Pc refuse to boot from CD-ROM

Hello, i need help. When i wanted to install XP in my pentium 3 pc, i made the BIOS to boot from cd-rom first. But during booting process, the pc will tell me to press any key to boot from CD. When i press any key, it boot from HD instead of CD. The XP CD & CD-ROM are working fine. I tried them on another PC. What do i do next? Thanks, uselu

 

Thanks Halo for your reply.The window XP is not a retail one.When i tried it in another PC it actually boot to it and get the XP install menus up. It still didn't work when i set the BIOS in the boot order, by having CDROM as 1st boot device and have other devices in the list, set to disabled.I have tried 3 different window xp cd which worked on another PC.I even took the HD in my system and install XP with another pc,but when i return it to my PC,it didn't work. Please, what do i do now? Thanks, uselu.

 

Try this: put the hard drive that you want to install Windows on in to a different PC and delete the partition(s) on the drive so it is completely blank. No partitions, not formatted, just a raw blank drive. Then re-install it in the PC where it will reside with Windows on it. Then boot to your XP disc. It will not ask you to press any key to boot from the CD, but will just start the setup process due to the drive being totally blank. At least that what it's supposed to do. If that doesn't work, you can try putting the hard drive on IDE2 and the CD on IDE1 temporarily; when the install has completed you can switch 'em back. If that doesn't work, there's the option of installing XP without using the CD at all, by copying the setup and install files from the CD to the hard drive with the HD hooked up as a slave on a 2nd PC, then you move the HD back to the original PC and boot to it, but this is a big ol' pain in the a**, and is much slower than a standard install, but it will work if nothing else does. If you need the details, I'll post 'em, but try the other methods first and we'll go from there. Good luck!!!

Happy Holidaze! :drink

 

Thanks dlb. your first sugesstion that i should put the hard drive into a different PC and delete the partition(s) on the drive worked. When i put it back to the other PC, it booted automatically. I was able to install XP.Thanks very much.Please dib, i still want to have the details of how to instll XP without using the CD. I need the knowledge.Please send me the details. Thanks, uselu.