I was given an AOL Systemax PC that Drive Erase was used on and now need help getting it up and running. I was given the recovery CD, but when I put it in and start up the computer I get non-system disk. I figure that with it being wiped clean it will take more than just putting in the disk, but I know nothing when it comes to how a computer actually works. Any help is appreciated!

Non system disk error might mean the hard drive is not working right, are you sure there is actually a hard drive still in the PC?

Some people remove them before selling an old PC, it could also have been wiped with a magnet and be scrapped. If you can swing it I'd go to a PC repair place, it might need a new hard drive.

Thank you for your reply Lowtax4eva. I should have stated I received the computer from my sister after a buyer backed out. So I am sure that the hard drive is still there and the only thing used was Drive Erase.

It sounds like the recovery disk is not bootable and when you start the computer, it is not recognized as a system disk

Nothing you can do about that unless you get a system bootable disk that the BIOS recognizes, would maybe suggest getting an XP or Vista install and go from there - but do not know your exact situation

Do you have access to an xp intallation disk, if so, you can use this method

How to Format Drive and Install Windows from Scratch
Geek to Live: How to format your hard drive and install Windows XP from scratch (http://lifehacker.com/software/windows/geek-to-live-how-to-format-your-hard-drive-and-install-windows-xp-from-scratch-157578.php)

Post back if any questions or any help if can find out for you

Some recovery disks I've worked with involve pressing a special key when you boot. My laptop it was F11, and my desktop it was F10.

Try experimenting with turning the computer on and while it starts to come up, press F11 or F10 or even other keys, see if you get a response to the Recovery Console for that computer.

Thank you all for your time and responses. With your help I figured out I needed to press F9 to get it to boot from CD. Then it just took finding the right disk to get Windows reloaded on computer. It wasn't the recovery CD like I thought, but a different disk that was included. Thank you again to everyone!