XP install Transfer to another Laptop

Hi, first post here...

I have little idea how to ask this, but :? I am trying to get an OS onto an Acer laptop I got--any OS, XP, NT, or maybe Linux. Problem is this laptop detects a USB cd-drive, but doesn't seem to boot from it. Sometimes it says "No Operating System found" and just waits after BIOS bootup. The BIOS settings I can go through w/o any problems, but so far can't get any OS on.

I used my HP laptop to install XP pro onto a new laptop hdd (using usb external connector), and stuffed the hdd into Acer. Didn't work. I Ghost cloned my HP laptop onto the hdd. Didn't work. When Acer goes to boot the hard drive, it gives a black screen and the CURSOR blinking forever. It stopped saying "no OS found" so I assume it tried to bootup the xp, but nothing happens.

I pretty much need to install a bootable OS on the hdd elsewhere, and stuff it into Acer later because of the problem w/ usb. Please Help! I'm clueless!!