How Do I Upgrade My Computer to XP?
- 1). Ensure that all important files are saved in an external drive or onto another computer. Note that installing Windows XP will format the system or delete existing files in the computer.
- 2). Insert the Windows XP installation CD into the optical drive of the computer. The computer should prompt you to "Press any key to boot from CD" if the BIOS has the system configured to boot the CD-ROM first before booting the other computer drives.
- 3). Press a key at once before the computer boots the next drive in line. If the system does not prompt you to press any key but boots the operating system instead, you need to configure the BIOS to boot from CD. See the Resources section for instructions on how to configure the computer to boot from CD.
- 4). Wait for the setup process to begin. When a list of hard drive partitions appears, delete each of them (press "Delete," and then "L" to confirm). Once you have deleted all partitions, you will be left with one large unpartitioned space. You have the option to create partitions or use the whole hard drive partition where you will install Windows XP. To create a partition, press "C," and then type the amount of hard disk space you want allocated. To use the whole hard drive, simply press "Enter."
- 5). Format the partitions. Select "Format the partition using the NTFS file system." The formatting process shall take a few minutes, depending on the size of your hard drive. When the process completes, the computer will reboot and proceed to the main Windows XP installation.
- 6). Follow the instructions for the Windows XP installation. Wait for the computer to reboot again when setup completes. Install the drivers of your hardware devices as well as other important computer programs.
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