Is this not what I have already attempted? Please correct me, if I am not understanding you.
I first had a working Etch OS. I disconnected it; and installed XP on another drive. XP started up, but then hung up, with the pastel blue screen. I am unable, for some reason, to get XP self-bootable in a healthy state.

I don't understand why I get a "View only" box, when I am trying to change things in BIOS; such as the boot order.

You have not confirmed if XP has ever been installed and operational before you re-connect it with the Linux disk.

Birigdriver's Post #3 asked you to disconnect the Linux disk. In a Sata disk arrangement the Bios will boot up your XP as the first boot disk, as there is no master and slave relationship in Sata disks.

The whole point is can you remove the Linux disk temporarily now and prove the XP is operational and bootable?

Your post #16 apparent suggests you have never managed to installed XP successfully. Was the XP you are using a legal copy?

You have sent us barking to the wrong tree by suggesting it is a Grub's problem in the thread title.

I totally disconnected the Etch drive; and the Windows start-up screen appeared (with the moving barrel); but then went to the same unchangeable pastel blue screen.

My XP is a legal copy that I registered with Windows; and used for a few years; until the Motherboard went bad. Having installed a new Motherboard I am trying to get the system up and running for my daughter to use.

O.K., so you've never had XP working in this setup. From your description, grub has done its work - transferred to the XP partition for it to boot.

Pull out the Etch disk again, and redo the install - take note of whether it completes successfully. Shouldn't be an activation issue -I've pulled out plenty of motherboards. Only once caused an issue with M$oft - too many changes in total (lightning strike). From memory the install completes o.k., but you get a message re registration on the reboot. Told them what happened, they gave me a new code.

Today I noticed that the SATA drive plug-ins on the 945GZT-M Motherboard are listed: 1 through 4. I had the two drives in slots 3 & 4 (not sure now which one was in which).
I tried XP in #1, and Etch in #2. Windows booted up first; then a blank screen; followed by the grub menu; and when XP was chosen; it would give me the opportunity to choose SAFE or NORMAL start. No matter which one I chose, it would get past the start-up screen; go blank; and then a reboot would occur.
I then tried Etch in #1, and XP in #2. The grub menu appeared; and when Windows was chosen; it would get past the start-up, and into a blank screen; followed by the SAFE mode choice page, etc... If I chose Etch, it would load normally.

I will try the re-install. Will get back to you.

Almost sounds like you installed grub over the top of the XP partition - did you (re-)do a manual install of grub (grub-install or similar) after the XP install ???

fof3,

I begin to suspect that you have sold us down the river by taking the XP hard disk from the bad mobo and offered it to the new mobo. That hard disk will never boot but the personal data is recoverable by Linux.

M$ has made sure its products are not transferable by keeping a record of every hardware's details (down to the serial number of the hard disk). It checks the list on every boot up and simply refuses to work if it found itself moved. An OEM license of a MS Windows is supposed to die with the PC.

If the above was what you did then you haven't got a booting problem. You simply have an activation problem with M$.

I installed XP on a brand new Drive. I could see if I got to the point of activation that Microsoft would see the difference; but not now.
I repeated BigrigDriver's directions, to see if I could get Window's to boot properly. I hooked up the Window's drive to "SATA #1' position on the mobo. It still ended up with the unchangeable pastel blue screen.
My suspicion is that it's a BIOS problem.
I don't understand why I can't change anything in the BIOS. When I press 'Enter' at any entry I get a red dialog box that says 'View only'; and to press OK in acknowledgment.

Could the BIOS be password protected?

I wasn't able to follow BigrigDriver's directions to a tee, because I wasn't able to make the BIOS changes that he mentioned.

My daughter had, because it seemed harmless to her, entered a Supervisor's password. How can I cancel that?

Handling of passwords is BIOS specific. If your daughter remembers the password, try entering it (I hope it is obvious how to do that!) and then you will probably be given the option somewhere within the BIOS settings to cancel it. If she doesn't remember ... Some mother boards have a switch or a jumper you can use to kill the password (real secure, hugh?). I believe I have heard of people resetting the whole BIOS by disconnecting the battery. If you have a manual it should tell you. Otherwise your best bet is to use Google to try to find the answer.