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This article describes how to reformat and reinstall the Windows XP operating system. For maximum safety, the steps in this article should be performed while the machine is physically disconnected from the University network. Newly reinstalled machines are very vulnerable to infection, so leave your cable unplugged until you have secured your computer according to section one of our Safe Computing Guide.

Contents:

1. Where to Find Windows Product Keys
2. Install Options with Various Windows Disks
3. Configure Your Computer to Boot from CD
4. Manual Installion of Windows XP

Warning:

Following this procedure will result in the loss of all data from your computer. Back up any critical data to CDs, floppies, or other storage media before proceeding.

Part 1: Find The Windows Product Keys

• If your computer came preinstalled with Windows XP, you will find a sticker containing the key on your computer’s case. It will look similar to one of these designs:
  
  
  
• If you purchased Windows XP separately from your computer, the key will be printed on a yellow sticker inside of the folder which contained your CD.

Part 2: Install Options with Various Windows XP Disks

If your computer came with a disc (or set of disks) labeled as "Recovery" or "Restore...", do the following:

1. Insert disc 1.
2. Power off the computer, and restart it. The manufacturer's recovery/restore program should start automatically. If the application does not load automatically, and attempts to boot into Windows instead, you will need to adjust the boot settings in your system's BIOS. See Part 3: Configure Your Computer to Boot from CD.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions.

If your computer came with a Windows XP CD, see Part 4: Manual Install of Windows XP.

If you did not receive any disks with your system:

1. Some manufacturers (most notably HP and Compaq) have shipped some systems with the recovery utility in a separate partition on the computer's hard drive. While the computer boots, watch carefully for a briefly displayed message indicating what key to press in order to access the recovery application. Press the indicated key. Consult your computer's documentation for any information regarding recovery or restoration of the operating system.
2. Some manufacturers (most notably Sony and Toshiba) require the owner to create their own recovery/restoration discs for certain models.
• Click on the Start button , All Programs, and look for "PowerQuest Drive Image," "Recovery Wizard," or something similar.
• Follow the instructions to create the discs.
• After the discs have been created, follow the above instructions for running the recovery/restore.
3. If your system does not have a built-in recovery utility, and you cannot make (or cannot find) discs, you may contact the manufacturer to purchase the restore/recovery utility. Alternatively, you may purchase a full copy of Windows XP and follow Part 4: Manual Install of Windows XP.

Part 3: Configure Your Computer to Boot from CD

1. While the computer boots, watch carefully for a briefly displayed message indicating what key to press to enter setup. Press the indicated key and proceed to step 2. If you cannot determine which key to press try the following:
• Check your computer's documentation for information on accessing your system's BIOS or CMOS settings.
• The most commonly used keys are F1, F2, F10, Delete, and Escape. Try pressing each of these keys individually on the screens which appear before the Windows logo is displayed.
• Contact your computer's manufacturer.
2. Find the option with a name such as "Boot Devices" or "Boot Order." The exact name and location will vary by manufacturer.
3. Reconfigure the options so that the computer will boot from CD before attempting to boot from the hard drive. Again, the exact procedure will vary by manufacturer. Contact the manufacturer for assistance, if needed.

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Part 4: Manual Install of Windows XP

1. Disconnect the network cable from your computer.
2. Turn on the computer.
3. Insert the Windows XP CD into the drive.
4. When you receive the prompt to Press any key to boot from CD..., press any key to boot from the Windows CD.
5. Wait while the Windows setup files are loaded.
6. When presented with the following menu, press Enter to begin the Windows XP setup.
   
7. After reading the License Agreement, press F8 to accept it and continue the installation.
   
8. You will now see a list of the partitions on your hard drives. Use the cursor keys to select an item not labeled as unpartitioned space.
   
9. Press the D key to delete the selected partition. If you receive the following prompt, press Enter to continue. Otherwise, proceed to the next step.
   
