My friend purchased a cheap Linux PC. Of course, the idea was to reformat and place Windows on it. However, after starting the install, Windows XP reboots ... at this point the message "Disk Boot Error" is displayed. So the install cannot complete.At this point he was lost. I decided to take a look.

I had a feeling there was a Linux boot record that was causing a problem. The reformat wasn't taking care of it.What I did was use the Ultimate Boot CD 4 Windows.

You create this using a set of freeware tools and your Windows XP CD. I used this to boot the system, and used MBRWiz (Master Boot Record Wizard) to wipe the Master Boot Record.

Crossing my fingers, I started up the Windows XP install again. It went through the first pass, booting from the CD, then it rebooted. At this point in the install XP has to boot from the HD.

Here's where it was failing previously.And it worked. So the problem was indeed that Linux had mucked with the Master Boot Record. Makes sense, though.So, if you want to convert a cheap Linux PC into a Windows PC, don't forget to clear the MBR. It's not enough to reformat. Remembering this will save you a lot of time and effort.