cant re-install windows

[rich291279]

hi
thanks for your replys. sorry should of been more clear.
i previously had xp but tried to re-install becuase of probs on there. but when i tried re-install the disc would not copy alot of files, and therfore wouldnt start up properly. i found out that the disc had a load of scratches on it and was totally knackerd! so as i said since then i bought a new copy but the problem is, that i have set the bios up but as soon as the "press any key to boot from disc" comes up, i press any key but it doesn't start to load. obviously it would normally come up with "checking hard ware config". but im not getting any of this! since last post i have borrowed a friends xp disc and that is doing the same thing. is there something else i could do in bios? im really stuck and p***ed off as you can all imagine!!!!!

thanks again to you all that replied
rich

[trish432]

Still not very clear to me. Is it asking you to press any key to boot from cd? which it should be doing if you are trying to boot a windows disc.
Or is it asking you to press any key to boot from disc or disk ? which could mean hard drive.

[rojash]

If you want to answer the questions asked in yuour original post - or add anything, the best way to do that is to post a reply against the original post.

The question trish432 is asking is the very same one that I asked when you first posted your question, and you've still not answered it. Also have you actually tried any of the other suggestions that were posted?

[dinsdale]

possibly not seeing the keyboard? check this first, other wise:

if you have no data on the os partition of your hard disk you wish to keep, you could always wipe the os partition.

in the bios ensure that cd is set to the only boot device.

boot pc, install windows, change bios back to boot from hdd at first restart, and off you go

[rich291279]

thanks trish, rojash and dinsdale
it is asking me to press key to boot from the cd rom disc.
i left it on all last night and got up to the same screen again this morning. bios is set to :- first boot cd-rom, 2nd boot:- hdd, third boot:- cd-rom.
i know that the cd- disc drive is ok, but it just cant seem to start anything.

[rich291279]

i did try what you guys said as well but that had no joy!

[rojash]

Is it a USB Keyboard?
IF so , you may need to enable USB support for legacy devices (or similar) in the BIOS

[vascop]

Are you sure the CD is a bootable CD? Some XP disks were not set up to boot from.

[rich291279]

no its an old style key board tried both (usb) it is a bootable cd but still wont work i even tried making a boot disc on a usb flash drive enabled all the boot set ups to be from usb but that didnt work it said ntldr missing so im still stuck
thanks though

[trish432]

Try tapping different F keys when you`re booting the disc. F4 worked for me one one pc, when it wouldn`t boot..

[rich291279]

thanks trish i'll have a go and get back to you