Setup Disks Problem

[Katherine Snow]

I downloaded the file for creating the 6 diskettes for starting setup from
the floppy drive. Disk #1 works fine. The problem occurs after I insert
Disk #2 as instructed on the screen. Although I press Enter, as instructed,
the PC locks up and does nothing else. Not even F3 to exit works!

P.S. I tried changing BIOS to have my CD-ROM drive be the one used for
booting the PC. Either I do not have a bootable drive or the CD-ROM for
Windows XP is not bootable. (The CD-ROM is a Dell Reinstallation CD for XP
Pro that includes Service Pack 1.)

Help!!! I want to start over and re-format the hard drive, then reload
Windows XP Pro. The hard drive is so messed up that I cannot download any
anti-virus updates!

 

[Guest]

If you have a retail copy of xp,then pitch all those floppy disks,simply
install xp cd,boot to xp cd (you may need to adjust for this in the BIOS,
boot priority device or similiar),once at xp cd boot menu,select install xp,
new copy,delete the partition,create one,then xp formats and installs auto...

 

[Admiral Q]

If you have a retail copy of xp,then pitch all those floppy disks,simply
install xp cd,boot to xp cd (you may need to adjust for this in the BIOS,
boot priority device or similiar),once at xp cd boot menu,select install
xp,
new copy,delete the partition,create one,then xp formats and installs
auto...

A genuine Dell reinstallation CD is bootable, at least out of the 10 or so
PCs/Laptops I've purchased from them over the years has been as the first
thing I do with a new PC (Dell or otherwise) is format and reinstall the OS
from scratch, installing the applications and OS how I like, not what Dell
or any other company thinks I should have.