10. Press the L key to confirm the deletion.
    
11. Repeat steps 8-10 until all space is labeled as unpartitioned.
12. Use the cursor keys to select an unpartitioned space. Press the C key to create a new partition.
    
13. When prompted for the size of the partition, press Enter to accept the default recommendation.
    
14. Repeat steps 12 and 13 for each unpartitioned space with a size greater than 8 MB.
15. Upon returning to the partition list, select the item labeled as “ C: Partition1 [New (Raw)]” and press Enter.
    
16. At the following prompt, select the option to Format the drive using the NTFS file system. Press Enter to continue.
    
17. The setup program will now proceed to format the drive. This may take a while depending on the size of the drive.
    
18. Once the format procedure has completed, files should begin to be automatically copied from the installation CD.
    
19. Once all necessary files have been copied, the system will be automatically restarted. You may now remove the CD. If you choose to leave the CD in the drive, do not press any key when prompted to press any key to boot from CD.
    
20. The Windows setup program will now complete the installation. The content and appearance of the remaining screens may differ based on the exact version and distribution of Windows XP you are installing.
    

    or

    
21. The default settings on this screen should be correct for the U.S. Click Next.
    
22. Enter your name and, optionally, your organization. Click Next.
    
23. Enter the Windows XP product key and click Next. For help finding your product key, see the note at the beginning of this document.
    

    or

    
24. Enter a name for the computer. This may be anything you like. In Windows XP Professional you will be prompted to enter an administrator password. Do not leave any of your system passwords blank! For security purposes, it is recommended you choose a password that contains mixed case letters, numbers and symbols, and is not based on a dictionary word. Here are some examples:
    • dR9f?a9e
    • b7$Pruc?
    • tExjf$n4
    • 2!hATrat
    • s@A3ifus

    Click Next.
    

25. Set the date, time, and time zone. Click Next.
    
26. Setup will scan for a network. If you receive the following prompt, select Typical Settings and click Next.
    
27. If you are prompted for workgroup or domain settings, leave the default entries and click Next.
    
28. Setup will continue and will eventually reboot. If you have left the CD in the drive, do not press any key when prompted to press any key to boot from CD.
29. After rebooting, you may see a display settings box. If you do, click OK. The screen may flicker for a moment and ask you whether you can see the image. If you can, click Yes.
    
30. When you see the welcome screen, click Next.
    
31. If you are asked to setup a network or Internet connection at this time, click on Skip.
32. You will now be prompted to register your copy of Windows. Since we have not connected to the network yet, select No and click Next. If prompted to activate Windows, choose the appropriate option to skip this step as well. Windows will prompt you to do this later if it is required.
    
33. Click Finish on the Thank You screen. The Windows XP operating system itself should now be installed.

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Part 5: Configuring Hardware

1. You must now confirm all of your devices have installed properly. Right-click on your My Computer icon and click Properties on the menu.
   
2. Click on the Hardware tab, and then click Device Manager.
   
3. You should see a list of devices similar to the one shown here. If any devices are labeled with a yellow circle containing a black exclamation point or with a red "X," the drivers for this device have not been properly installed. If your computer came with one or more driver CDs, you will need to use these now. The installation process will differ by manufacturer. You should refer to any instructions which came with your computer. The installation instructions may be contained in a file on the specific CD.
   
4. If you have more than one hard drive, you will need to format any drive beyond the first before it can be accessed. Double-click the My Computer icon (or click the Start button and select My Computer.) You should see a list of your drives. Under the Hard Drives heading right-click on each drive, other than C:, and select Format. On the screen that appears, select NTFS from the File System pull-down. You may type a name for the drive in the Volume Label box, if you wish. Leave all other options as they are, and click Start.
   

Windows XP has now been installed. Follow the rest of the steps in Part One of our Safe Computing Guide to finish securing your computer. Once you have everything locked down and secure, you may plug your computer back into the network.

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