Installing Windows XP

How to install Windows XP Operating system



Ram S. Ravindran



When your computers slow down a lot or infected with virus, maleware or
browser hijacker the only thing that will correct all the problems is wiping
out clean the primary C hard drive and by installing the operating software
all over again.



When you think of it, it will scare you. But it can be done. I have done it
4 times.



First thing you have to do is to locate the original operating system disk,
the driver disk and the applications disk.



Transfer all the important data files from C drive (word docs, publisher pub
files, PowerPoint (ppt) video, mp3 files to the other hard drives or to an
external drive. Likewise export your browser favorites, email address book,
emails, to the other drives.



Unplug the scanner, printer, webcam, and USB extensions from the computer.



Put the operating system disk in the first optical drive and turn the
computer off and then on

When it reboots it will ask you whether you want to boot from the CD and if
so /press any key

Press the enter key

Then it will ask you whether you want to setup windows press enter

Then it will show the agreement and warn you to say that you can have only
one copy per computer. It will ask you to press F8

Then press Esc

Then it will show you the drives and partitions where you can install the
operating system

Select the C drive

Select to delete the partition

Press D and then L to confirm deleting the partition

After you delete the partition you will be presented with the full capacity
of C drive as unpartitioned. You can decide on the new size of the partition
and install the operating system in the new partition or you can install it
in the unpartitioned C drive. Make sure you don’t partition the other hard
drives other than C drive



When you partition a drive it will wipe out all the contents of the drive.



It will prompt you to choose the file system



Enter NTFS (quick)

It will then format the drive

Then it will install the necessary files from the OS disk

After it installs the files it will turn off and then re-boot

Now you will see the Windows screen

Then it will prompt you for the region and language

If you live in the USA select the default

Then it will ask you to enter your name and your organization’s name

You can leave the organization name blank

If the disk came with your system it will place the product key for you.

If you had bought the disk separately, it will ask you to enter the product
key number

It is a 25 digit alphanumeric number

Then it will provide you a name for the computer or you can modify it to
your liking

After that it may ask you to enter a password

Then it will ask you the time zone and GMT difference of your locality

Then it will ask you modem dialing number

Then it will install the network components and ask you to choose the
settings

Select the typical settings. You can modify it later.



Then it will continue with the settings

After that it will set up the display setting

Now insert the driver CD

Select all the drivers

It will install one after another all the drivers for many things like the
CPU, the USB, video drivers, audio drivers, phone, and many more

After that you can adjust the screen display to set at 32 bit display and
1024*768

Make sure you install the virus software

Then access the Internet after you connect the computer to the modem

You might want to access the Microsoft website to download all the upgrades

Then you may want to install the service pack 2

After that you might want to install the applications from the application
disk



You might want to install the usual software like

The latest Windows media player

Adobe PDF reader

Then install the printer, scanner and Web drivers and connect them to the
computer

Now you should have a brand new computer that runs smoothly.

If you have an external drive, you can clone your hard drive for your future
use.

If you do that then you don’t have to go through the hassle of installing
the Windows operating system again. They say it is better to re-install the
operating system every 2 years.