Last night I finally got a chance to put my new computer together. I had quite a few problems when trying to install the OS. Most were minor (loose connections, broken tray motor) but 2 were major. Hopefully this helps someone in a similar situation

1) Would not boot from DVD drive (even when selected as primary boot in BIOS)
-- SOLVED by removing SSD, booting with install disk to confirm it works then restarting with SSD plugged into SATA 1 and DVD into SATA 5

2) Stuck at "Expanding Windows Files (0%)"
-- Possible problems:
--- Bad copy of Windows - Ruled out with fresh copy/test on another PC
--- Bad DVD drive - Ruled out with test of Linux CD
--- Bad/too much RAM - Ruled out with MEMTEST
--- Bad hard drive - Ruled out with chdsk/test on other PC
-- SOLVED after many hours of troubleshooting by opening DVD tray, waiting for install to prompt me to insert DVD then clicking "Try Again". It immediately started installing.

Here is my set up for reference:
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