"Bruce & Marg" wrote in message
...
I am attempting to do a repair installation of xp pro. It has been
preloaded on my pc by IBM. In order to do this task I must reboot from an
xp pro disk, which I just happen to have. I have changed the BIOS
sequence
to boot from a cd. However, it totally bypasses the cd and Windows opens.
I get no message to press any key. Any suggestions?

Sounds like you don't have the BIOS set properly, or it isn't a bootable CD.
Test by disconnecting the hard disk (of course, power off first).

In the case of an OEM preinstall, you must use another OEM install CD, and
then you need to cross your fingers.

If the CD you have is a retail or upgrade CD you will not be able to use the
CD as the key types will not match.

Before you attempt the reinstall, it's quite a good idea to back up your
data. You can easily do this by attaching the drive to another XP system
that has enough space, and copying the data over.

HTH
-pk