

I bought one a few months back, and XP would only see ~133gb of it ( I don't remember the exact number ). But If I went into the harddrive manager thing, it said it had unpartitioned space. The only thing I could find that would fix that was partition it twice.

It's kinda weird, I hate Windows.

 

[Monovertex]

Meh, I have a 250 GB one, as well, but it only shows 230. Windows XP. Meh, at least it's not as bad as at you, guys .

 

[Mullit]

@smith- thats because manufacturers use 1000mb to a gb for their specs instead of 1024. and knowing this they guess the actual value and so normally its about 5% higher than the real value.

@Dtere- yes the bios says 250gb and yes its the only hard drive.

I was looking around the internet for what the problem could be and I found a forum that said old windows disks will only allow ~130gb without SP1 for some safety reasons. I dont know what the safety reasons could be but is it even possible to install SP1 before windows?

 

[Dtere]

No, since SP1 is an upgrade to windows. Three things i can suggest to you.

1. Try a windows XP disc that has SP2 preloaded.
2. Reformat the drive on another computer, put this drive into your computer and just load the windows installation files onto it. Proceed with the installation, and once you have windows running, install SP2. If this was the case, then it should register as 250GB once you have done so.
3. Find a driver for your hard drive controller on the motherboard, load it onto a floppy disk, and when windows asks if you would like to load any third party drivers (it happens when windows first loads the CD for installation), tell it you have a driver to load.