Installing Windows XP - Straight Forward Guide

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Installing Windows XP - Straight Forward Guide

Solution Installing Windows XP

Straight forward instructions to installing or reinstalling windows XP

Complete downloadable and printable book including screenshots
http://www.computer-repair-online.co.uk/guide/windowsinstallguide.pdf

Further Assistance

Should you need further assistance to this guide, you can contact Internet Generation at http://www.internetgeneration.co.uk where you can receive dedicated support from a professional engineer.

Liability

BACKUP ALL YOU DATA, you will loose it, you have been warned.

This document is free, it’s not exhaustive, and may in parts be inaccurate. We accept no liability for any of the content therein or for the use of the content, we explicitly do not guarantee it to be accurate, use it at your own risk. Additionally there are too many factors to give a 100% success rate for everybody. You are guaranteed to loose all your data so back it up first. I would strongly advise you to not continue and hire any expert if any of the following apply, you have important data, downtime of the system is of any importance, your computer is part of a computer system or computer network, your computer is not Intel based (If it has an Intel, AMD processor it will be), you use RAID or have reason to think your computer system is not a typical home PC, and normal in its hardware or configuration.

Advisory Notes – Strongly advise you read

Find the documentation on your machine

If you have a branded computer, as apposed to a home build one. I would strongly advise finding the documentation that came with your computer. Normally the documentation will give you comprehensive and specific instructions on reinstalling your particular model computer. Often this is far simpler and frequently includes some automated system. If you don’t have the relevant documents any more, refer to the manufactures website. It’s highly recommended to use the manufactures instructions above this one. This general guide can’t be guaranteed to work whereas the manufactures instructions are specific and should work every time.

Reinstall Partition

Most branded computers made in the last few years have a reinstall partition, if you have a working reinstall partition I strongly ADVISE AGAINST continuing, you will render you reinstall partition unusable. Refer to the documentation provided with your computer for reinstalling, as above.

Drivers

The process I describe reinstalls windows XP only, you will need to install ADDITIONAL SOFTWARE from the manufacture website to make your computer function properly. Most people forget this bit. This may include drivers to make the Internet work, if you begin this process before you've got the additional software, you may find yourself up the river. As you haven't the software to get online; and you need to go online to download it. Don't chance it, download it, the odds are only 50/50. A friends or work computer can bail you out here. Your computer manufacture may have given this to you on a CD.

Versions

Microsoft have released windows XP in 3 versions; 2 of them have 3 licensing arrangements (7 in all). Home, Professional, and Media Centre, are the versions. But just as important, is the licensing.

OEM (original Equipment Manufacture) the version that is installed on the computer by the manufacture, you should have a XP licence key on the computer case. The sticker should have OEM on it.

Retail, this is when you bought windows from a shop; you should have the licence sticker on the CD box, and it should have Retail written on it.

Corporate, predominately this is the version you illegally download from the Internet that’s supplied with a key, it doesn’t require activation like the others; this is the method used by large businesses.

The version is VERY IMPORTANT because you have to use the correct licence key type, with the right Windows CD version. Failure to use the correct key with the correct version, and you won't be able to complete the installation process; you will wipe your computer but won’t be able to complete install.

Need a CD

If you genuinely own a licence you are allowed to own a windows CD if that means copying from someone else or downloading from the Internet that’s fine if you actually own a licence. Be aware of the version issue highlighted above. If you need a CD it’s not hard to find on the Internet, but your computer manufacturer may not have given you one because you have a reinstall partition, see above.

Reinstall Process

Booting from CD

You will need to boot from your windows CD. Restart your PC with the windows CD in the drive. You may need to use a key like F2, F10, F12 , or change the bios boot order, or enable the CD booting in the bios to boot from a CD. Refer to manufacture documentation if you have it.

Screen Shots and Instructions

Depending on what CD you have, you may not see all these screens; you may see a couple more. These are the default screens shots, yours CD may have been customised. The whole process will normally take an hour, and allow another hour to install the drives as discussed above.

First - Consol install phase

Windows setup should start to load…

Press Enter to continue

Press F8 to accept the agreement

Your numbers will be different. We have only the one C drive, but you may have more partitions D, E and F. You will be deleting all partitions, (WARNING THIS DELETES ALL YOU DATA, YOU WILL LOOSE EVERYTHING)
Press D to delete the selected partition.

You may (or might not) see the following, press Enter to acknowledge the warning.

Press L to confirm your decision

Repeat the previous step as necessary to remove all the Partitions. You will be left with a screen as below with no partitions, just one un-partitioned space. Remember your numbers will be different. Now press Enter to begin the install.

If you have more than one drive, you may see more than just the one un-partitioned space listed. In which case use the arrow up/down keys to choose the first un-partitioned space on the list.

Select Format the partition using the FTFS file system and press Enter. Don’t choose quick, it bypasses error checking, that’s for experienced people only. If you find its taking hours to pass this format ESPECIALLY don’t choose quick, it’s finding errors and resolving them.

Now it’s doing the formatting. It normally takes 3-10 mins, but I’ve seen it take hours. If it takes hours and the numbers are still moving, then its finding lots of errors with your hard drive. Its may be worth replacing the hard disk. A bigger hard drive will invariably take longer anyway.

Now it’s finished it will do the install, may take 5-15 mins

Just wait

Wait some more

Wait

If it restarts all is going well

Second - Graphical install phase

Its starting stage two of the install, wait some more

Still more waiting

Click Customize

Choose your country (e.g. United Kingdom), in both boxes, click advanced

Choose United Kingdom again and click languages.

Click Details

Click Add

Choose your country (United Kingdom) again, and press OK

Now choose your country again in the top box, and click apply

Now click on English (United States) and click remove, then click OK

And OK again

Now click next

Now fill in a name and organization, there are no rules anything you like.

Fill in your windows licence key, and click next, it doesn’t matter about capitals or lower case; you don’t put in the minus signs. Remember the licence is probably on the side of the PC. Then click next

If you haven’t read the notes at the beginning, there are 7 types of windows XP licences keys, Home OEM, Home Retail, Home Corporate, Professional OEM, Professional Retail, Professional Corporate, Media Centre OEM. Each windows CD only works with one licence type.

Leave the default computer name, just click next

Set your time zone to GMT-0:00 London, adjust the time if it’s wrong, and click next

Typical should already be chosen, just click next

If you have a modem installed you will get this box, just fill in your area code and click OK

The computer should finish off and restart. If you have a CD with service pack 3 included, you will have a few extra steps to do. You will be asked a number of preference choices, these are fairly intuitive and widows will still work no matter what you choose.

If you see this just click ok

And ok again

Wait

Now you will be back to your desktop

Windows Activation

Next do the windows activation, double right click the keys in the bottom right near the clock

Choose Yes, I want to telephone a customer service representative to activate

Choose your country United Kingdom, you get a free phone number to call, just follow the steps

Installing Drivers

You will now need to install all the drivers needed for your specific model computer. This will make things like the sound, and internet work. Refer to the section above. As stated above this is so varied for each model I won’t give specific instructions, if you need help its best to refer to your manufactures web site.

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Article ID:	17
Category:	Knowledgebase
Date added:	2009-12-19 18:32:49
Views:	25
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