Windows xp from disk. Installing Windows XP

Windows xp from disk.  Installing Windows XP
Windows xp from disk. Installing Windows XP

Greetings to our esteemed readers. Today, our computer portal has prepared another useful article for you.

This time it's about reinstalling Windows XP. You know, how to reinstall windows xp? Surely you have questions. In this publication, we will try to tell you absolutely free of charge and step by step about all the subtle points, from saving important data to formatting logical drive. So let's get started.

How to Reinstall Properly - Preparing to Reinstall Windows XP

How to correctly reinstall Windows XP on a computer, laptop or netbook? First of all, let's figure out why you need a Windows installation xp. It could be viruses slow work operating system or its general clutter. If you do not have these factors, then you may need a permutation of XP.

But if you still decide to reinstall Windows XP, then we will start by preparing for this procedure. First, we need to decide what we want to get in the end. By the way, we already have a good review article. Again, if the computer was attacked by viruses and you couldn’t deal with them, then in this case it makes sense to reinstall Windows XP. Where do you need to start to reinstall windows xp correctly and without losing important data? That's right, with saving this important data to another logical drive or media. To do this, go through all the folders of the system in which you have valuable information. This also applies to the desktop and the My Documents folder. We advise you to double-check everything, because if you decide to format HDD during the installation of a new Windows XP, then all data will be lost. Usually, this refers to the C drive.

Saved? Go ahead. To reinstall Windows XP, we need installation disk with a copy of the Windows XP distribution kit or an installed image of this operating system on a USB flash drive. Actually, it's up to you to decide where to install the operating system from - as it is more convenient, do it.

After reinstalling, you will also need device drivers for your computer. Therefore, we advise you to take care of this in advance, and select the necessary drivers. You can usually find them on the disk that comes with motherboard or on the Internet, on the official websites of the manufacturers of the components of your computer or laptop.

Finally, we recommend that you reinstall Windows XP SP3, as this is the latest edition from Microsoft that contains the most security patches. If you have Windows XP SP2, or even worse SP1, then it's better to immediately reinstall to SP3.

So, let's go directly to reinstalling Windows XP. As we wrote earlier, there are two options from which you can reinstall the system:

  1. Reinstalling Windows XP from a flash drive
  2. Reinstalling Windows XP from CD

The first option provides for the ability to reinstall windows xp without a disk, but from a flash drive on which the system image is recorded. Especially if you have a netbook or laptop without DVD drive. Fortunately, it is always possible to download a program that writes an image to a USB flash drive. The second one is less time consuming if you already have a copy of the operating system on disk.

So, the following is step by step reinstallation windows xp in pictures. Insert a flash drive or disk. We reboot the laptop or computer, and go into the BIOS. To do this, in order to get into the BIOS, as soon as the computer starts to reboot, periodically press the key Del or F1(still happens F2, - computers are different for everyone, and, accordingly, the BIOS is different). We are looking for the menu item “First Boot Device” and put the USB flash drive or DVD drive first in the boot.

Exit the BIOS by saving the settings. This can be done by selecting the “Save and Exit” item in the corresponding tab or by clicking F10, and then Enter. If you have correctly selected the media from which you want to boot and saved the settings data in the BIOS, then after closing it, the computer will restart the installation of Windows XP, at the beginning of which you will need to accept license agreement(key F8). After that, the installer will ask if you want to restore the operating system. Here you need to press the key Esc and proceed with the reinstallation of Windows XP. The following screen will appear:

As you can see, you need to press the key Enter to continue with the installation. After that, we get to the screen for working with partitions hard drive. Here you need to be very careful and delete exactly the partition on which you want to reinstall Windows XP. This is done with keys. D And L. The main thing is not to delete another logical drive (for example, the one on which you saved your data).

Having finished (in a good way) with the partitions, we move on to the next stage of the reinstallation. Separation of a logical partition. In general, you can make it easier and leave the amount of disk space that was. But if for some reason you want to change the size of the logical disk, then this is not difficult to do. You can see everything in the picture:

After we have decided on the size of the partition for Windows XP, we proceed to the next reinstallation item - formatting. Everything is simple here. Choose "Quick NTFS formatting” and complete the installation of the operating system by restarting the computer.

After the reboot, the Windows XP installer will start.

Further installation of Windows XP

So, the installer has started. The first thing he will ask you to do is setting regional settings. There is nothing complicated here. Just determine the correct time zone in which you live.

