Trying to install Windows 7, stuck on the blinking cursor page

Hello all,

I am trying to put my old (but recently purchased) HDD in another computer. I have the computer's original Windows cd in the drive. The HDD in question is a WD Black 500gb.

I will try to give as much information, as concise as I can in order to facilitate accurate help from the forum.

The original computer the HDD was in is an Alienware 14. I want to put it in my old Alienware m14x. The HDD was configured RAID by default when I reinstalled windows on the 14 last week. I have put literally nothing on the HDD before putting it in the m14x. I also have an mSATA (Samsung 840 EVO) in my 14 that is the OS drive. The HDD was there for additional storage, but my girlfriend's laptop broke so I'm giving her my old m14x. I will be putting another SSD in my 14. The original (or should I say, the 3rd replacement) HDD in te m14x went bad, which is why I need to put my new HDD in it.

When I go into BIOS on the m14x, the new drive is recognized, but the text is black and I cannot select it in BIOS. The default configuration for the drive is AHCI. I suspect this is the problem. I have the CD-ROM at the top of my load order, followed by the HDD. When I exit BIOS with the Windows CD in the drive, I am stuck on the screen which only has a blinking DOS cursor in the upper left hand corner. I left the computer on this screen for an hour last night, so I'm pretty sure I've waited long enough for any loading to occur.

As I said, I suspect the drive configuration is the issue. I am hoping there is a way to reconfigure the drive to AHCI without putting it back in the 14 and reinstalling windows to reformat the drive, or maybe I can set BIOS to RAID? I'm not sure if this will harm the drive in any way.

I hope I have given precise, clear description of my situation, but I would be more than happy to elaborate if I have been unclear or you need more info. Thank in advance!

AddRAM:

There is a chance, I suppose, that the install CD is bad...Dell suspended my service tag a few years ago. I kind of didn't listen when they asked me to send them my old computer back. Short backstory, the m14x was a lemon. Had techs 'fix' it like 6 times, sent it to repair facility 3 times. I finally emailed Mike Dell himself and they finally granted me a replacement. I never sent them the original broken one and they sent me an email saying my service tag was suspended. I wonder if that also voided the Alienware Windows install CD I'm trying to use. I do have a windows install cd from my newer computer, the 14, which I can try to use as well, but since it is already installed on my 14 I don't think that will work. I will try resetting everything in BIOS when I get home though.

ThrashZone: I'm not sure what you mean, I mentioned I am using the computer's original Windows install disk, and the CD-ROM is at teh top of my load order.

I suppose the most likely problem I am having is the CD drive maybe isn't installed correctly. I did have to take it out before installing the HDD so maybe I didn't get the orange ribbon all the way in the crimp thing. That ribbon is such a pain