XP x64 on A8N-SLI won't boot... installs fine, but won't boot from SATA, RAID or not Options

[Finster]

I have the following relevant hardware:
Asus A8N-SLI
Seagate 160GB SATA HDD (x3, each on SATA ports 1,2,3)
Maxtor 80GB (used only for testing)

The problem I keep running into is this:

If I install XP x64 to any of my SATA drives (originally I tried it with all drives on a stripe, but the same problem occurs even if RAID is disabled), I'll hit F6 and specify both the Storage Controller and the RAID drivers. No problem. It asks for the CAT files. I continue anyway. It reboots into the GUI portion of the install. No problem. Everything proceeds fantastically. It finishes up the install and reboots for it's first actuall boot into a fully-installed OS, and the logo screen flashes for a tiny split second and reboots. When it reboots, it asks me if I want to boot into safe mode (because Windows did not shut down properly, blah blah blah.) Well, all modes have exactly the same symptoms.

What am I missing here? For testing, I installed an old 80Gb IDE drive I have laying around, and XP x64 had no problems installing and booting from that drive. (It's a crappy drive and slows down the whole system.)

I want to boot from the RAID, though. And yes, the RAID volume is set as "Yes" under Boot in the RAID BIOS. I have all three disks as part of the same stripe set to optimal striping (which is 64K stripes, I think). That's what I want... but XP x64 refuses.

[oogabooga]

I have the following relevant hardware:
Asus A8N-SLI
Seagate 160GB SATA HDD (x3, each on SATA ports 1,2,3)
Maxtor 80GB (used only for testing)

The problem I keep running into is this:

If I install XP x64 to any of my SATA drives (originally I tried it with all drives on a stripe, but the same problem occurs even if RAID is disabled), I'll hit F6 and specify both the Storage Controller and the RAID drivers. No problem. It asks for the CAT files. I continue anyway. It reboots into the GUI portion of the install. No problem. Everything proceeds fantastically. It finishes up the install and reboots for it's first actuall boot into a fully-installed OS, and the logo screen flashes for a tiny split second and reboots. When it reboots, it asks me if I want to boot into safe mode (because Windows did not shut down properly, blah blah blah.) Well, all modes have exactly the same symptoms.

What am I missing here? For testing, I installed an old 80Gb IDE drive I have laying around, and XP x64 had no problems installing and booting from that drive. (It's a crappy drive and slows down the whole system.)

I want to boot from the RAID, though. And yes, the RAID volume is set as "Yes" under Boot in the RAID BIOS. I have all three disks as part of the same stripe set to optimal striping (which is 64K stripes, I think). That's what I want... but XP x64 refuses.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH !

Finster i share your pain. I have the exact same problem. i'm the proud poppa of a brand new 1800 dollar paperweight.
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ Toledo
Raid 0 via nvidia chipset 2x HITACHI Deskstar 7K80 sata II
(only 110.00 usd thanks new egg)
............

anyway problem is as fenster described. i am running bios ver 1005. org when i downloaded sata raid driver from asus x64 would give cannot load cat file during install. Like everybody i spent hours tweaking bios settings checkng for coflicts. i reflashed to org bios in hopes that would work blah blah. i went to nvidia and got the infamous 666 download and used NVIDIA SATA RAID driver 5.34. reflashed to current bios again and started over. the install cycle's perfectly until first bootup as described above. You start getting excited as you see the xp64 banner startup, aha i've finally fixed it you think and then the computer crashes. BOOOO asus BOOOOO nvidia; i cannot convey how maddening it is to spend soooo much time and money and come away with NOTHING. These drivers state WHQL certified but they don't work. maybe i can use my brand new rig for a large doorstop, perhaps a small nightstand; how about foot rest. It sure as **** is not a computer....
Looking around the net it's also quite apparent that this is known issue. why isn't there some info on asus's or nvidia's website regarding the issue ? i am so glad to have found this thread and would greatly appreciate any help. i am going to try using the Silicon Image chipset for raid 0 and see what happen's; keep ya posted.
ken