Member Avatar for manchurianCEO

I am trying to figure out what this computer has, it's a small HP Windows XP desktop. It gives me the "Non System Disk Error" message. However, I tried to change the boot sequence to "floppy" (none said CD specifically).

The CD tray opens and closes, however if I put a bootable cd, it won't boot from it, it takes me to Non system disk.

May the CD drive also be damaged that doesn't let me boot from it?

Should I try to boot from a USB? I have never made a bootable USB, if I should do so, can someone hint me how to make one?

Thank you all!

Edited by manchurianCEO
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Dani AI

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A compact, practical checklist to narrow the fault (drive, media, or BIOS) and options to get a working installer.

As noted, confirm whether the firmware actually sees an optical drive. On many HP desktops the Startup Menu/BIOS is reached by pressing Esc at power-on (then F9 for a one-time Boot Menu or F10 for Setup), but the exact key depends on model. If the firmware does not list any CD/DVD device, the machine cannot boot from one no matter how the disc behaves.

  • Remove all removable media (USB sticks, cards, floppy) first so the firmware isn’t trying the wrong device.
  • Enter BIOS/Setup and look under Storage/Drives or Boot Order. If the optical drive is missing, power down and reseat the drive’s data and power cables (for IDE check jumper; for SATA try a different port/cable).
  • If the drive is present in BIOS but still refuses to boot, test the suspect disc on another machine to confirm it is actually a bootable image. Recreate the disc at a low burn speed and finalize the session if it was a burned CD/DVD.
  • If the drive appears in BIOS and other discs boot on it, the original media is the culprit. If no discs boot anywhere, try a different optical drive or a USB installer.

On creating a USB installer: ’s suggestion to use a USB tool is sensible. Modern utilities (for example Rufus) make a bootable USB from an ISO: select the ISO, choose MBR for BIOS (or “BIOS/UEFI-CSM”), pick the filesystem the firmware accepts, then write. Note: installing Windows XP from USB can require extra steps/tools because of older setup limitations—tools aimed at XP were created for that reason.

If BIOS won’t show a CD option and reseating/replacing the drive is not possible, creating a bootable USB or swapping in a known-good optical drive are the fastest ways to proceed.

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Member Avatar for Mike+9

Hi! Usually laptops, and more older ones do that. My dvd writer sometimes read DVDs and sometimes doesn't. And don't get me started on making DVDs which is like a dream to me.
So yes, you should try a bootable USB. If you are using windows now you can try this little software . And to boot from the USB you just have to plug it in, start your laptop and from the boot menu chose your USB. Be aware that the instalation speed might be like 2-3 times slower than from a CD.

Member Avatar for JorgeM

So, I am not clear on what you meant by the boot sequence order.. Is there an option to choose CD/DVD as the primary device to boot from? If so, you are unable to boot from that type of media?

Member Avatar for manchurianCEO

"I tried to change the boot sequence to "floppy" (none said CD specifically).

The CD tray opens and closes, however if I put a bootable cd, it won't boot from it, it takes me to Non system disk."

Member Avatar for manchurianCEO

@ Mike, Mulţumesc

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