Q.

i was unable to install windows xp professional in the MS-DOS mode. i had to install Windows 98 SE first, and then upgrade it to windows xp professional .Is there a way to install  windows xp professional without having to follow this procedure?

You can install windows xp by executing the winnt.exe within the i386 folder on the windows xp cd. the setup the asks for a path of the source files, and starts the installation. another alteration is to install it directly using a windows xp bootable cd. to change the boot sequence, re-start your  computer and press [Del] (or [F2], or [F12] ,depending upon your motherboard) to enter the CMOS setu. change the first boot option to cd-rom and keep the hard disk as the second boot option. now boot your computer  using the windows xp cd. the setup should start automatically.

Q.

I have from a P4 processor ,128 MB DDR RAM and a 40 GB hard disk. when I boot up windows xp, I get an error saying "Unmountable boot volume" displayed on a blue screen ,the error directs me to remove recently installed hardware or software first. Since I also have windows 98 SE in another partition that works fine. how can i get rid of the error message?

Ans:

This problem occurs when you have a corrupted  boot.ini file. boot up using the windows XP cd. Press [R] when  you get the setup screen ,to get to a DOS like mode.here type [chkdsk/p] and press [Enter]. after it is done, type fixboot, press [Enter], then [Y] and then again press [Enter]. After this ,type [Exit] to reboot to windows. This should solve your problem.

If it doesn't boot into cd. again type chkdsk/p to switch to the recovery mode. when it is finished type [Exit] to reboot to windows. This should definitely help you out.