XP installation failures

In the past, I have been able to successfully upgrade my laptop from Win2K-pro to XP-pro. I went back to 2000 because of better performance. This time, I got bored with 2K, so I decided to upgrade again.

To make a long story short, during my upgrade, the setup (installation) failed. I had enough of the XP installation, where I couldn't revive my Win2K OS, so I reformatted.

Now, with a blank slate, I keep getting the same errors during my fresh XP installation. Keep in mind that I have had this very version of XP on my box before, with no problems, now I'm having major difficulties.

I did take the compatibility test that the XP cd issues, and passed. I just don't understand....

You don't mention the error messages , see if this helps .

Boot without cd rom support ( using W98 boot disk )
From the A prompt > fdisk , reboot & format c:
Then from the A prompt > fdisk /mbr
Or,
format c:
Then from the A prompt > fdisk /mbr

Reboot with cd rom support using W98/me boot disk with emm386 & smartdrv on .
Execute SMARTDrive by typing smartdrv from the A prompt .
It will only take a couple of seconds to load.

Type drive:,( where drive is the drive that contains the Windows XP CD-ROM )and then press ENTER .

Type cd\i386 and then press ENTER . ( hit R if unable to load )
Type winnt and then press ENTER .
Windows XP Setup starts .
Type the path to the Windows XP installation files , and then press ENTER . For example , type d:\i386 ( may already be there )

Setup will then begin copying all of the Windows XP system files to your machine , which can take quite a while ( hours if smartdrv has'nt engaged )

Note : Always press Enter or hit the space bar to try again , for any can't copy messages .

If XP will not install .
Try using a different HAL, when set up says to press F6 for third party drivers, press F5 and choose Standard PC for the type of computer .

If the above HAL fails , more here .
http://www.billssite.com/clean.htm
http://www.networkcert.net/xp/install.htm
http://support.microsoft.com/defaul...kb;en-us;307848
http://support.microsoft.com/defaul...kb;en-us;811267