Ok here's the easyiest way download this boot disk maker
xpquick.exe and make the boot disk then boot the laptop off it you may need to tell it in the bios to boot from the floppy drive then do this
1.Insert the Windows XP boot disk in the floppy drive.2.Start the computer to an Command Prompt. If your computer does not have MS-DOS already installed, or you otherwise cannot start to an Command Prompt in the
Boot menu, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
187632 (
How to Create a Windows 98 Startup Disk that Supports FAT32) How to create a Windows 98 startup disk that supports FAT32
3.Start SMARTDrive if it is not already started. To do this, change to the folder that contains the Smartdrv.exe file, type smartdrv, and then press ENTER. If you do not use SMARTDrive, the Windows XP Setup program may copy files to the hard disk slowly.4.At the command prompt, type drive:, and then press ENTER (where drive is the drive that contains the Windows XP CD-ROM Copy).5.Type cd i386, and then press ENTER.6.Type winnt, and then press ENTER. The Windows XP Setup program starts.7.Type the path of the Windows XP installation files, and then press ENTER. For example, type d:\i386.
The Windows Setup program copies files to the hard disk. When the files are copied, you receive the following message: The MS-DOS based part of The Setup Program Is complete.
The Setup program will now restart your computer. After your computer restarts,
the Windows XP Setup program will continue.
If there is a floppy disk in drive A:, remove it now.
Press ENTER to restart your computer and continue Windows XP Setup.
8.Remove any floppy disks from the computer, and then press ENTER. The computer restarts, and the Windows XP Setup program resumes. Press ENTER to continue.9.Follow the steps to select and format a partition where you want to install Windows XP. If your hard disk contains only one partition, do not delete it from the list of existing partitions. The Windows XP Setup program has copied the installation files to this partition.
You can convert a FAT32-formatted partition to the NTFS file system later.
Setup copies the files that the Windows XP Setup program requires, and then the computer restarts. If you chose to format the drive by using the NTFS file system, Windows checks the drive for errors, and then it restarts. Windows XP Setup resumes in Graphical User Interface (GUI) mode. 10.Follow the steps in the Windows Setup Wizard to complete the installation of Windows XP.