After that, select the default language. In this tab, you can also add any other language and assign keys for switching input languages.

After selecting languages, the installer will ask you to enter the computer name, username and password, which is not required if this is your home computer. You will also need to enter license key Windows XP, as well as region and date.

Having done all these simple steps, You are almost done with the reinstallation. As you can see, reinstalling Windows XP is not that difficult. The computer will restart again and you will be taken to the desktop. So, you are welcome new Windows xp. What to do next? Perform configuration, install drivers and desired programs. We will talk about this in our next article.

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Perhaps today, installing Windows XP will seem like a rather strange decision to someone. In fact: after all, newer versions of the Windows operating system have been released for a long time. In addition, Microsoft has already managed to officially announce the end of support for Piggy.

However, in practice, many computers around the world continue to function successfully on XP. There could be many different reasons for this. There is probably no point in discussing them here. Instead, it’s worth telling how Windows XP is installed from scratch. Moreover, this procedure differs in many respects from that common in modern operating systems.

Windows XP installation options

You can install Windows XP from a variety of sources:

  • With attached system disk;
  • From a bootable flash drive;
  • Or even by downloading all the necessary files from the network.

There are also some very specific ways, but they are so rarely in demand, so perhaps they are not worth considering here.

What to do first

Not only before installing XP, but also other operating systems, you will need to perform a number of mandatory steps:

  • Get an installation disk or an installation USB flash drive;
  • Do backups all your important data: after all, everything that was on the hard drive before will disappear forever;
  • Make sure all the drivers you need are at hand: XP didn't ship with the ready-made videos and sound drivers - so they will have to be installed separately;
  • And also set as the boot source the drive that you plan to use: a USB flash drive, CD drive or other device.

In order to carry out the last point, during the start of the computer, you will need to exit the BIOS. Usually, the F12 key is pressed for this, however, for certain computer models, these may be other keys: refer to the documentation. In the BIOS settings, you will need to set the parameter: First Boot Device from CD-ROM, or a flash drive, or specify that the boot will occur from network resources.

Starting the installation

Once the boot source has been specified, you will need to insert the system disk, save the changes and restart the computer. If everything was done correctly, then the drive will rustle - and on blue screen you will be prompted to start Windows installations XP. If you agree, you will need to press F8 - confirmation with the License Agreement.

Next, a list of available partitions for installation will open. Usually as system partition select drive C. However, this is not required. Some users even install multiple copies of the OS on different partitions. In a word, select the partition to be installed with the cursor keys and then select the formatting method for this partition. In most cases, "Format in NTFS" is suitable. That's where XP works. You can also select "Quick Format in NTFS". In this case, your data will not be destroyed, the formatting and installation itself will also be faster. However, if the XP boot problem was caused precisely by a problem in the system, or if Windows XP was not installed before, this should not be done.

We agree that all data on this partition will be destroyed by pressing the F key, then we look at how the progress bar of the formatting process is filled. This process can take quite a while - it all depends on the speed of your computer and how big your hard drive is.

As soon as the formatting is completed, the computer will restart, at this time you do not need to press any keys. If everything went well, then the necessary system files.

Continued installation

After copying the most important Windows files switches to graphics mode. It will be possible to read about the merits of the new Windows in comparison with the old versions. As a matter of fact, at this time, you don’t have to do anything special. Unless you agree with everything that is offered.

Although some actions will still need to be taken. For example, in the first stages you will be asked to enter a license code. If it is not there, then the installation will not continue. Therefore, you should save the sticker with the code, or write it down somewhere and store it separately.

If the entered code is correct, the installation will continue. Sometimes the computer will reboot, sometimes it will "think" for too long. There is no need to be afraid of this: everything goes on as usual.

But it's still too early to go on a coffee break. The system, for example, will ask which language we want to set as the main one, as well as set the time and date, give a name account(it will be possible to change it later), register (or not) on a Microsoft server, update our operating system right now ... In general, all requests are intuitive, so choosing the right answer is not difficult.

At the final stage, the operating system will report that almost everything is ready and automatically configure the display settings. However, until the video drivers are installed, therefore, the image will still not shine with high quality.

Finally, the computer will go to the last reboot, after which the familiar Desktop with a photo of a green hill will appear. We can assume that the installation was completed successfully.

