Ok, I reformatted my PC (a dell dimension 8400) and I know enough about computers to save my drivers on a usb drive. When I go to reinstall windows xp pro, using the Operating system reinstallation CD it tells me that it failed setup because it could not find any hard disk drives. It also gives me the option to put my drives in from a floppy drive, and then install xp. I do have the Drivers and Utilities CD, but when I put it in it wants me to make a copy of the drivers to a floppy disk, the main problem is this PC doesn’t have a floppy drive. Is there a way to install the drivers without a floppy drive (preferably take the drives from the dell disk and put them on a USB drive? Or is this computer forever crippled.

Other note, I do have windows 7 and a key, and tested if I could run it, and well it can. Is there a way to downgrade and then input my xp key so the drivers are there?
Help is greatly appreciated, as I would prefer this PC running xp. Instead of the soon to be unavailable w7beta.

edit:also, I used the driver detector program to get the drivers from the pc before reformatting, and they are all in folders, and I'm not sure if that is how they are supposed to be organized.

Hi Rhamsey - Welcome to PCHF!!!

The problem is that XP does not have the correct drivers for your hard drive. The easiest way to get around it is to make a slipstreamed XP install with the drivers already on it. You will have to make the disc on another pc.

First you'll need to make a folder on the c drive to copy the files from your Dell XP install disc. Name XPInstall. Copy all the files from the cd into the folder.

Download the hard drive driver from the link below. The Dell will only allow you to create a floppy, so we can't use it.

|MG| Intel Application Accelerator RAID Edition 4.5.0.6515

Save the file directly to the C: drive. Then click Start > Run and type the following:
c:\iaar45_enu.exe -a -a -p c:\driver
Click OK. This will extract the drivers from the exe file and put them in a folder called driver which will now on the c: drive if you look in My Computer.

Now download nlite from the link below.

nLite - Deployment Tool for the bootable Unattended Windows installation

Run nlite - Click Next
Browse to the XPInstall folder where you copied the contents of the cd to > click Next > click Next. Click Drivers next to Integrate > click Bootable ISO next to create > click Next.
Click Insert > browse to c:\driver\driver > click OK
Tick All > click OK > Select Intel(R) 82801FR SATA AHCI Controller > click OK.
Click Next > click Yes > click Next > click make ISO > click Save
After it's finished making the iso - click Next > Click Finish.

Now download IMGBurn from the link below.

The Official ImgBurn Website

Install then run it. Click Write image file to disc.
Click the folder with a magnifying glass and browse to the ISO you just created > click OK.
Click the button down the bottom of the window to burn the image to CD.

Please post back if you have any problems with doing this or if the slipstreamed drivers don't work.

Thank you DIIRE for the help (and for it being vary detailed). I'm at work right now and I just finished the disk, and I'll try installing windows once I get home. I'll let you know how I made out, and if I need any more help.

Thanks again DIIRE,
i got it running, imported the drivers, and currently its updating itself to service pack 2. i never would have figured it out without your help. and, i learned something new.

Awesome - happy we could help!!!

Glad you learnt something new along the way too.

Please feel free to post back if you need help with anything else.