How To Install Windows XP
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Windows XP installation is easy to follow, but users who like the control that the Custom Installation options provide will be disappointed with the "all default, all the time" model of WinXP. Alternately, users who simply click Next and I Agree during every setup will be pleased with the hands-off nature of WinXP's installation. It will prompt you for information at the beginning and end of the installation; in between, it will simply direct your computer to copy files and reboot several times.

Here are the steps you'll need to follow:
  1. You should have already backed up your important data, gathered your materials, and closed all running applications. If not, do so now.
  2. Insert the WinXP Installation CD. It should launch the installer and Welcome Screen automatically. If not, double-click My Computer on your Desktop, navigate to your CD-ROM drive, and double-click the Setup.exe application (you may also see this as simply Setup).
  3. This will launch the Welcome Screen. Select Install WinXP from the menu.
  4. After you begin the installation, you may be prompted to decide whether to perform an upgrade or a new installation. If you purchased the upgrade version of WinXP, you won't have this option; you'll have to have a supported previous version of Windows already installed and ready to be upgraded. In short, an upgrade will retain all your applications, data, and settings, without removing your current OS. The OS is simply upgraded to WinXP from its existing state. On the other hand, a new installation installs the OS from scratch, removing and replacing any existing OS in the process. If you are going to perform a new installation, you might want to manually uninstall your old OS beforehand, just to ensure a clean installation. If you don't already have a Windows OS on your hard drive or if you are running Windows 95 (which can't be upgraded to WinXP), you won't have a choice: You'll need to perform a new installation. Keep in mind, though, that only an upgrade installation can be uninstalled. If you perform a new installation, you won't be able to revert to your previous OS.
  5. When prompted, accept the WinXP License Agreement and enter the product key you received with your CD-ROM. If you run into trouble, double-check your entry to make sure you haven't entered an incorrect number or letter. (Watch out for the difference between the letter O and the numeral 0.)
  6. If you chose to perform an upgrade installation or if you have the upgrade version of WinXP, the setup process will prompt you for an Upgrade Check. This will launch and run the Upgrade Advisor. If you haven't already done so, run an Upgrade Report to make sure the components of your PC are compatible with WinXP. If you already ran this utility in preparation for the installation, there's no need to run it again.
  7. If you chose to perform a new installation, you will have the opportunity to define your Setup Options. After you click the Advanced Options button, you can direct the installation to copy to or from a nonstandard location on your hard drive (not recommended for general use). Accessibility Options lets you opt to use a screen magnifier or have a narrator read the setup instructions aloud. You also can define the language in which your installation should take place (U.S. English is the default).
  8. Just before beginning the actual installation and transferring files, WinXP will prompt you to let it Get Updated Setup Files. This is the Dynamic Update feature that checks with Microsoft (via an Internet connection) for updates to the installation. Microsoft included this utility to make sure you receive the most current install available, but the version on the CD-ROM should work fine if you aren't online or don't want to use the Dynamic Update option.
  9. If you're creating a new installation, you'll see a Welcome To Setup screen to prompt you through several steps. First, press ENTER to begin the installation (you also can quit or repair an interrupted install from here). Next, you'll need to choose which partition (normally, but not always, you will have one partition per hard drive) on which to install WinXP. In most circumstances, you'll select your C: drive here. In addition, you'll need to decide which file system to use; you can use either FAT32 (what Windows 95/98 and Me users will have already) or you can convert your system to NTFS (a newer and more secure file system used in Windows NT and Windows 2000). Keep in mind that if you convert from FAT32 to NTFS, you can't convert back or uninstall WinXP. If you have an existing Windows installation on your selected hard drive, you'll receive a warning that the process will overwrite it.
  10. This is where the easy part begins: Let the installation run. The preparation and copying of files can take one to two hours or more, depending on the speed of your system's optical drive, processor, hard drive, and other variables. The screen and progress meter won't change much during this time, which can be a bit disconcerting, and the timer that tells you how much time remains isn't generally very accurate. WinXP's installation doesn't do a good job of letting you know that it's working fine; you may even start to think that your installation has stopped working, but be patient and just let the installation run. If you can't detect any progress for a very long time (such as 30 minutes or more), then you should try to start the installation over (if possible).
  11. After the installation process is complete, new (as opposed to an upgrade) installations will present you with options to enter in order to set up the system. You will need to define regional and language options (how numbers, dates, and other information displays), enter your name and (if appropriate) your organization, provide your computer with a name, enter your modem and/or network settings (if applicable), and set the date and time (Windows defaults to U.S. Pacific time, so change the time zone accordingly). Finally, you'll need to set up your Internet connection, if necessary. If you performed an upgrade installation, all of these settings will transfer from the older OS to WinXP.
  12. Users performing both new and upgrade installations will need to activate WinXP. Product Activation is another part of WinXP that Microsoft introduced to prevent piracy. Product Activation combines your hardware profile with your product key to create a unique identifier for your PC and your copy of WinXP. You can activate the OS now or do it later, but you only have 30 days to activate the OS or WinXP will stop working. The easiest way to activate is online; WinXP will connect to Microsoft with your unique identifier and verify that your product key hasn't already been used. If you don't have a connection to the Internet, you can wait to activate the OS manually (Select Start, All Programs, and Accessories. Choose System Tools and Activate Windows) or activate it over the phone. See the "Windows XP Product Activation" sidebar in this article for more information about activating WinXP.
  13. The installation may prompt you to create an MSN (The Microsoft Network) account. This is one of the features that critics have highlighted as an example of Microsoft using its OS monopoly to promote its other services. If you already have an MSN account or if you received one as a part of buying your computer, you can set it up now. If you have another ISP, you should skip the MSN setup and install your own ISP's software later.
  14. The final step for Windows XP Home users is to create user accounts. You should create separate accounts for each person using the computer. At this point, you just need to name each account. After the installation, you can add or remove accounts and change the settings for each account from the User Accounts area of the Control Panel. (Such settings can include instituting password-protection or limiting file access.)

Download how to install Windows Xp user guide


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