I have a very bare computer that I am trying to install Windows XP on, but I can't get it to boot afterwards.

I have a P3 750 MHz AMD Duron Processor on a K7VZM motherboard
90W power supply (I have my reasons)
40 GB Seagate HDD
ATi TV out videocard (TV is my monitor)
and 128 Mb of SDRAM

The installation seems to go off without a hitch, but when it boots afterwards, the regular XP Pro boot screen comes up with that annoying little bat underneath it, and then it crashes with the blue screen of death saying:

"unmountable_boot_volume"
blah blah blah
Technical Information:

*** STOP: 0x000000ED (0x8CE72338,0x00000185,0x00000000,0x00000000)

I know the hard drive works, because I just had it as a slave drive in this computer. It has been jumpered correctly to be a master drive. Any Ideas on how I can correct this mess? I have already formatted and started over 3 times, but I guess I am not fixing anything...

I tried to boot under safe mode, but it tells me that setup cannot run under safe mode, so I guess that setup has not finished, but I can't get the computer to boot far enough to finish the setup...

With this new information, any suggestions?

when was the last time you checked the hard drive with diagnostic software from the manufacturer?

I don't care if you were just using it...it can still go bad at any time. Which is what first comes to mind when I see Unmountable Bood Volume

Here is the list of the possible problems, and from my experience, the common one is that your hard drive went bad.

Your computer uses an Ultra Direct Memory Access (UDMA) hard disk controller, and the following conditions are true:
• You use a standard 40-wire connector cable to connect the UDMA drive to the controller instead of the required 80-wire, 40-pin cable.
• The basic input/output system (BIOS) settings are configured to force the faster UDMA modes.

The file system is damaged and cannot be mounted.

[EDIT]
According to Microsoft support it most likey is a setting or a cable, which is fixable. Resolutions are:

• Replace the 40-wire cable with an 80-wire UDMA cable.
• In the BIOS settings for your computer, load the 'Fail-Safe' default settings, and then reactivate the most frequently used options such as USB Support.

id be willing to bet its neither of those.

a 40-conductor cable might keep you down at dma33 or even pio, but it wouldnt just bomb out on you like that. a FAULTY cable might though.

and 99% of mobos wont let you force dma at all, the most they'll let you do it "auto" mode, which will use dma if possible.