ok, i have a virus on this HD, i cant git rid of it and im ok with that. so i went out n got a new 500gig usb drive from maxtor. thinking id just come home and do a fresh install of xp sence this hd is 4years old and only 80gigs. but after a few problems witch i solved its come down to this...
xp boots,formats, then installs, it reboots
goes to winxp logo screen as it loads. then i get the blue screen error.
ive looked it up and have scaned a few forums and ive tryed takeing out my ram n takeing out my MB's battery. even tryed to install xp on an old 130g drive non usb. but nothing has changed the blue screen.
and seeing as im useing the computer right now.. what can be stoping xp from booting? some one told me if i had a virus that maybe it infected my ram, i always thought powering down n leaveing your computer off for a wile got rid of ne thing on ram. am i wrong? cause im useing the ram right now, but then again i also have a virus lol
ne help would be great.

You can't run XP from a USB drive without some major editing. the best bet is to google for a tutorial that gives step by step proceedures for doing it!

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What is the virus name your trying to get rid of? Why didn't you just format and reinstall XP on the 80 gig drive? If you really want to install XP on the usb drive, you'll have to do the following:
http://www.ngine.de/index.jsp?pagei...

Others who disagree with us may not be wrong, bad or evil

Hi
did you get any stop errors on the blue screen?

eg:
http://www.theeldergeek.com/stop_er...

Windows HELP says

random access memory (RAM)
Memory that can be read from or written to by a computer or other devices. Information stored in RAM is lost when the computer is turned off.
----------------------
Running programs, including XP, are loaded into RAM for running. Even Restarting computer will clear out the RAM. Then during Startup all are loaded again into the RAM.

http://support.microsoft.com/defaul...
RAM, Virtual Memory, Pagefile and all that stuff

mmm... As already advised above... killing power (via a reboot etc...) to RAM allegedly removes anything therein... However many folks don't realise that when you switch off a current (atx format) PC at the front panel (or tell it to switch off via the OS) it doesn't actually switch the box off entirely. There are still volts various running around inside - if the power cord is still attached and AC power switched on at source... So don't go removing anything or plugging anything in - until you have actually removed the power-cord/source entirely...

Personally I've never been "completely" convinced that switching off at the front, or a software shutdown (or a software rebooot) "will" cause RAM to discharge any/all stored info it has; especially when dealing with memory-leak issues. At work we remove power completely (for about a minute - or at least until the nic indicators extinguish) from a problem system as part of a standard "full/cold" reboot sequence - so as to be "sure" RAM is fully cleared and thus fully refreshed and available afterwards... (This incidentally is one way to defeat (recover from) the memory-leak effect - a favourite event with M$-windows and other apps.)

But certainly completely removing volts from RAM... will clear it of anythng nasty - until it re-acquires it from the hard-drive again???

To maybe get rid of the nasty.. perhaps do a full on-line freebie scan at TrendMicro?

http://housecall.trendmicro.com/uk

and maybe another via:

http://www.ewido.net/en/onlinescan

Possibly one or other will do what's required...

The awkward one to get rid of is a bootsector virus...; and you "may" have such a beastie? Have you identified the actual pest thus far?

A Linux variant on a CD - Knoppix or Ubuntu - would also allow full access to the system as - via Linux; and then allow you scan it fully for anything nasty (and hopefully clean it)... Boot with the CD and the entire installed physical drive is available as resource to the OS on the CD (now runnng via installed RAM). You can then run an on-line scan of the hard-drive - and it will be totally passive in the process; as you will be booting and running an OS etc. from the CD...

AVG allegedly has a bootsector virus removal util; possibly it, maybe Trend (avast - avast.com - another freebie util), and many other current av-utils will also have similar...?

Also ensure you disable system-restore whilst cleaning out the system; re-enable "only" when the system is clean...

"i have a virus on this HD, i cant git rid of it and im ok with that"

Why are you OK with that? If you can name the virus, I'm sure someone can come up with a fix.

mmm That did cross my mind too; why so OK with it being there???

Incidentally I have found that if one leaves the system restore enabled whilst cleaning out a nasty... it will often/usually seem to still be there afterwards...; this espeially with ME - and I surmising equally so with XP? Which is why I suggested disabling that option (in XP) whilst cleaning out etc.

(1) Goto GMER.net,
(2) Download GMER,
(3) Install it in SAFE MODE.
(4) Run GMER in SAFE MODE and see if you have a ROOTKIT on your drive. (Note: GMER may install GMER.sys in your windows/system32folder -- in order o erase the rootit/virus)
(5) Please POST your GMER log here.

(sorry for cutting and posting my own post 4th or 5th time today. but I have seen a great resolution of problem using Gmer).

Also, I think 80GB hard drive is a lot of space. Unless you have some significant knowledge in troubleshooting the general problems you could hard format the drive. Meaning first "nuke" your hard drive using HDD low level format (http://hddguru.com/content/en/software/2006.04.12-HDD-Low-Level-Format-Tool/) or Darik's Boot-and-Nuke (comes with Eraser -- see Sourceforge or Google ). Both use INT13 call which bypasses the BIOS calls. After the drive erase (may take 2 hours depending on speed of drive and computer & RAM), you have to FDISK and then format the drive. This will give you the best answer for atleast 18-24 months, depending on future virus infections and rootkit vulnerabilities to your system. Finally, have a very good firewall -- my choice is ZASS.

Be careful with this term "low level format" (LLF)...

A true LLF will wreck most current drives...

There is an approach (perhaps more appropriately called a mid level format - MLF) which is usually what is referred to these days as an LLF. An MLF writes zeros to the drive... and is about as close as one can safely go to factory gate status for a modern drive. If you go to many drive-sites they may well have such a util; otherwise a third-party version will usually be OK. Again do NOT attempt a true LLF.. - kiss of death for a modern drive...

Not familiar with the util recommended in post-8 - useful to know about. Kill disk etc. will also probably do what's required if you have to as far a obliterating the drive;