A really strange problem

[Pepe]

Hi all,

First of all, my apologies for my bad English (I am writing you from Spain).

Well, the thing is that I am trying to do a fresh installation of Windows XP.
As usual (I have done it 3 or 4 times), I insert the Windows XP CD (an original copy, guys) on the DVD drive, I reboot the computer, but the message that allows you to enter in the installation screen (by pressing the space bar) DOES NOT appear!!.

I have just check the BIOS settings, and it shows that the First boot device is the Floppy disk, the Second is the HDD and the Third is the CD ROM. So I do not understand why I cannot boot from the Windows XP CD.
It's very strange for me because, as I have said, I have installed WXP booting from CD three or four times before, and always that message appeared when the WXP CD was in the drive.

Just one more thing: I updated the BIOS of the MOBO (an ASUS A7N8X Deluxe) a few months ago (to vers. 1.07), so maybe an option that allows the boot from the CD/DVD drive was disabled on the process. But the thing is that I cannot find that option neither on the MOBO manual nor in the BIOS.

I am really desperate, because I would like to do that fresh installation ASAP, so any idea will be truly welcomed.

Thank you very much in advance, and regards from Spain.

Pepe.

 

[Pepe]

Hi again,

I finally found a solution: I set the DVD drive as the FIRST boot device and worked!!

Cheers

 

[DigitalBlade]

Yep, it would be obvious that if you have the cd rom boot after the hdd, it would not work. When doing the install, always switch CD as first device, then when it restarts the first time go back to BIOS and change it to default.