I installed a clean win xp professional OS on a new rig (quad processor), no issues. Then I did a Acronis recovery from a uniprocessor pc, and installed the correct mobo drivers. Still no issues. The I did a restart and a repair install to load the mobo sata and AHCI drivers. The pc restarts, but everytime I open a program from windows, for example Windows Explorer, or Software from the configuration screen, or Network Connections, I get a window with "Windows Installer", waiting for something to load. The version of windows on my old pc is sp3, after the repair install (I used a win xp slipstreamed with sp2), I see sp2 on my info screen of computer properties. What should/can I do to solve this Installer window?

Why didn't you just do a clean install? This is when you should have loaded the sata drivers. It would appear to me your aconis and repair installs corrupted your original install. Do a new install without acronis and you should be fine. Trying to track down now what area of the registry is corrupt would take more time/less success than a newly done right install. Guantanamo bay is a National Disgrace! End it NOW!

I did the clean install with the F6 button (loading the sata ahci drivers). When I did an acronis recovery, the pc would not restart. I suspected this was because the recovery was with system files from a uniprocessor pc, that did not have the sata/ahci drivers. So I managed to get the pc to run with a repair install; but with this funny window. Basically I would like to get a clone of my old pc uniprocessor, different sata) on the new one (quad processor, sata/ahci). Maybe try ntbackup instead of Acronis? Other suggestions?

I agree with Wanderer. I don't believe doing a restore from an image of a different hardware system is ever going to work. Do a clean install.