How do I make the CD-ROM as the first priority boot device

[Alan]

I need to reinstall XP due to corrupted files and need to
make sure my PC boots from the CD-ROM. Can anyone provide
instructions to insure I set this up correctly before
rebooting.

 

[Doug]

Not knowing anything about your system makes help difficult. Essentially you
need to get into your BIOS. The option is usually presented to you during
initial bootup. There are different key strokes for different computers. By
hitting F2, F8, Ins, Del during the BIOS setup are a couple of ways in. Once
there you can do some brain surgery. Look at your boot up sequence and just
make sure that your CD-ROM is included.
Cheers Doug

 

[The Unknown P]

This depends solely upon the BIOS that you have. Like OS's
there are hundreds of BIOS producers and thousands of
versions. You will need to find out who made your BIOS and
how to get into it to set the "boot from CD" as the first
option. You should know that this is pretty much the
standard way of configuring a BIOS in todays environment.
A great site to help you, and it has a BIOS ID tool at the
top left. Have fun. http://www.wimsbios.com/

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

This is done by configuring your PC's BIOS. Only you know what
motherboard and BIOS you have, so only you know the answer to your
question. ;-}

In the extremely unlikely event that your PC's manual doesn't
contain the needed information, try one or more of the following:

How do I access my computer's setup (BIOS)
http://www.iomega.com/support/documents/2157.html

Wim's BIOS Page
http://www.wimsbios.com/

Accessing Motherboard BIOS
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/bios_manufacturer.htm


Bruce Chambers

--
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You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having both at once. -- RAH

 

[Ken Blake]

In

Not knowing anything about your system makes help difficult.
Essentially you need to get into your BIOS. The option is usually
presented to you during initial bootup. There are different key
strokes for different computers. By hitting F2, F8, Ins, Del during
the BIOS setup are a couple of ways in. Once there you can do some
brain surgery. Look at your boot up sequence and just make sure that
your CD-ROM is included.

Note that it's not sufficient to make sure the CD-ROM is
*included*. It has to be first (or at least precede the hard
drive) in the boot sequence.

Also, so as not to unduly scare Alan, doing this is nothing like
"brain surgery." It's extrmely easy; just make sure you change
nothing else.

 

[Alex Nichol]

I need to reinstall XP due to corrupted files and need to
make sure my PC boots from the CD-ROM. Can anyone provide
instructions to insure I set this up correctly before
rebooting.

You do it from your BOS setup, entered by hitting the appropriate key as
power comes on. See the machine's manual - often DEL but could also be
various Function keys, or maybe INs.

In that there are two common places

A BIOS Settings page, look for Boot Order, get down to it with the
down-arrow and then use PageDn to Cycle possibilities to get CD-Rom;C:.
.. .
Or, in a separate Boot page, select the CD Drive and use the number
keypad + to push it to the top.

Either way then hit ESC and go to Exit, Saving settings. Have the CD
ready in the drive so when it reboots after that it will boot the CD
(you will probably there need to hit a key to confirm that is what you
want to do - when the machine reboots during setup sit back instead, so
it boot the hard disk)

Either on entering Setup, after the license agreement take 'Repair',
which will retain installed software, data files and most settings, or
if you want to clean the disk off completely for a clean start take 'New
Install'. If you do that, when it asks where, hit ESC. Then select and
delete the partition where windows is, and make a new RAW one to be
formatted at the next stage. If you do not delete you are likely to
have a new install on top of the old, which gets very confused