since using /boot didn't work, I used /_ (root) and finished the install and when grub tries to load I still get the friggin error 25 message.

When you boot with the install cd or a live cd the first screen requiring input will have a boot prompt and there are a lot of options for boot which can be viewed with the Function keys. At this boot prompt enter root=/dev/sda1

Don't get involved with raid configuration until you have a working system.

When I type that in it says could not find kernel image...

and just in case I screwed up somewhere.....I deleted the partitions I'd made and started from scratch with a new partition and went all the way through the process and got the same result.....maybe I should list what I'm doing every step of the way and maybe someone can figure out what the crap I'm doing wrong.....for a supposedly easy install, and a fairly computer savvy person...this is reallly beginning to suck.


......I created the free space and partition on my second hard drive...would putting it on my 1st hard drive make any difference, and will that erase any of my info on my windows partition? Since my drives are in RAID, I don't know what affect any of this will have on my xp install.......

Its probable grub has written to the 2nd disk mbr. Boot your system using a live cd. The drives should be visible on the desktop. Find out which drive and partition contains vmlinuz and the relevant initrd. Having got that info then you need to use that info at the boot prompt root=/dev/sdX

I tried root=/dev/sda and sdb...sda1...sdab1 hda....hdb...etc....nothing, it still said "can't find kernel"....and when I boot up using the livecd the only thing visible on the desktop is "cdrom". I still get bupkiss.

I went ahead and gritted my teeth and installed a new partition to the 1st hard drive, and now when I try to install....it wont finish the final unpacking after installing the base system. It says either I don't have enough space (I used 100GB so thats not it) or there was a problem reading from the cd...but the md5 sum checks out and I burned the disc using 8x. wtf?

How did you install a new partition? i.e. did you use existing free space or did you allow the install to create the partition from an existing partition?
Boot the system with a live cd and bring up a consol (little black screen on the task bar) and enter cfdisk. Examine the partitions for ext3 and swap.

I installed the partition on the existing free space that I created from the 2nd drive (and later the 1st, but I couldn't complete the install on the 1st)...it doesn't see another partition..(i'm afraid that that means it doesn't see my xp partition...grrr)

How do I bring up the console once booted into the live cd (I'll look for the screen, I don't remember it, you mean the terminal)?....and once I bring it up and find the ext3 and swap, what do i do with them?

I typed cfdisk into the terminal and I got a fatal error that said it couldn't open that drive.

OK....NOW....it stalled in mid install and I had to reset my computer and it won't boot up to my cd and says the RAID array on my 2nd hard drive is broken....IS THERE ANY WAY TO FIX THIS OR RECOVER MY LOST DATA?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!!!!!!

DAMN IT.

If I have to fix this array (assuming it can be) is this going to kill my previous xp install...and if it does.....would it be better to make one drive xp and one drive linux and not put them in RAID on the next go around? ..........................this sucks.

Which drive was this, 1st or 2nd?

Any chance that one of these drives is faulty. Suggest getting a diagnostics disk from the manufacturer website and check the disks. Providing the data is not over-written it would be possible to recover data with the livecd.
I have never worked with raid and I am not sure whether a hardware based raid implementation could be contributing to your problems.

I was using the live cd and went to the teerminal from the menu...I didn't choose a disk....I just typed in cfdisk at the prompt.

Highly unlikely...they have worked perfectly for a year and a half....only problem was when I started this madness....hard drive 1 wouldn't allow me to partition and still says its functional....and I believe RAID writes to both drives...so I hope I get lucky....please tell me how to recover info from live disk with explicit instructions for a novice linux user.

Is it possible to repair the RAID array?...or should I just leave it alone and configure the entire second drive as a linux drive? I like the speed of the RAID...but these problems are VERY irritating.

How is that possible?...I can't get the live cd to boot now.

Personal opinion is that you should leave this alone now before some irreversible damage is done. I would suggest that you boot the system with the Windows XP disk and get the system repaired with that disk. If you are still interested in trying Linux then I suggest finding out the details of a Linux User group (LUG) in your area. They generally meet fairly regularly and one of their members would be willing to help you install a system. This situation requires a hands-on environment and is too complex to figure out using this medium.

*are you suggesting doing a repair install?....or a new install?...I can't boot into windows at all...and will a new install remove my data?

*I HIGHLY doubt there is a linux group here (Roswell, NM). I called the local college and no one knows anything about linux.

Booting with your XP cd should give you the options to repair and restore the mbr.
The LUGS in your region New Mexico. Don't know the area so cannot comment on distances. Most have mailing lists which you can subscribe to and therefore meet users on-line. They can then put you in touch with someone close by.
Have a look at http://www.justlinux.com/forum/showthread.php?t=143973 and http://www.justlinux.com/forum/showthread.php?t=144294