remove linux, and then install Windows XP

[Neil Schelly]

It seems you're getting a lot of help with the MBR, but that isn't what you're 
looking for.  You have/had Linux on there and want to install Windows over it 
instead.

As far as I know, you just have to boot from the Windows install disc and it 
will be more than happy to just take over the hard disk regardless of whether 
or not your MBR or partition tables are clear.

In your case, you said that instead of booting from the Windows installer 
disc, you saw a GRUB message instead of the Windows bootup.  That would 
indicate to me that your BIOS is set to boot from the hard disk before the 
CD-ROM.

So clearing your MBR will probably make the BIOS try and boot from the hard 
disk, fail, and then boot from the CD-ROM.  But you may find it a whole lot 
easier to tell your BIOS to look to the CD-ROM first.
-N