Final stage

At the final stage of installing the OS, you will need to configure the operating system itself to your liking, as well as install all the necessary drivers. How to do this is a topic for another article. As for the installation of drivers, everything is quite individual here, here is just a small list of the most necessary ones:

  • System video driver;
  • Sound drivers;
  • network drivers;
  • If necessary, you can install modem, printer and other device drivers.

As you can see, in the question of how to install Windows XP, in fact, there is nothing particularly complicated. Anyone with the right skills can do it.

This is most likely due to clogging system registry various files, which remained after installing / removing programs, applications, games, etc. In addition, viruses, trojans, spyware and other "evil spirits" that have crept into you can also serve as the cause of "brakes" and "glitches" of the system.

Our experts can help and "cure" your computer from the effects of virus attacks. But it is still desirable to reinstall the operating system for reliability. This article will discuss exactly how to reinstall Windows, in this case XP.

What to do before reinstalling windows xp

Before reinstalling windows xp, you should move / copy all important files (photos, documents, music, etc.) to a disk or USB flash drive. In case your hard disk is divided into sectors, move important information from the system drive to some other one, for example, from drive "C" to drive "D" or "F".

This is necessary because all information from the system disk will be deleted, so we do not advise you to save anything on the “C” drive in the future. Usually it serves only to install the operating system and programs. We even recommend installing games on another drive so that after reinstalling the system you can continue the game from the saved moments.

Be sure to check for all the main drivers that came with your computer (graphics adapter driver, sound card, motherboard etc.) If they are missing, you should download the missing ones from the Internet.

Correctly configuring the BIOS before reinstalling Windows XP

To reinstall windows XP, we need to configure the BIOS. On different computers BIOS settings slightly different, but the differences are not significant.

How to install Windows through BIOS? To do this, while the computer is booting, you need to press the "delete" button or "F2" several times (5-6 times), depending on the motherboard. A blue BIOS window should appear in front of you (the screenshots show examples with the two most popular BIOS versions). In it you need to find the inscriptions: Boot, or boot device priority, or Boot sequence, again, depending on the type of motherboard.

When system files become corrupted, your Windows becomes inoperable. Perhaps all programs start to run slowly, and you want to return to their previous performance. Fortunately, recovery reinstalling Windows XP is fairly simple. Follow this guide to learn how to make them, no matter what. Windows versions XP you are using.

Steps

Recovery

    Insert the Windows XP disc. If you don't have such a disc, contact your computer vendor or download the .iso file from the internet to burn it to a blank disc. Be careful about viruses and remember that you will still need to enter an activation code.

    Write down your activation code. It is important to do this before you start the installation. This is the 25 digit code you need to enter in order to install Windows. It can usually be found in two places:

    Restart your computer. Make sure the Windows XP disc is inserted. Your computer must be configured to boot from the CD. To do this, you need to go into the BIOS settings menu.

    Start installation. After the manufacturer's logo disappears, you will see the phrase Press any key to boot from CD. Press any key on your keyboard to start the installation process. If you do not click anything, the computer will boot from the hard drive as usual.

    To begin the installation process, Windows must download the necessary drivers. Then you will see a welcome window. Press Enter to start the installation. Do not start the Recovery Console.

    Read the agreement. Then press F8 to agree and continue. The program will display windows list that are available for installation. Most users will only see one option.

    Select an installation option. If you only have one, it will be selected by default. Press R to start the recovery process. Windows will start copying the files and then restart the computer automatically. After that, the recovery process itself will begin.

    Enter the activation code. Towards the end of the installation, you will need to enter an activation code. Windows will validate this code before continuing.

    Check programs. After the installation is complete, your restored Windows will start. Because the system files have been changed, some of your programs may not work and will need to be reinstalled.

    Formatting and installation

    1. Save your data. Formatting and reinstalling Windows will clean up your hard drive. Make sure that all your important data is backed up before starting the installation. Photos, movies and music will be erased.

      Wait for the drivers to load. To begin the installation process, Windows needs to download the required drivers. After that, you will see a welcome window. Press Enter to start the installation. Do not start the Recovery Console.

      Read the agreement. After that press F8 to agree and continue. The program will display a list of Windows that are available for installation.

      Delete sections. You will see a list of partitions on your hard drive. These are the C: and D: drives (the letters depend on your system settings).

      Create new section. Select an unallocated area. Press C to create a new partition. Enter the maximum possible value and press Enter.

      Start installing Windows. After creating the partition, select it and press Enter to start installing Windows. You will need to format this partition. Select "Format the partition using the NTFS file system". Choose NTFS over FAT as NTFS works much better with Windows.

