Installing Windows XP

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Hello everyone, I hope no one has been affected by the floods too badly. This is mad stuff on biblical proportions!!

I am basically looking for a spot of advice on installing Windows XP. I have gone through several how-to guides but some seem conflicting, so once again I am back to the pros!

I’m currently running Windows XP Pro, and this was installed on my system when I received it, so I have no installation disks. I recently got Windows XP Pro SP1 and am looking to do a clean install, but have a few questions:

1) Do I need to change my boot sequence to go to CD first, or can I boot up, then open the CD and hit Autorun (or whatever else is there) to initiate the installation?

2) When installing, is it possible to just literally wipe over my last version of XP and not touch anything else on my hard drives? I’m currently using two internal drives. Would I need to back everything up and restore it? I don’t wish to re-format my drives nor create any more partitions. My current OS is on my G: drive, so I was hoping I could just replace whatever was in there

3) I am assuming that doing this will wipe clean my registry and will require me to re-install any software I want to keep. Is that right?

Thanks very much guys and girls

 

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Cockles I have recently done this:

Set your boot sequence to boot from CD, a blue screen will appear and load some files, you will then be presented with a few options

Select the options to delete current partition this will wipe everything of your hard drive (it does take a while)

Then select create new partition and install xp all you have do is sit back and watch and wait for any settings like regional variations (where you set your clock to run in GMT)

make sure you have backups because everything will go bye bye

 

Hmm, was hoping to avoid the whole back up thing as it will take me yonks. I have read of an option to repair rather than do a total re-install, do you know if this would be doable, seeing as I have two separate versions of CP technically?

Cheers for the quick response, by the way

 

When your pc boots t windows if you put the windows disk in it will boot this will then bring up the menu.

you can select to install or upgrade xp again and keep settings but this will not be a clean install it'll just put windows on top of windows and keep your pc the way you have it now.

So if you wanting to do a clean install and clear up your system then only a format will do.

if your missing files for some reason then installing from the method i have mention here will work.

 

Ah, that could be the soluiton then. My PC is still running at a fair lick so I'm not overly concerned with the fresh install, I was mainly wanting to upgrade to SP1 as some software I have and need won't run with my current XP (SP1 or 2 only)

Cheers

 

why not just download xp sp 2 from windows updates

 

I don't have the original disks for XP and I was led to beleive that with upgrading, you have to include the original media for verification, hence why - thinking about it now - I will probably need to do a total clean install with my new serial number etc to be eligible for further upgrade options

 

I've never had to provide original media for upgrading. Windows Genuine Advantage can tell whether you've got a valid version without your media.

 

Like what BM said if you use Windows Genuine advantage it'll will install the latest updates on your system you dont need a disk for this.

 

I'd also suggest investigating 'slipstreaming'. This will turn your SP1 disk into a SP2 disk. In my experience when doing a clean install it is better to install SP2 straightaway rather than installing SP1 and applying SP2.

When I do this sort of thing I *always* disconnect other drives that I don't want touched. You never know what an installation will suddenly do without warning!

Harry.

 

Cheers BM. I did try that once before, downloaded SP2 (my home PC isn't online), burnt it to disc and took it home, to be told that my Windows wasn't valid. That's why I have this one now. To be honest, I may just do what GBL said earlier and install it withough formatting, my PC is still going fine and I only really have the programmes on it that I want. My reasons for doing this are not to do with performance or viruses or anything, but just to have a proper legit copy that I can upgrade as and when necessary. I've never done an XP installation before and doing that on my drive full of my work for the past 4 years is just a little bit scary

 

just to add to what hbroomhall said, nLite is a great little prog for slipstreaming and customising XP installations

 

If you want to legitamise your current installation using the key from the new copy then this is possible *without having to do an install*!

I'll try and dig out the details, but I found the proceedure on Microsoft's site when a friend of mine wanted this done.

Harry.

 

sorry Harry http://support.microsoft.com/kb/328874

 

No probs and thanks. That's the one. I'm a bit busy at the mo and couldn't spend the time searching!

Harry.

 

Harry and ThomasMC, that seems to be the perfect solution, at least in the eyes of Mr Gates I will now be legal, thanks very much for that.

GBL and BM, thanks for your time also, rep will be added gents

 

Chaps, have just been having a think in order to kill two birds with one stone

I've been meaning to buy myself an external hard drive to store all files and media on. However, this seems like a perfect time to buy a decent internal one

Now I have my new XP SP1 disk, how does this idea sound:

1) Buy a brand, spanking new internal HD
2) Change BIOS to boot from CD, stick in new Windows disk
3) Power down, remove my other two internal hard drives, put in new one
4) start system, boot from CD, then install XP on brand new drive with no risk of losing anything
5) Stick two old drives back in, all data intact, install all necessary programmes to new drive and copy all necessary files

Does that sound like a plan that will work?

 

Sounds good as long as your computer doesn't see your old drive as the active one when it boots.

 

If I change the boot sequence to CD first, will it override that, as I can designate the new drive as the Windows root directory can't I?

 

I meant, after you get Windows installed on the new drive. You'll then have two drives on the system, at least temporarily, right? The active drive will be the hard drive the computer boots from when the computer boots from hard drive. Changing the boot sequence to CD won't change that unless you plan on booting to CD for the rest of your computer's life.