Can't boot up from the XP CD, even when tapping F8.
F8 only gets you to the OS boot menu option; it won't lead you to any option where you choose the actual boot device.
Using the F2 key, enter your BIOS setup.
* Make sure the Hard Drive and CD Drive are properly detected/reported in the BIOS' list of installed devices. If one of the devices is not detected, double-check the cabling and Master/Slave jumpers on all of the drives.
* Look for the boot device order configuration. Make sure the boot order is as follows:
1. Floppy disk
2. CD/DVD drive
3. Add-in controller cards
4. Hard drive
5. Network boot
* Save the configuration and exit the BIOS setup. The system should now look for bootable media in the floppy drive, CD-ROM drive, and on any peripheral controller cards before it looks to the internal hard drives attached to your motherboard.
If you have problems/questions with the above, please include the model # of the computer and the make/version of the BIOS (if possible) in your next post. Also- I'm making the assumption that the devices in question are IDE drives which are connected directly to the motherboard. IF this is
not the case, please give us the details of your hardware configuration.