I can't format HD with XP SP3

Are you trying to wipe the primary partition and start over, do a repair of the existing install, or install over the top of the existing?
The only one of the 3 I just mentioned that will care about versions is the repair.
To reformat, you boot from your windows CD, and at the point where it asks where you want to install you choose the current boot partition and tell it to format.
The installer won't care what version was on there previously.

Step one is tosimply boot from the Windows installation CD and eventually the Windows XPSetup program will begin:After acceptingthe EULA you'll be presented with a list of prior Windows installations:We want to installa fresh copy of Windows XP, so press the Escape key (ESC).The next screen showsus the available drives and partitions:In order to forcea reformat, we're going to delete the destination partition and recreate it.Click on the drivethat you want to install to, and press "D":Press Enterto confirm that you want to delete the partition. Since this is a destructiveoperation (all information on the partition will be erased), Windows XP Setupasks again, just to be sure:Press "L"to delete the partition.Now you've got anunpartitioned hard disk. Windows XP Setup now presents you with the list ofdrives and partitions again:Select theunpartitioned space, and type "C" to create a partition. You'll thenbe asked to enter the of the new partition:The default valueshould be the maximum appropriate for that partition, so simply press ENTERto continue.Setup returns youto the partition selection screen:This time what wasthe unpartitioned space is now "Partition1 [New (Raw)]". Select thatand press ENTER.Windows XP Setupnotices that your destination partition is not formatted:The default is toformat using NTFS, which is just fine for more situations. Press ENTERto let the format begin.Once theformatting is complete, Windows Setup then automatically begins copying filesto the newly formatted partition and continues with additional options andselections related to how you would like your new installation to beconfigured.

there is a registry error in your HD, you need to rectify that by installing any registry cleaner(try Tuneup Utility...downlaod from piratebay)...if that does not solve the issue....only a low level format can clean the HD...format your C drive only if you have multiple partitions in the HD

drivers for xp sp3 may not be compatible with w7 drivers.
running dual partitions? xp/w7? could be drivers are not getting along! sounds like microsoft to me!!
good luck

Contact Dell to purchase a Recovery CD for your model Dell laptop.
The other way is to do a new Windows install. Use a Windows installation CD, it must match the Windows version on the Windows Product Code label on the bottom of your laptop.
You will also need to download the device drivers for your model laptop from the Dell WEB support site, make sure the download the correct XP or Vista version of the drivers that match the Windows version you are installing.

You are using the Dell Resource CD provided by the manufacturer. This CD may not work with new versions of Internet Explorer that come with SP3 installations (if you reinstalled from a Windows XP CD not provided by Dell or if you did the Microsoft SP3 update).
You're only solution would be to use your "Service Tag" number underneath, for laptops (or on the back/side for Desktops), of your computer and go to http://support.dell.com to download the drivers for your specific system. If this computer doesn't have the drivers for you to be able to go to the internet, use a second computer and go to the site. Then download the individual drivers listed (the latest dated drivers will work best).
Once you've downloaded mainly the Video, Network, Audio drivers, use a USB Flash drive (sometimes called USB Key, USB pen drive, USB drive, etc) and copy what's been downloaded onto it. Do not double click on the files while they're on the second computer.
Once on the machine with Windows XP SP3, double click on each downloaded file (1 at a time) and follow the on-screen insctructions to install the driver. You should be fine afterwards. :) Let us know how it goes, and rate us. :)

if you have created recovery disk before the deleting of the recovery partition u can format the drive from your bios and create a new recovery partition using the recovery disk if not if your pc has crashed and your recovery partition is gone u will have to get a new operating system software but if your pc is still stable just run the recovery manager and restore to factory settings and it will put recover partition back on your hard disk

use the Windows Xp CD to format the hhd twice.
install the OS from the CD without partition.
you can always partition the hhd later.

clean install ............. floppy... fdisk deleting all partitions first.... and then making a partition of the whole disk.. then formatting.... then do the install and of course ntfs.... and see how that goes

Robert

HAVE A VALID REGISTRATION KEY for WINDOWS — Microsoft will not let you upgrade your operating system with necessary patches until you VALIDATE your copy of Windows XP - by phone or online. If you try to update or format your system with a shared or borrowed copy of Windows XP, your result may be a crippled or non-working copy of Windows XP on your computer. You’ll need that 20 character number from your Windows Certificate of Authenticity. A certificate of Authenticity looks like the image below:
TO BEGIN:
1 ) Put the installation CD of XP or Windows 2000 into the CD drive and start the computer. Your computer should display “Press a key to start from CD”. You must boot from the CD because you’ll need to format the C: drive partition where Windows is installed on the hard drive.
If your computer is displaying a blue screen with white text, then you can proceed to step #2.
Your computer’s “Boot Order” tells the computer which device to check first when starting the computer. If your computer did not boot from the CD, you’ll need to power on your computer and press either the F2 or F10 or Del key — depending on your computer — to display your computer’s BIOS menu. In the Bios Menu, find the menu that allows you to change the “boot order” and make a change so that the computer will boot from the CD first, instead of the hard drive.
2 ) A blue screen with white text will be displayed. Press F8 to accept the Windows XP Licensing Agreement. The Windows XP Setup program will search for existing Windows installations and “repair or install fresh copy” will appear if a Windows installation currently exists on your machine. Press [Esc] (don’t repair).
3 ) A list of your computer’s disc partitions will be displayed. Press the UP or DOWN arrow keys to choose your main install partition. Note that your system partition must be a primary partition (usually the first partition that appears in the list), not a logical partition.
4 ) Once you have selected your main partition, press ENTER. “You already have a system installed” will be displayed if you already have Windows installed on this partition.
5 ) Press C to continue. From the options displayed, select “Format the partition using the NTFS file system” then press Enter. Windows XP can also run on FAT32, but the NTFS file system is recommended because it is more stable. You will receive a warning about formatting the drive unless the drive is brand-new -Press “F” to confirm you know that you will be formatting the drive. The disc formatting may take a while depending on the capacity of your hard drive.
6 ) The Windows XP install should begin automatically after the formatting is complete. If not, restart the computer with the Windows XP CD in the drive and follow the instructions for installing Windows XP. This can take 35 minutes or more depending on the speed of your computer.
7 ) Once Windows XP has been installed, connect the computer to the Internet, start the Internet Explorer browser, and visit http://update.microsoft.com/windowsupdate to download and install the latest security patches and updates for your operating system. This could take up to an hour depending on the age and version of your freshly installed copy of Windows XP. When I did this last week, there were 79 security patches for the version of Windows XP that I installed.
8 ) Install the sound, video, modem, and other drivers that are specific to your computer and your operating system — as mentioned in the very first step. Follow the instructions as provided by your computer manufacturer. You may be told to restart your computer between installing some drivers according to your manufacturer’s directions.
9 ) Restart your computer, then select “Start > Help and Support” Click any update links you see to install the latest patches and drivers from Microsoft and from your computer manufacturer.
That’s it. Good luck!