> The SATA is the only hdrive on a laptop and yes it is working because it
>took the Linux OK. It does not appear to matter how it boots from the CMOS
>set up it still say it cannot find the hard drive.

Is the problem that you can't boot up Ubuntu, after you've installed it?

>So I cannot load the XP cd.

Does the CD boot up OK?

Are you trying to replace Linux with Windows?

A very useful program for sorting out boot problems is SuperGrub. You
can download it from the web (do a Google search). You then make a
bootable CD. IIRC You can do this in Windows or Linux. I found it very
useful for getting a corrupted system to boot.