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WARNING

Only you are responsible for the steps taken on your computer by following this tutorial.This website or the author is not responsible for any damage which might happens {though it will not} to your computer.

Following are the steps to install Windows XP on a new or old PC.

Step 1

==> A 233 MHz Intel or AMD processor.
==> 64 MB of RAM.
==> 1.5 GB of free hard disk space.
==> A Super VGA (800 x 600) or higher resolution video adapter and monitor.
==> A CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive.
==> A compatible mouse and keyboard.

These are the bare minimum system requirements, and XP will work better if you have a more powerful system.

Step 2

You can install Windows XP in many different ways, depending on your needs and limitations. Installation can be manual or unattended. You can do a manual installation in several ways:

==> Boot from CD—here, no existing hard disk partition is required.

==> Boot from the six setup boot disks, and then insert the CD (if booting from CD is not possible)—here, too, no existing partition is required.

==> If booting from CD is not possible, you can boot from an MSDOS startup floppy. Go to the command prompt, create a 4GB FAT32 partition using FDISK, and reboot. Then format the C partition you just created. Now switch to the CD drive (which contains the XP installation files), go to the ‘i386’ folder, and run the “Winnt32.exe” command.

==> From within an already installed OS, such as Windows 2000, go to the ‘i386’ folder in the XP installation CD and run the “Winnt32.exe” command.

==> To upgrade Windows 2000 to Windows XP Professional, you can follow the same procedure as above.

Then there are the methods of unattended installation using an installation script. I will explain the installation using a bootable Windows XP CD. The first step before installation is to check if the computer boots to CD. If it does not, set it to do so via the BIOS. Then follows the text-based part of the installation process.

Step 3

==> Set the CD-ROM drive as first boot device in the BIOS.

After Setup has loaded the necessary drivers, you’ll be instructed to press [Enter] to set up XP, [R] to repair a previous installation of XP using the recovery console, or [F3] to exit setup. Since we’re installing a fresh copy of XP, we’ll only talk about the first case.

==> Read the license agreement, and press [F8] to accept it.

==> If you already have a version of Windows installed setup searches for it, and if it finds one, you’ll be prompted to either repair it or install a fresh copy of Windows.

==> If you choose to install a fresh copy of Windows, you will be provided with the existing hard disk partition configuration. If the hard disk is unpartitioned, you can create and size the partition on which you will install Windows XP Professional. If the disk is partitioned but still has unpartitioned space, an additional partition can be created and Windows XP Professional can be installed on it.

==> If the partition that Setup chooses by default has an existing operating system, you will be overwriting it if you accept the default installation path. However, files other than the operating system files, such as program files and data files, will not be overwritten, and a dual-boot system will result.

==> If the hard disk has an existing partition, you can delete it to create unpartitioned raw space for a new partition. Bear in mind that deleting an existing partition erases all data on that partition.

==> Now you will have option to choose the type of filesystem for the partition on which you wish to install Windows. You may choose between the NTFS and FAT file systems. You can also choose between Quick Format and Normal Format. Normal Format is the default, and is the more reliable option, because it securely deletes all data on the partition and checks it thoroughly for errors.

==> Setup then begins to format the drive. After formatting, the copying of the XP setup files to the hard drive begins. When the copying is done, the computer restarts, and you must remove the floppy (if there is one) from the floppy drive.

The text-based portion of the installation ends here.

Step 4

In this part of the Windows installation, the graphical interface is installed and activated, and the mouse, too, functions at this point. The various hardware components of the computer are detected, and the appropriate drivers are loaded (if they’re available in the Windows driver database). This takes place in the background.

==> The ‘Regional and Language Options’ box now appears. You can customise the ‘Standards and Formats’ settings if you wish to. You can also change the keyboard language, though you’re best off leaving it at the default (US English). Click ‘Next’ to proceed.

==> Enter your name and, optionally, your organisation name to personalise your copy of Windows XP. Click ‘Next’.

==> Enter the 25-character product key that came with your copy of Windows XP and click ‘Next’.

==> You need to enter a computer name and administrator password in the next dialog. The computer name cannot contain spaces or special characters such as underscores and question marks.

==> Although not compulsory, a password can be assigned. Click ‘Next’.

==> In the ‘Date and Time Settings’ dialog box that pops up, set the date and time, as well as your time zone. Click ‘Next’.

==> Next appears the ‘Networking Settings’ dialog box, where you can install network software that allows you to connect to other computers and networks, and to the Internet. Choose ‘Typical Settings’ to create network connections using Client for Microsoft Networks, File and Printer Sharing, and TCP/IP Protocol with automatic addressing.

==> Choose ‘Custom’ if you wish to manually configure the networking components. Keep ‘TCP/IP’,‘Client for Microsoft Networks’ and ‘File and Printer Sharing’ selected. Then, highlight the ‘TCP/IP’ selection and press ‘Properties’. In the ‘General’ tab, enter the required information. You must specify the IP address of the computer, and if you don’t know what the ‘Subnet Mask’ entry is, simply place your mouse pointer over the empty area in the ‘Subnet Mask’ box and click it. XP will automatically select the value it thinks is best for the IP address you provided.

If you don’t know what to fill in, press ‘Cancel’ and select the ‘Typical Settings’ option. You can easily change these values later. You must specify either the Workgroup or the Domain name. (This step will be skipped if your network card does not feature in XP’s hardware compatibility list, that is, if the drivers for your card are unavailable from within Windows XP.)

Installation then proceeds until the Setup reboots the computer to proceed to the final part of the installation.

Step 5

It is in the final part of the installation that you actually boot into XP. You are prompted to click ‘OK’ in a dialog box, and doing so will set the optimal resolution supported by both your monitor and display adapter. If satisfied, click ‘OK’ to proceed.

==> A welcome screen comes up as you start your first XP session.Click ‘Next’.

==> In the next screen, you are provided with the option to enable or disable “Automatic Updates,” which help keep Windows updated with the latest security and critical updates, bug fixes and service packs from Microsoft. Of course, you’ll need an Internet connection for this.

==> Windows then checks if your computer is connected to the Internet, and proceeds to update your version of Windows using
Automatic Update. Next, you are given the option of either registering your copy of Windows with Microsoft right then or at a later date.

==> Registration is optional. If you’re registered, you’ll be notified about new products, updates, events, promotions and special offers from Microsoft. If you do not have an Internet connection, select ‘No’ and click ‘Next’.

==> In the screen that follows, you will be asked to enter the names of the users who will use the computer. Separate user accounts with these names are created—these can be later personalised. You need to enter your name in order to proceed to the next screen and complete the XP setup.

After that you will be presented with a newly installed Windows XP.

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