This is the message I get when I try and do the boot disk thing. yes I downloaded it from a boot disk place just like you told me, yes the bios was set for floppy 1st, but my bios does not have a second boot option with cd, the only boot option for cd is in the first boot section. The next 3 sections only have floppy, network and hdd. So I have set the first boot on floppy and still nothing. I am considering this as an ill omen.
I just found my floppy cleaning kit and will give that a go as soon as I get my laptop reformatted. It just never ends!!
thanks for all the help, and just browsing among the forum has given me lots of info...

Cheers,
Swansong

The boot disk normally should load drivers for the CD ROM and begin to load that Windows cd. The only problem is most boost floppy disk (even the one you make for you computer) CD ROM drivers dont work!

I read somewhere you have to find the driver for your CD ROM and add it you your CONFIG.SYS file in the boot disk. I dont recall the exact proceedure but I'll look it up and see what everyone thinks.