Member Avatar for nobler

Hi,
I am hoping that one of you experts will get me out of the mire.
My old Dell CPx laptop XP disk got corrupted and would not boot.
I booted from a floppy disk and used FDISK to format the internal HDD.

Now I need to re-install XP on the HDD from either Sony USB CD drive or a USB memory stick.
However the BIOS on the laptop does not support booting from USB. I've tried many various methods found on the web but not had any luck. Sometimes I don't even whow what they are talking about!

One more problem is that I'm not very computer savy, so if anyone can help would you please give an idiot proof step-by-step instruction.
Thanking you in advance
Robert

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Short summary and extras based on this thread: 's Microsoft KB suggestion got back up and running after the XP disc became unusable and the HDD was repartitioned from a floppy. For readers who hit the same “BIOS won’t boot USB” roadblock, the KB method often works but there are a few reliable fallbacks and checks that the thread hasn’t spelled out.

Common alternatives (practical, proven):

  • Use a small boot manager that chainloads USB (PLoP Boot Manager). Burn the PLoP image to a floppy or a small CD, boot that first, then select the USB CD/flash drive so the older BIOS hands control to the USB device.
  • Remove the laptop HDD and attach it to a desktop (internal SATA or a USB-to-SATA/IDE adapter). Run the normal XP installer on that machine or clone a working install, then return the drive to the laptop.
  • If XP setup fails early with “no mass storage drivers,” switch the laptop BIOS from AHCI to IDE/Compatibility mode if available; otherwise create install media with the needed SATA drivers slipstreamed (tools like nLite are commonly used for that).
  • If an external USB CD drive is used and not detected, try a different USB port or a powered hub; some older laptops only enumerate certain ports at boot.

Practical notes and cautions: keep the Windows product key and model-specific drivers handy, verify any bootable media on a known-working PC before use, and power external drives from a hub if the laptop doesn’t supply enough current. The floppy-based approach already used in this thread is a good sign — it means small boot helpers (PLoP on floppy) are likely to work on this machine.

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Member Avatar for techsheaven

Tough! You could try this:

Take it a step at a time. Post back here if you run into any snags.

Member Avatar for nobler

Thanks for the quick reply.
I tried this during the week and it worked perfect.
The laptops back up and runnig again.
Thank you very much.
I think I may have another problem, so watch out for a new post !!!
All the best
Robert

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