I am attempting to install windows xp onto my computer. I have had the os on my computer in the past, but there was missing files so I needed to reinstall the os. I formated the hard drive and now when the computer boots up the computer is saying cdrom failure and cannot read from the cdrom drive to install windows xp. I have also tried using the 6 boot discs but again on boot disc 3 the setup states there is an error on line 4. I am trying to figure out why the computer is stating cdrom failure thus being unable to read from my cdrom drive to install windows xp. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

What are the exact error messages?

Is your BIOS seeing the CD-ROM?

What exactly did you do by 'formatting'; as an XP Clean install will automatically format.

Just to check: Here are some general issues:

You have the Windows XP CD inserted during boot?

Do you see the message "Press any key to boot to CDROM"?
If yes, what happens when you press a key?
If no, just start tapping a key every second during boot. (try
different keys and keyboard)

Double check and reseat all cards and cables.

Swap out to different IDE cables.

The issue with the CD is probably at the root and should be dealt with now.
The motherboard may be defective.

Then try to install Windows XP this way:
Disconnect all peripherals (camera, printer, scanner, etc)
Go to BIOS and set CDROM as boot device before hard drive.
Insert Windows XP CD and reboot.
At "Press any key to boot to CDROM" quickly press a key and follow the
prompts for a Clean installation:
http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase...p_sg_clean.asp
Delete all partitions in step 5 if you desire to erase all data on the
hard drive.
Partitioning and formatting will be done automatically.
All data will be destroyed, back-up important data first.

My main problem is that the bios detects a cdrom. I get this message: Updating ESCD- success...
Verifying DMI pool data...
boot from atapi cdrom: failure...
(all in bios)
This leads me to be unable to install windows xp from disc.
I have tried different ide cables and cdroms and come up with the same result. I have also tried loading windows xp by the 6 boot discs but I have an error in disc 3.
Not sure if the motherboard is defective or not.

Does the BIOS detect you hard drive?

What type of disc are you trying to boot? A full version? Upgrade? Restore?

Again about formatting the hard drive: are you saying that now the hard drive is 'blank'?

Here is a link of threads just as a preliminary search & motherboard failure comes up. Any reason to suspect such a major malfunction?

You were re-installing xp... because why? exactly. What was missing? What was wrong? Detail is good.

boot from atapi cdrom: failure

After more reading I would ask again "What kind of XP disc are you trying to boot?" I see this error arise when one has a non-bootable CD in the drive while the system is booting.

Yes the bios detects all my drives, two hard drives and one cdrom drive.
Trying to boot a full version disc.
Hard drive is blank.
I am reinstalling windows xp because I started up the other day and the os said there was a missing file, and could not run windows xp. So I formated the hard drive. After this I tried to install windows xp again. The problem now is the pc does not detect my cdrom so I cannot install windows xp.
The bios detects the cdrom but shortly after says while booting the cdrom it fails.

What did you do to format the hard drive?

As mentioned above XP usually does that automatically.

This is one post from the above link:

I am unable to boot from bootable CD-ROMs.