not booting from xp cd :(

[krnjason]

im trying to reformat my computer (install new copy of win xp) but the system won't boot from the xp set up cd..i looked online and it told me eto gointo the BIOS but i dont know how to, they only listed how to get into brand name comps.. i.e. dell hp, sony.. etc any advice?

[e404pnf]

Usually by hitting "Delete" key during the boot up - but you have to do it at the right point.
The instruction to do this will usually flash by as modern computers boot so quickly. I just tap the Delete key every second or so from the beginning of the boot up process so not to miss the correct point.

[Treebeard]

some computers may also have you push F10 or F8 to get into bios, but when your computer first boots it should display on screen, usually the bottom, what you need to push to enter it.

[Xylob the Destroyer]

ja!
"delete" is most common, but the PC's here at work require you to hit F10 or F8 instead, and I used to have a really old Compaq that required you to hit F12 to get to BIOS

like e404pnf said, you gotta be quick. my monitor doesn't warm up quick enough for me to see it flash by on my ASUS mobo, so when I need it, I just start hitting "Delete" repeatedly immediately after I turn the PC on.

try one of those keys repeatedly after hitting the power button

[Dv8ted2]

Do you have a floppy drive?

You could use the six floppy disks to boot.

[redwudz]

Once you get into BIOS, look for a 'boot order' setting. It's sometimes the second or third one down in the list. It likely says floppy first, hard drive second and maybe CD ROM next. Select CD ROM for first boot device. Move to the right and select exit and save and you are done. There are usually instructions on the BIOS page. If you have your XP disc in the CD/DVD drive, it should boot into the Windows setup.


I would delete all partitions, then repartition, then format as NTFS. The formating will take a while, depending on your HD size. Then the XP disc will install the OS. Pretty much automatically.

After you are done with the XP install, go back into BIOS and set the first boot device back to 'hard drive' or 'floppy'. That's it.