How to Install Windows XP With a 'Cannot Find Hard Drive' Error

1. Download the virtual floppy image file from VMware. Save the file to your desktop.
2. Double-click the icon on your desktop for VMware, and then elect the option for “Create a new virtual machine.” Verify that the “Buslogic (Recommended)” option is selected for the I/O adapter type during the setup.
3. Go to the Inventory pane. Right-click on the virtual machine that you have set up, and click on the “Edit settings” option.
4. Click the virtual floppy drive and then select the “Connected” option. Browse to the location of the virtual floppy image file that you downloaded earlier. Select the vmscsi-1.2.x.x.flp and then click the “Open” button.
5. Insert the Windows XP installation CD into the CD/DVD drive. Open the virtual machine in a console view from VMware. Click anywhere in the console to assign a keyboard control. Wait for the blue Windows setup screen to appear.
6. Press the “F6” key on the keyboard when prompted. Press the “S” key on the keyboard when you are prompted for additional drivers.
7. Press the “Enter” key, and select the VMware SCSI Controller driver from the list. Press the “Enter” key to continue with the setup. Continue the Windows installation.