Cant install WinXP Home!

Hey guys!
Yup....such a geek thing to do ... its 3:30 in the morning, and im trying to fix a computer...

My main computer blew up. Litterally. So I eye my file server- running Linux: AthlonXP 1700+, dual 80GB drives.... nothing fancy. I decide to install WinXP on it to use my new super dooper geforce graphics card.

First problem- boot from cd? I have no access to the keyboard- It works during POST and in the bios.....and then after the bios hands control to the OS, but not in the middle....which is strange. So no boot from cd.....in fact, no menus either (Like when windows doesn't finish loading you get that safe mode, start normally blah blah ..... cant cycle through those choices either)

So I cheat just so i can see stuff on the screen .... I install everything, fine mind you, on another computer and install the hard drive into the one in question .... that white bar thingy that loads before the Windows XP startup screen hangs at the end, and thats it.

If anyone has any insight on getting around this....that'd be great Sitting here racking my brains.

Isn't memory, graphics card or ide interface .... swapped them all out; not to mention the graphics card is new- everything else has worked flawlessly for 4 years or so. (I also messed up bragging rights with this project- my server uptime was over 3 years!)

Pete