how is the easiest way to go about this?

[Destonomos]

I installed windows xp pro with sp2 in the installation about a month ago and i've been having some problems so i want to go back to sp1 but when i tell the computer to boot from cd rom with my windows xp cd in the tray it boots from the harddrive anyways.... and i can't load the cd and click intall windows and do a clean install because it says the version of windows i have now is newer then the one i'm trying to install and says i have to make my computer boot from the cd....... i tried booting from a windows 98 boot disk and format that way but since my harddisks are ntfs it doesn't pick them up and thats just another headache all together.... whats the easy way about formating this harddrive and installing windows on it?

 

[Phaedrus]

Did you set the boot order in your bios so that the cd is the first boot device? The best way is to boot to the winXP CD and do your install. You can always use the 98 disk to format but this is redundant since the XP disk can do the format and the install. But first set the cd to the first boot device in your bios.

 

[djnes]

Yeah, it's either your BIOS isn't trying to boot from the CD, or your not using a legal, bootable XP CD.