I have a legal, store purchased, full installation Windows XP Pro Operating System disk. I have used it several times to install and reinstall Windows XP Pro onto my computer. I have 2 hard drives, both are Maxtor, one is 100GB and one is an older 40GB. I have a CD/DVD drive and just a regular CD drive.

I recently encountered a problem with my computer when I booting up, where I received an error message something to the effect "system32\hal.dll" was corrupt of missing. After countless attempts to repair it using my system OS disk, I decided I would just reformat. However, once I press the F8 on the licensce agreement, I receive the error that "Setup could not read the CD you inserted or it is an invalid Windows CD." I have tried both the CD/DVD drive and the CD drive and I have switched hard drives, making certain to switch the jumpers to indicate master and slave drive. Still I receive this error. I am at a loss as to what to do next. Is there anything further I can try to remedy this problem?

Thank you in advance.

Just a suggestion, but have you checked the disc for scratches etc.?
It might just be damaged, so the computer isn't able to read it.

Also, does the disc show in My Computer? And are you able to explore it?