Windows XP install: "operating system not found"

[Brian]

After having Windows 2000 on my laptop for a while, I
decided to do a clean install of Windows XP. Restarting
the computer and booting from CD I went through all the
initial steps successfuly, including creating and
formatting an NTFS partition.

When it first reboots it says "Setup is inspecting your
computer's hardware configuration" and goes back through
the initial install process. If I try to remove the disk
when it tries to reboot or set the BIOS to boot to the HD
first it says "Operating System not Found". Worse, I get
the exact same problem trying to reinstall Windows 2000.

Any suggestions? Thanks.

 

[Brian]

Well, I got it to work. After repairing the master boot
record and reseating it and all kinds of things to no
avail, turns out hitting it into place with a hammer out
of frustration was the answer.

Don't buy a refurbished laptop. Ever.