Old Dell USB Bootloop

[zMCFX2]

I recently bought a used Dell E6410 (specs at bottom of post) and the seller said all the hardware fully worked, but the hard drive was wiped.

Unfazed, when I got the laptop I set out to install windows XP from a 64GB Usb3.0 flash drive I had laying around. I already used it once successfully to install XP on a latitude D630.

However, on my E6410, I get the usual post screen, then see a blinking underscore in the top left for about 30 seconds, and then it restarts. Repeat.

If I remove the flash drive, it boots to a different screen citing a lack of bootable media. The flash drive LED blinks briefly when the laptop is starting up.

What I've already tried:
-Different USB ports
-Battery pull, wait, try again
-Changing between UEFI mode and Legacy (left on Legacy)
-Removing HDD then attempting boot (no difference)

Hardware details (according to BIOS)
Core i5 M 540 @ 2.52GHz
2x2GB RAM
0GB HDD (?) Actual HDD is 500GB
DVD Drive installed
WiFi and Bluetooth installed
1440x900 Display
Nvidia NVS 3100M GPU (512MB)

 

[smorizio]

on newer mb intel added crm 9crs security in the bios. if it on you cant boot from usb ports or older devices to keep people from cloning the hard drive. try a usb 2.0 stick and try using the free microsoft iso to usb tool to make your usb stick bootable. another trick is look on ebay for the dell restore cd or call dell and pay a small fee for the dvd.