      Windows will start installing. This is an automatic process, during which you will only need to enter some data. First of all, it is your language and region. Change the default settings if they are not suitable. After that click "Next".

      Enter the activation code. You will need to enter a 25 digit code. If you are installing Windows XP SP3 from a disc, then on this stage you won't need to enter it.

      Enter a computer name. This name will be displayed online to describe your computer. Windows will automatically create a name for you, although you can easily change it to something else.

      Install correct date and time. You will see a calendar and clock that you can customize. You can also set the time zone for your region.

      Do basic settings networks. You will have to choose between standard and manual setting networks. Suitable for most users standard settings. If you are installing the system in a corporate environment, check with your administrator.

      Windows will complete the installation. This takes a few minutes and does not require user intervention. Once the installation is complete, your computer will automatically restart and launch Windows XP.

      Click OK to set the screen resolution. Windows will attempt to automatically adjust the screen resolution for your computer. During setup, you will be asked if you can read the text on the screen. If yes, click OK to continue. If not, press Cancel, or wait 20 seconds for the screen to return to default settings.

This section describes in more detail all steps to install Windows XP Professional. Windows XP installation procedure Home Edition is a process that is similar to the task execution procedure - Professional Edition. Starting with Windows XP Pro being a more advanced operating system, looking at it we will be able to demonstrate the installation procedure, but in a different way.

The most optimal and correct solution installation of Windows XP will be in the case when the previous operating system, completely "removed" and deleted all files and folders. It's not hard to accomplish clean install, some guidelines should be followed. Specifically, you will need to check the Windows XP Compatibility List to make sure your hardware is supported by XP. There is such an opportunity as a compatibility check on the network to download drivers for Windows XP. Be sure to save any necessary drivers to floppy disks or a CD before starting the installation.

Windows xp can also be installed from usb drive(flash drives). To do this, you need to prepare the usb itself (flash drive). How to do this is described here:. This is necessary when you have a netbook, or a broken drive. The installation procedure itself is no different from installing from a disk. Except for setting the boot priority in the BIOS. In our case, we will install from the disk.

So, all versions of Windows XP from the boot CD are saved. To boot from CD/DVD-ROM, you need to set boot sequences. Look for the boot sequence in the BOOT tab, according to your BIOS settings, and check that the device comes first - from the CD / DVD-ROM. Only now, you can proceed to the following lists in order:

Guide on how to install Windows XP on a netbook and computer

Step 1— Start your computer and place the Windows XP CD in your CD/DVD-ROM drive. The computer will automatically detect the CD and you will get the following message: "Press any key to boot from CD". This is fine. Now, as soon as the computer starts booting from your disk, the following window will be displayed:

Step 2- Now you have to press F6 in order to install further drivers: SCSI or Raid. If you are using an IDE hard drive, you do not need to press the F6 key. If you are using a SCSI or SATA hard drive, then you must press F6 otherwise Windows will not recognize the hard drive during setup. Be sure to check that the Raid drivers are on the floppy. Drivers are usually supplied on a CD that you can copy to a floppy disk ready for installation.

Step 3- Click "S" to indicate that you want to install an additional device.

Step 4- You will be asked to insert the Raid floppy or SCSI drivers. You must continue to follow the instructions displayed by the installation system. Press the enter key after you have inserted the disc.

Step 5- Here is a Raid list of drivers for your HDD. Now you should select the desired and correct driver for your device, and click the enter key (enter).

Step 6- After that, you will get a Windows XP Professional installer on the screen. You have the option to install new parts of your PC, "repair" a previous installation, or choose to quit (end the process). Since we decided to do a new and complete installation, just hit Enter to continue.

Step 7- A window will open for you to accept the licensed version and your consent. Press the "F8" button to accept the terms and continue with the installation:

Step 8This action perform carefully! A partition will be created here, and Windows will be installed there. If you have a new unformatted drive that you received before this procedure, similar to the one shown below. In our case, the disk size is 10237MB. Here you can make a choice to install Windows on the disk without creating a partition, i.e., the entire disk space will be used. If this step seems right for you, just go ahead and press enter, Windows will automatically create partitions and format the drive as one large disk space.

