How to Install Windows XP on an Unformatted Hard Drive
- 1). Turn the computer on and immediately insert the Windows XP CD or restart the computer with the Windows XP CD inserted. A message such as "Press a key to boot from CD" will appear. Press a key to boot from the Windows XP CD. If no message appears and you receive a message such as "No operating system" or "Please insert system disk," restart the computer and press the key indicated on the bottom of the screen ("Del" or "F2") to enter the BIOS setup. Find an area of the setup utility titled "Boot Order" or "Boot Devices" and change the order so that the CD or DVD drive appears first. Save the new configuration and restart the computer again.
- 2). Press F6 when prompted and insert a floppy disk containing the device drivers if your hard drive is connected to a SCSI, RAID or SATA controller card. The driver floppy is generally included in the package with the controller card. If the hard drive is connected directly to a motherboard IDE controller or some types of motherboard SATA controllers, Windows XP recognizes it and installs drivers automatically. If you do not press F6, Windows XP scans the hard drives in the system then presents you with a list. The new hard drive has the label "Unpartitioned Space."
- 3). Highlight the hard drive labeled "Unpartitioned Space" with the keyboard arrow keys and press "Enter." Windows XP initializes and partitions the drive then asks whether you would like to use the FAT32 or NTFS file system to format the drive.
- 4). Use the arrow keys to select the file system that you want to use. Select the NTFS file system unless you have a specific reason for wanting to use the older FAT32 file system. You may format the drive using a "quick format" or "full format" operation. No waiting is required for a quick format to complete. However, a quick format does not scan the drive for bad sectors. Press "Enter" when you have made your selection. Windows formats the hard drive then copies files from the Windows XP installation CD so that the setup process may continue. The computer restarts and boots from the hard drive. The Windows XP graphical environment loads and the mouse becomes usable.
- 5). Type the name that you would like to use when logging in to Windows and, if appropriate, the name of your organization. Click "Next."
- 6). Enter the 25-character product key for Windows XP exactly as it is shown on the certificate of authenticity or product packaging. Omit the dash between each group of five characters. Click "Next."
- 7). Type the name that you would like to use to identify your computer on a network, then type the password you would like to use for the computer Administrator account. The Administrator account is generally used only for troubleshooting purposes, so write the Administrator password down or make sure that it is something you will not forget. Click "Next."
- 8). Enter the date, time and time zone. Click "Next." The installation process continues as Windows installs the networking components for your computer.
- 9). Select "Typical Settings" and click "Next" at the network configuration screen.
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Enter the name of the workgroup or domain (Windows XP Professional Edition only) that you would like the computer to connect. If you have a home network, the name of the workgroup should match the workgroup name used by your other computers. Click "Next." After a few more moments, the computer restarts and the Windows XP desktop loads. The computer is ready to use.
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