Please help!! I attempted to add Linux under a dual-boot setup with Windows XP Pro. Long story short, I botched the installation and can't boot to Windows any more. I wan't to reformat and reinstall Windows. When I insert the Windows XP Pro CD it says "Press any key to boot from CD". When I press a key it says "Setup is checking hardware configuration" or something like that. Then it just goes to a blank screen and nothing happens. I have reformatted and reinstalled before on this computer, with this same CD. I can boot to Linux but XP install won't run. Please help.

If you are getting that far in the boot sequence then your CD-Rom is dirty; that's all! Clean the disk and blow the CD-Rom out with air. You need to make sure the disk you are using is CLEAN.

Do you have a floppy drive? If so, there are 6 XP boot floppies available from Microsoft. They should should solve your problem, as the final step is to insert your cd. They are good idea to have around as you can use them for recovery and repair should a virus strike. Another option would be to use your hard drive manufacturer's installation floppy or cd and use it do to a complete low level disk format to write zeros to erase all the data. If you do not have one you can download one from their support website.

Yes...I've been down this road before... It sounds like you're trying to get windows to read a hrddrive that has been formated for linux... which it can not do. If you have already formated to the linux system then you will have to use a third party formater to re-do the disk so that windows can understand it. I would suggest that you use BOOTITNG. Not only is it a partitioning program but it also formats many different kinds of systems... linux being one of them. You will also have to redo the partition as well...The linux dual boot system is stored in the first part of the MBR so even if you re format the boot system will still be there. You can play with the MBR to try and remove the dual boot system but it's just easier to redo the partitions.

If you have a floppy drive, a simpler option might be to download and run DelPart. It will remove all partitionng on the drive. The install should go ok then. http://www.russelltexas.com/delpart.htm

I don't have a floppy. But after this I thik I'll get one. It makes things like this much easier. Thanks for the advice I'll give it a shot.

Here's another question. I think I'll use CopyWipe and just wipe the whole thing. However, I have a ghost image file on a partition on the hard drive. Is there any way I could extract that ghost image before I wipe the HD? The partition that the ghost file is on is NTFS formatted.