However, for this demo, I will be creating two partitions. The size of the first partition can be 6001MB (drive C:) and the second partition will be slightly smaller - 4228MB (drive E:). Create two sections, we can, having one that stores Windows Applications and another that stores our data. So in the future, if something goes wrong with our Windows installations, such as a virus or spyware, we can re-install Windows on the C: drive and our data on the E: drive will not be affected. Please note that you have the opportunity to choose any partition size that suits you. Let's say if you have a 320GB hard drive you can split it into 2 160GB partitions.

Click "C" to create a partition.

Step 8- Windows will display information about the total size of the hard drive, and ask you how much you want to allocate for the partition you are about to create. I will choose 6001MB. The screen shown below will appear. Notice this shows "C:" is partition 1 and then the size is 6001MB. This means the partition has been created. We still have 4236MB of unallocated space. Now select the unallocated space by clicking the arrow key. Press "C:" to create a new partition. You will see the total space available for the new partition. Just choose, in our case 4236MB.

Step 9- Now you will see that both sections are listed. Partition 1 (Drive C:) 6001MB and Partition 2 (Drive E:) 4228MB. You will also have 8MB of unallocated space. Do not worry about it. Just leave it. Typically, Windows has some unallocated space. You might be wondering what happened to the D: drive. Windows is automatically allocated to the D: drive, on a CD/DVD-ROM.

Select Partition 1 (Drive C:), and hit Enter.

Step 10- Choose to format the partition using the file format NTFS systems file - It is recommended to use the file system for this procedure. If the hard drive was formatted before you started, then you can choose a quick NTFS format. We chose NTFS because it offers many security features, handles large disk sizes, and has a large array of secure formatting features.

Now, Windows will start formatting the "C:" drive and copy the installer files, as shown in the two photos below:

Step 11- At the end of the installation, copying all the necessary files to your computer, you will be warned to restart your PC. Do not remove the CD from the XP under any circumstances. After turning on the PC, a sign will be displayed, but this time DO NOT press any key when the message “Press any key to boot from CD”, etc. appears. After a few seconds, the installation program will continue. The Windows XP Setup wizard will walk you through the setup process to gather information about your computer.

Step 12- Select your region and language.

Step 13- Enter the desired name and organization name.

Step 14. Enter your product key.

Step 15- Computer name and enter the Administrator password (it is possible without it if you are the only user on this PC). Don't forget to write down the Administrator password.

Step 16- Enter the correct date, time and select your time zone.

Step 17- To configure the network, select normal and click "next"

Step 18- Choose a name working group or domain. If you are not a member of a domain, then leave the default settings and click next. Windows will reboot again and the display will now be configured

Step 19– As a result, Windows will start and display a welcome message screen. Press the "next" key to continue.

Step 20- Select "Help protect my computer, turn on automatic update and click next.

Step 21- Next, you need to choose how you will connect to the Internet. If you are connected to a router or local network, then select: "Yes, this computer will be connected to the Internet through local network or home network". If you have a dial-up modem select: "No, this computer will connect directly to the Internet." Then click the "Next" button.

Step 22 Done, now what do you need to Windows activation? Select "yes" if you want to activate Windows over the Internet. Select "no" if you want to leave the activation at a later time.

Step 23- Add users who will be subscribed to this computer and click "continue".

Step 24-Your PC system will display a window similar to "Thank you", you should confirm the end of the installation. Click the "Finish" button.

Step 25. Now it follows, forcibly restart the computer and enter, so to speak, “into a clean OS system” again.

Step 26- Now you should check in Device Manager and make sure all drivers have been loaded or if there are any conflicts. From the Start menu, select Start -> Settings -> Control Panel. Click on the System icon, and then from the System Properties window, select the Hardware tab, then click on Device Manager.

You will see yellow Exclamation point"!" next to any of the listed devices, this means that you have not found any drivers or drivers not correctly loaded. In our case, we have a Video Controller (VGA compatible) with no drivers installed.

To install the driver manually, use the following procedure:

(a) From device manager, double-click on the device containing the exclamation mark.

(b) This will open the device properties window.

(c) Click on the Driver tab.

(d) Click the "Update Driver" button.

You now receive multiple solutions. The first solution provides automatic search the correct driver. The second parameter allows you to specify the location of the driver. If you don't know the location of the driver, choose automatic search, which can find the required driver from the manufacturer on the included CD or Floppy Disk. Windows will install the necessary drivers and may ask you to restart your computer for the changes to take effect. Use this procedure to install drivers for all devices that contain an exclamation mark. Windows will be fully installed and ready to go when there are no more exclamation points in Device Manager.