How to Reinstall Windows XP
If you’ve had a lot of odd problems crop up on your computer that were impossible to fix, your computer has slowed down significantly, or you picked up a serious virus that you can’t seem to beat, you might want to consider reinstalling Windows. During this process you can also reformat your hard drive, which deletes everything and leaves a clean drive. Depending on your usage you may want to consider doing regular reformatting every one or two years. Luckily, reinstalling Windows is a fairly easy process.
Step 1: Create a backup
Reinstalling Windows can cause you to lose all your files, including personal files usually kept under C:\Documents and Settings. It’s important to back up anything you don’t want to risk losing, including personal files and any software you can’t easily download and replace. Back up your files by burning them to CDs or DVDs, or by using an external hard drive, which can be plugged into any USB port. External hard drives are getting cheaper every day and are a great investment.
Step 2: Boot from your Windows XP CD
Find your Windows XP CD that came with your computer, and insert it into your CD drive. When you restart your computer, you should be given the option to “boot from CD.” Choose this option by pressing “Enter.”
If you were not given this option, you may need to change your BIOS settings. Restart your computer, and watch for “BIOS Setup” while it boots. Press the key indicated to go to the menu. When you get to the BIOS menu, change the “boot order” and make sure booting from the CD drive is at the top.
If you can’t locate your Windows CD, it’s also possible to reformat and reinstall Windows from your hard drive. Simply locate the file called “winnt32.exe” under C:\i386 and double click on it.
Step 3: Just follow the instructions
Windows will walk you through reinstalling with simple instructions. You may be able to choose to preserve your files and settings, but as long as you backed everything up its recommended you go ahead and wipe everything and reformat your drive. When you are prompted to choose a partition, choose whichever is the largest, usually “C” drive. When you are prompted, indicate that you want to reformat your drive. The reformatting can take a couple of hours.
Step 4: Reinstall Windows
Next, follow the directions you are given to reinstall Windows XP and complete the process. You may be prompted for your product license key which is located on the CD case or on a sticker on your computer.
Step 5: Updates and reconfiguration
Be sure to update your drivers and Windows files as needed. To see your drivers, right click on “My Computer,” choose properties, hardware, and click on “Device Manager.”
You will also need to set up your internet connection again by right-clicking on “My Network Places” and choosing “Create a new connection.”
Step 6: Restore data
Replace all the data you stored on your CD, DVD, or external hard drive.
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