Hello there,

I'm new here and this site seems to be very helpful. I have a problem with my pc and here it is:

My pc was very slow in general and to open programs in particular. So I decided to reinstall Windows XP Pro (which I've done successfully before last night).

I ended up with 2 Windows XP Pro.

I tried to reinstall the whole thing again but this time while trying to delete some partition, it wouldn't let me delete any partition, even though it said to press 'D' to delete. It says that there are some files on the partition needed to reinstall Windows XP.

When my PC starts, it doesn't boot from the CD Rom.

My knowledge in fixing PCs is beginner.

I do have a copy of the Windows XP Pro install CD.

So what I'm trying to do it to reinstall Windows XP and have only one copy of it on my PC.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

Well, you need so set in the bios that you computer has to boot from the cd-rom first. To do this is the following from http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,1785998,00.asp :
JUST NOTICE THAT STEP 4 TALKS ABOUT A HARDDRIVE SO KEEP IN MIND YOU WANT TO SET THE CD-DRIVE!

To change the boot order (or sequence, as some call it), you will have to enter the system BIOS setup screen that was mentioned earlier.

1. Press F2, delete, or the correct key for your specific system on the POST screen (or the screen that displays the computer manufacturer's logo) to enter the BIOS setup screen.
   Caution:
   Working in the BIOS setup screens will allow you to change many critical values that could affect the performance and the stability of your computer. Be careful which settings you decide to change because they may cause device resource conflicts as well as render your hardware unusable. However, there are very few settings in the BIOS that if set incorrectly, will lead to physical hardware damage. The only feature that my BIOS has that can do that is the CPU overclocking functions. If I set those values too high, my CPU could burn up. Changing basic feature settings such as the boot order will only result in a minor inconvenience if it was set incorrectly. To fix a problem, you will just have to go back into the bios and set the right value and everything will be back to normal.
2. Then look for where it says Boot and enter the sub menu.
3. Select Boot Sequence, and press Enter. Figure 8-1 shows an example of the boot sequence screen.
   Figure 8-1
   
4. If you screen looks similar to Figure 8-1, then you are in the right place. Next, navigate to where it states "first device" and cycle through the list to where it states "Hard Disk Drive" or "IDE0" (assuming that your hard drive is connected to IDE0). If your setup screen does not specifically state "first device" but rather just a list of all of the devices, then all you have to do is select the hard disk and move it to the top of the list. That can be done by using the change values keys, which for my BIOS that is made by Phoenix, is the spacebar to move an item up, and the minus symbol key to move an item down. The specific keys are different on almost every system but the basic concepts are the same. You want to get your hard disk to the top of the list or listed as the first device from which to try to boot.
5. Once you have made the changes, exit the system BIOS by pressing the Escape key and make sure that you select to save your changes upon exit. Once you reboot, the new settings will be in effect.

Let know if you get stuk!

Robin