Reformatting a PC

hi im trying to reformat a PC (i have the master CDs for it) but the CD drive is finished on the PC. Can i plug a USB CD drive in and be able to boot from that?
Answer #1
Yes..or convert to usb pen…
Answer #2
got another problem now. i reformatted the PC back to factory settings and it got as far as trying to load up windows XP for the first time but its gotten stuck as the windows XP screen loads up. Nothing is moving along but the red light is on solid on the PC. Any ideas?
Answer #3
reinstall xp
Answer #4
Try reinstalling again.