GrinchyNet

Introduction

Installing Microsoft Windows XP Professional is a relatively painless operation. This guide will show you how to perform a clean installation of XP. A clean installation is typically performed on a formatted hard drive meaning there is no data on the drive.

System Requirements

To install Windows XP Pro you will need the following things:

• PC with 300 megahertz or higher processor clock speed recommended; 233 MHz minimum required (single or dual processor system);* Intel Pentium/Celeron family, or AMD K6/Athlon/Duron family, or compatible processor recommended
• 128 megabytes (MB) of RAM or higher recommended (64 MB minimum supported; may limit performance and some features)
• 1.5 gigabytes (GB) of available hard disk space*
• Super VGA (800 x 600) or higher-resolution video adapter and monitor
• CD-ROM or DVD drive
• Keyboard and Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device

Actual requirements will vary based on your system configuration and the applications and features you choose to install. Additional available hard disk space may be required if you are installing over a network.

Installation

1. Turn the PC on and insert your XP installation CD
2. Once the media is booted you will come to the following screen
   
3. Press the Enter key to continue. The following screen should appear.
   
4. Read the licensing agreement and press F8 to agree to the terms and continue
5. At this screen you will create the installation partition. This computer has one 20GB hard drive with no partitions defined. For the purpose of this tutorial I am going to use the entire drive. Press the Enter key to continue.
   
6. Here you can choose how you want to format the drive. You can choose FAT32 or NTFS. FAT32 is a legacy file system from Windows 98 and earlier. NTFS is the standard file system in today's Windows system. Make your selection and press the Enter key to continue.
   
7. The hard drive will now be formatted. The time it takes depends on how big the partition is and whether or not you chose quick format.
   
8. Once the format is complete Windows will begin copying the installation files.
   
9. The setup routine will then initialize your Windows configuration.
   
10. Windows will then restart.
    
11. Once the PC restarts you will get the XP loading screen
    
12. Now you will be at the GUI portion of the install.
    
13. Windows will now install device drivers
    
14. If you need to change the region or language you can do so here otherwise click the Next button.
    
15. Here you will type in your name and organization if you belong to one. Click the Nect button to continue.
    
16. Type in the Product Code. If you do not have one you will not be able to continue. Press the Next button to continue
    
17. Give the computer a name and type in a password for the Administrator account
    
18. Ensure the date and time are correct along with the time zone. Click the Next button to continue.
    
19. Windows will begin installing the network components.
    
20. Here is where you define your network settings. The typical setup will use DHCP to obtain an IP address. The custom setup allows you to define your IP address and othe TCP/IP settings. Click Next to continue
    
21. Now you can choose to place the computer in a workgroup or a domain. A workgroup is geared towards home use where a domain is more for businesses. Click Next to continue.
    
22. Windows will continue to install files and will reboot your computer one last time.
    
23. The Windows startup screen should appear
    
24. Windows may detect that your display settings need to be adjusted. Click the OK button
    
25. After the screen has been adjusted click the Yes button to keep the settings.
    
26. Windows will then finalize your installation. Click the Next button to continue.
    
27. Here you can turn on or turn off Automatic Updates. I recommend you turn it on. Click Next to continue.
    
28. Windows will then try to determine if your internet connection is working.
    
29. You will then be asked to activate your copy of XP. You can do this now or later. If you decide later you will have 60 days to complete the activation.
    
30. Type in the usernames that will be using this computer. Click Next to continue.
    
31. The installation is now complete. Click the Finish button.
    
32. You will then see the Welcome screen.
    
33. You are now at the Windows XP desktop. At this point the installation is complete and you can begin to enjoy your computer.