Install Windows XP on old IDE hard disk

I wanted to know if there was a way to install Windows XP on a old Pentium 4 (Intel motherboard) system which does not boot via USB and CD/DVD drive?

Is it possible to connect the hard disk to my laptop and install Windows XP Pro on it using VMware (replicating the Pentium 4 motherboard conditions)? or is there any other way anyone knows about?

But when I try to boot from USB it gives me a "j and blinking cursor" and the CD/DVD doesn't show in the BIOS.

A friend tried to clone my Windows XP partition in the laptop to the Pentium 4 pc hard disk using paragon option "clone partition" it gives a different error.

"/ntldr" error code 0xc000000e

Please let me know a solution Many thanks.

Yes, it is possible.

I do not think that you can emulate the hardware of your old motherboard using Vmware. But, you do it in several other ways:

1. Simplest: Check the P4's BIOS and set it to boot from CDROM. I really think that it has this option, though you might need to move the CDROM around. (e.g. my motherboard only boots if I put the CDROM on two specific ports, and fails on all 6 others).
2. Put the disk as only disk in another system and install. (Harder with a laptop)
3. Install into vmware, then convert the image to a disk.
4. Backup the laptop. Install XP onto the laptop. Then copy that XP install to the P4's disk (Using cloning software such as Ghost, Acronis, CloneZilla, FOG, ....)

Options 2, 3 and 4 mean that the hardware will change. This usually as two results:

1. XP wants to be reactivated.
2. It might not boot at all. If you run into this problem remove all drivers before moving the disk via sysprep and generalize.