"Non-system disk or disk error"...when trying to install WinXP Home...

I am trying to install WindowsXP Home in a Compaq Evo N600c laptop that was purchased from the Microsoft Employees store. The system is used. Any suggestions? I am a novice and have never installed an operating system...I have always purchased new or used with a system installed. Thanks for any help..

 

so i'm guessing you want to do a clean install of XP.

I think they first thing you need to do i back all the data that you intend to keep up on a spare hard drive, DVDs, CDs, or a flash drive. Because with a clean install you will obviously lose all the data on your computer.

Once you are ready, then you put the disk in the tray and restart your computer, you will now need to change your boot settings in the BIOS, so your CD/DVD drive is your first boot drive. Once you have done that reset again and it should read from the disk and boot you into it and you get the Windows XP logo at the top of the screen on a Blue background with White writing. You can then just follow this through reading the guidelines it gives you.

At some point it will ask which hard drive you want to install on, you will need to delete yoru current main partition and create another and select that one to install on, you then want to do a full format using NTFS before installing, which it will give you the option to do.

After that its just clean sailing, it will format, install the files and the you will get all the Username and details questions, you will get a few restarts in the process too, so don't be worried if that happens.

By the way, before you start, make sure you have all the drivers you are going to need on a back up too, so you can install those after your clean install.

This is a very quick guide, and if you search on google there are loads of in depth guides with images.

Hope this helps

edit: opppps i got a bit carried away there, and i don't think i have answered your question...

 

it means you have an unbootable disc in your DVD/CD drive

 

Thanks to any and everyone that replied. Problem solved.

 

I was curious as to how this was solved. I have an Evo N600C that gets the same error. I have replaced the harddrive without luck. I also have tried re-installing XP from the CD, but the pc is not allowing me to boot from CD. I changed the bios for Multibay 1st, HD 2nd without success.

Any suggestions?