Need to reload WinXp

[shashgo]

Im trying to reload WinXP from scratch.  What happens is that after the initial files ar ecopied, and I press F8 to agree to the EULA, I choose install Windows .  The next screen where it says install on current partition, delete partiton... says in the box underneath "There is no disk in the drive".  I know there is a Hard disk in the computer.  And then it hangs or gives me an error saying there was an illegal operation. 

I have the boot sequence to boot from the disk drive.

whats going wrong

[Geek-9pm]

You need to give a little bit more information. Is this a desktop?
Did it have XP on whne you got it?
Or did you do it and you forgot how?
You say 'reload' and the can mean something other that 'install',
so we need to know what you mean.

What kind of XP CD do you have?
If it is not a legal CD, we can not help you here.

The message about no disk drive means that either the drive is not setup in the BIOS or the drive does not conform to a known type XP can recognize. XP does not recognize SATA drives unless a driver was loaded from the floppy during the initial load of drivers. You see a message that says press f6 and if you miss, you have to start over.

[shashgo]

Its a desktop.  When I* bought it, it had XP preinstalled.  But over time I think I got some viruses.  Now Im seeing a lot of pop ups and stuff and some of my programs cause the computer to crash.  You know all that fun  stuff.  So I want to just re-install XP from scratch. 

I tried to do the system restore and even do the dell restore from the other partition but this causes the computer to hang and freeze each time. 
Anyway I bought a copy of XP, and put it in the CD drive, changed the BIOS to boot from the disk, and it seems to be okay until I get to the screen I mentioned above.  Thats when its says there is no disk in the drive  and the only option I can choose is D to delete the partition, which causes a crash again.

Funny thing is when I let it boot itself with the existing XP that is alreadyh on there, it boots up to the desktop properly.  Its just that it starts giving popups soon after and then crashes if I run programs

What me do

[Geek-9pm]

Your machine was loaded with XP at the factory. If your XP was still in good condition it would be posible to make an install CD from the original system. But is may be too late for that now. The XP you bought may not have all the drivers needed to install to the hard drive.
I have a used computer like that and I have to figure out a way to re-install windows XP from the disk provided by the manufacture. In some cases you have to have two disks, one with XP and the other has the additional drivers needed to install XP. This is a big annoyance for sure. The manufacture of your desktop should have information specific your model. And in some cases even the serial number. They change specs on a system and not change the model number. It can drive you crazy.
What make and model is it? Does it have a service ID on it? That is needed to see if the machine requires special chip drivers for the motherboard. Sometimes XP can not install without having all the drivers right from the start of the instantiation. This is a known issue, but not very common. The box I am using at this moment has a standard Windows 2000 install that later I was able to update with the right drivers. But no way can I install XP on it!
Hard to believe, but true! When the setup is starting you press F6 and indicate where the right drivers are.