try doing a F disk on the hard drive first then format it and make it the active drive and then try installing the xp software. if it has had another operating system say for instance windows ME it will not install on that drive without removing it. You can also go to www.maxtor.com and download their free hard drive tools to see if there is a problem that thier software can fix. the software is for free. try doing a F disk on the hard drive first then format it and make it the active drive and then try installing the xp software. if it has had another operating system say for instance windows ME it will not install on that drive without removing it. You can also go to www.maxtor.com and download their free hard drive tools to see if there is a problem that thier software can fix. the software is for free.