How do I re-install win xp os

[neolantis]

how do i format the hard disk for a winxp pc that will not boot up?

i am currently working on a friends pc that will only boot into a black screen and go no further. i have the recovery cd and it has been no help. i tried going into safe mode restarting into ms-dos as well.

at this point there is nothing valuable on the pc and i just need to wipe it clean and install xp again fresh...

i worked with win98se years ago and used fdisk to make any drastic changes. with xp i don't know where to start.

can anyone help with this issue?
thank you in advance for any assistance!

[Phippy]

Insert your Win XP CD in the drive, then make sure the BIOS is set to boot from the CD before the hard drive. Fdisk isn't necessary with XP, just boot to the CD and you'll be given the option to delete all partitions or install to an existing one.

I would suggest deleting all partitions and creating a new one, then choosing that one for your install.

After that, you be given the option to format and then the install will proceed normally.

If you get stuck somewhere, just ask and one of will help you from there.

[neolantis]

i did what you described above, and on only one occation it went into the setup screen. it copied files for a while, and gave me a blue screen basically saying there was an error during instalation.
i restarted the pc and from there it will only go into a black screen.

i dont have a winXP cd, only the recovery cd. and i forget how to get into bios to check the boot sequence. i tried f5, f8, del, esc. and the only screen that comes up is a list of choices for booting up. (last known good config., safe mode, etc...)

is there anything else i can do?

if you have msn messenger i am online now.

i am neolantis@charter.net for my handle.
thanks for the reply