how to install window xp?

Question

I have purchased a new computer. What is the steps to install xp?

Answer 1

Installing XP is very easy
when you start your new computer load the cd in to the CD dirve press and hold " c " and it will boot up to cd drive/DVD once done it will start loading the drivers and everything starts from there..

let me know if you need any further help..

Answer 2

If this computer is the latest model it will have vista installed. There is no need to install xp. Vista is the latest windows application replacing xp.

Answer 3

Here is a good tutorial:
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

Answer 4

try this out
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/316941

Answer 5

When it comes time to install Windows XP, the first decision you must make is whether to perform a new install or an upgrade.

Unless you are dual booting, a new install deletes all your existing programs, personal settings and system files. A new install also lets you:

select special features such as accessibility, language and other advanced options;
decide which file system you'd like to use;
install XP in its own partition if you plan to run XP on a dual-boot system.
geekgirl.technote: What is dual booting?
To dual boot a computer means to run two or more operating systems side-by-side on the same machine. For example, some people run some version of Windows alongside another operating system such as Linux or BeOS. This gives them access to all the features of both systems. Others run two versions of Windows, such as Windows 98 and Windows 2000, alongside one another.
Dual booting adds a level of complexity to your computer, so it's only worth doing if you have a real need for it and you have a fair degree of computer nous.


My recommendation
I recommend you do a new install. This ensures XP doesn't inherit any of the junk you've accumulated; nor will it inherit the instabilities which any Windows system develops over time.

If your existing operating system doesn't support a direct upgrade to XP you will have to do a new install, using a full version of the product. For example, if you're running Windows 95, you cannot purchase an upgrade version of Windows XP; instead you'll have to buy the more expensive full version and perform a new install. Chances are, though, if you're still running Windows 95 your hardware will not be sufficient to run Windows XP anyway, so make sure you check that out first. For more information on whether you can upgrade your operating system directly to XP, see the section Does my system qualify for an upgrade? in the article Is Windows XP Right for Me?

If you don't want to go through a new install and you qualify for the upgrade version of XP, you can do a quick upgrade. This installs XP over the top of your existing Windows system, preserving programs and personalised settings. Unfortunately, it may also preserve any instabilities or conflicts your existing Windows configuration contains, so think twice about going this route.

Regardless of the type of install you choose, it is very important you first back up your documents, e-mail, browser favourites and any other important files before starting the installation.

Performing a new install: Pre-installation steps
To perform a new install of Windows XP:

Insert your XP CD in the drive. It should automatically launch the Setup routine. If it doesn't, click Start -> Run, type d:\setup.exe (where d: is the letter of your CD drive) in the Open box and click OK.

You'll be presented with a menu of choices. Click Install Windows.

The first setup screen asks you what type of installation to perform. Select New Installation (Advanced) from the drop-down list and click the Next button to move to the next screen.

Read through the licence agreement and, if you accept it, click I Accept This Agreement, then click Next.

Type in your Windows Product Key, which you'll find on the CD cover, then click Next.

The next screen lets you choose from a variety of options. If you'd like to copy all the installation files to your hard drive (which increases the speed of the installation and makes it easy to reinstall at a later point, but will chew up some 500 megabytes of hard disk space) or you'd like to choose the drive and partition where XP is installed (which you must do if you intend to dual boot, otherwise you'll trash the existing installation), click the Advanced Options button. If you are visually disabled, click the Accessibility Options button and you will be able to use the Windows Magnifier and/or the Windows Narrator during setup. The Magnifier lets you magnify portions of the screen; the Narrator reads each screen during setup. Click Next when you're ready to proceed.

The next screen lets you choose which file system to use. XP runs on NTFS (NT File System), FAT (File Allocation Table) or FAT32 (FAT 32-bit version). If you pick FAT, Setup automatically uses FAT32 for partitions larger than 2G.

Why should you worry about any of this? Well, Microsoft recommends you should use NTFS, and I agree. This file system provides better reliability and security, manages your hard disk space more efficiently, and offers additional advanced file functions.

Upgrade to the NTFS file system to improve your system's reliability and security.

The only reason to opt for FAT32 instead is if you want to install more than one operating system on your computer and give those other operating systems access to files on your XP partition. Not all operating systems can handle NTFS, so if you intend to install XP alongside such an operating system, choosing FAT32 is the way to go.

Note that you can safely convert from FAT or FAT32 to NTFS without losing any of your data, but the process is one-way: You can't revert an NTFS system to a FAT system.

Once you've made your selection, click Next.

If you have an active Internet connection, you can use Dynamic Update to gather the latest XP setup and driver files. This is worth doing, as it may eliminate problems Microsoft has uncovered in installing XP. Click Next to continue.

To ensure your hardware is compatible with XP, Setup creates an upgrade report. It's worth getting a full report, which you should read and print out before continuing with Setup. If the report makes any recommendations, follow them.

Take the advice of the Upgrade Advisor to ensure a smooth installation.

The installation process
Once you've completed these pre-installation steps, Setup will copy installation files to your hard drive, restart your system and proceed through the full setup procedure. Sit back and let it happen.

If you're prompted to restart your system or for other action, follow the instructions on screen. During the final stages, Setup will install drivers for all hardware it recognises, first for Plug and Play devices, then for other hardware. At this stage, you may have to provide driver disks for some of your hardware so make sure you have all the disks which originally accompanied your hardware handy.

Performing a quick upgrade
Performing a quick upgrade is similar to the new install routine, but requires fewer steps on your part:

Insert your XP CD in the drive. It should automatically launch the setup routine. If it doesn't, click Start -> Run, type d:\setup.exe (where d: is the letter of your CD drive) in the Open box and click OK.
Click the Install Windows option.
Select Upgrade (Recommended) from the Installation Type drop-down list and click Next.
Click I Accept This Agreement, then click Next.
Type in your Windows Product Key and click Next.
If you have an active Internet connection, select Yes, Download The Updated Setup Files. Click Next.
Let Setup create an upgrade report to check your system's compatibility. Follow its recommendations before proceeding.
Click Finish. Setup will copy installation files to your hard drive, restart your system and proceed through the full setup procedure.
Welcome to Windows
After the installation has finished, your system will be restarted and XP will launch you into the final stage of setting up your system. You'll be asked whether you want to activate XP and create users. You can go ahead and activate your system at this stage, although as it's easiest to do this via modem, you may want to wait until later (see the article on Activating XP for details).

Check out the other useful options on the installation CD.

If you share your computer with others, take the opportunity now to create user names. Simply enter your name plus the name of any others who will use the computer on a regular basis. Every user you create will initially be given Computer Administrator status, providing full access to all functions. Once you're up and running, you can change this via User Accounts in the Control Panel. You can also use User Accounts to add passwords for users and create a guest account for occasional users.

Installation glossary
crash Also known as freeze. When a computer application or PC suddenly stops functioning due to a software conflict or other problem.

DLL Dynamic Link Library. A collection of common code routines often used by multiple applications.

driver A piece of software which tells the operating system how to interact with a particular piece of hardware.

file system The system used by an operating system to track and organise files. All three file systems supported by XP (FAT, FAT32 and NTFS) are examples of hierarchical file systems, which use directories (folders) to organise files into a tree structure, with sub-folders branching off from a root folder. Each file system has its own special features and functions. NTFS is the most sophisticated and efficient of the three XP file systems.

peripheral Any hardware component connected to the system unit. Examples include the mouse, keyboard, printer, scanner, monitor, external modem.

Plug and Play Also known as PnP. Hardware designed to be automatically recognised and configured by Windows.

reboot To restart a computer.