I just installed a fresh copy of windows xp on my dad's computer and now XP keeps rebooting on it's on in a loop....does anyone know how to correct this would this be a hardware or software issue?

thanks

While booting, before the loading bar appears, tap F8 and select "Disable automatic restart on system crash".
Does any BSOD appear after doing this?

it seemed to boot ok when i did that just now, should i attempt a xp repair from the CD?

EDIT:
But in some cases the wireless mouse doesn't work for some reason.  Maybe i should do another re-install?

now i'm getting errors with file read when doing a repair...what do i do?

Trying to fix it manually is often difficult and time consuming, so I would go for the fresh install. However this time you install it, unplug any cables or perepheral devices you might have (this includes an ethernet cable!) Also leave the network you're joining (if you are) as WORKGROUP (don't ask why but it's helped me in this situation).

And also, did the installation actually finish? Or did it keep rebooting around the T-Minus 33 minute mark of the installation? And if it did finish, when does it reboot, when you log in? Windows XP boot screen? etc.

no giving me errors when trying to copy...so i should try one more fresh install then?

Well if its just an install with no important data on it, yeah. Hopefully it works

I did a fresh install and it seemed to help, let's see what happens in the next few days