How to install Windows XP from a disk. Step-by-step instructions for installing Windows XP Reinstalling Windows xp from disk step-by-step instructions
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Windows XP remains one of the most popular operating systems today. Users value it for its reliability and ability to work on weak old hardware. Step-by-step installation of Windows XP is a fairly quick and easy process. Below is a detailed description of it.
Preparing the computer for installing a new OS
The simplest way to install Windows XP is from an installation disk. If, instead of reading data from it, the system starts loading the old OS or a black screen appears that does not respond to button presses, then you just need to go into the BIOS and make the appropriate settings:
- Open the Advansed BIOS Features or BIOS/Boot Device Priority section;
- Select First Boot Devise;
- In the list that opens, select CDROM or the name of your drive;
- Save the result by pressing the F10 key and restart your PC.
Note that there are a lot of BIOS versions for laptops today, so the described steps when installing the OS on a laptop may be slightly different.
Let's proceed directly to the installation
The first window is a blue screen. It is at this stage that a step-by-step installation of software is carried out to install Windows XP on a SCSI (high-speed disk) or on a RAID array. To do this, press F6, after which the installation of the appropriate drivers will begin. But in most cases, users install the system on a regular hard drive, which does not require any intervention during the installation at this stage, you just need to wait for the next welcome screen.
- Install Windows XP. The standard choice in most cases is to install the system from scratch or restore the old one. A convenient graphical interface is used.
- System recovery using the console. This is the choice of professional users and craftsmen - recovery is performed from the command line using DOS commands. In this case, a complete reinstallation of the system is not performed.
Next, the system proceeds to search for previously installed OS versions. If any were found, the list will be displayed on this screen below, and the menu will offer options for subsequent actions:
- restore old Windows XP;
- install a new copy of the OS.
In the first case, you will be able to use previously installed applications. Only system files will be replaced, but the installation will be completed completely. The second option involves a complete reshuffle of the system.
No list will appear not only if Windows XP is installed on an “empty” computer, but also if the previously installed system has a different edition or service pack.
The most crucial moment of installation
The next installation point is perhaps the most important, and should be performed thoughtfully and carefully. You will need to identify the system partition and allocate disk space so that the virtual disk allocated for the system has enough space for its functioning.
Of course, you can use the same partition equal to the entire hard drive space for both the system and your personal data, but such an organization is guaranteed to create many problems in the future.
We split the disk into partitions
If you install Windows XP on a completely new disk, then you will have to distribute the partitions yourself, since this step-by-step procedure has never been performed before. The window that appears will indicate the size of the unallocated area - it will coincide with the size of the entire hard drive. 
Here you need to create a so-called The system partition is the one where the OS will be installed. To do this, you need to indicate its size in megabytes (1 GB is equal to 1024 MB) and press “Enter” on the keyboard. After this, you will again return to the window in which the hard drive is partitioned. The created section will already be displayed on a separate line with a Latin letter assigned to it (usually C). 
You should not skimp on the size of the system partition - the stability of the system will depend on it. The minimum space for installing Windows XP is 20 GB, but it is better to allocate not 20, but 40, or even all 60 GB.
Similarly, from the remaining unallocated area, we create other sections for personal data, however, you should not get carried away with the quantity - in this case, large files and folders will be distributed less efficiently, and navigation through the sections will become more confusing.
Format the system partition
Next, you will need to select the partition to install the system (in our case, drive C) and press the “Enter” key. A window will open asking you to format the partition. 
Choose quick formatting using the NFTS system (FAT is obsolete). After formatting is completed, the process of installing system files will begin. 
The most difficult stage of installation has been completed.
By the way, if the disk that you partitioned is not formatted, then you can carry out this procedure with each of the created partitions for personal data even after completing the installation of Windows XP using standard means.
If you are rearranging the system and the disk is already partitioned, then you should simply select the partition with the system to be reinstalled, format it and start the installation process. If you decide to format the remaining partitions, then all information on them will be lost.
Finishing the installation
Once the system files have been copied, the computer will restart and the installation will continue.
We determine the initial parameters:
Installing Windows XP, and Windows in general, is a simple but long process.
I will tell you how to do this without the help of specialists/computer friends. So, the whole process is divided into 3 logical stages:
- Stage I: Preparation
- Stage II: Installation
- Stage III: Setting up
Stage I: Preparing to install Windows
Before you start installing Windows, you need to copy all important information and settings so as not to lose them.
There are many different ways to do this, and I will not go through all the options, but will focus on the most basic ones.
At this point, our preparations are completed, and we can proceed directly to the installation.
Stage II: Installing Windows
So, now we are prepared and we can proceed directly to the installation.
We insert the disk with our treasured Windows XP into the drive and... no, we don’t install it. Don't even think about installing the Operating System from within the Operating System itself! We need to reboot and enter bios suspended animation (from the word B asic I nput/O utput S system). To enter it, you need to press the Del button when you boot your computer, or F2 if you have a laptop. Although in some cases you need to press other keys, so look at what is written at the bottom of the monitor screen. there will be a message like "press del to enter setup".
Finally, Windows has installed, you have rebooted, now you can pull out the installation disk and proceed to the third stage.
Stage III: Setup after installing Windows
We take out our installation disk and start setting up.
- Drivers and what to do with them.
First of all, you need to install drivers so that the computer knows what to do with what, and in general can feel comfortable.- Insert the disk from the motherboard. It is important for us to install 3 drivers: chipset (chipset), audio (audio) and Internet (ethernet). But if the program offers you more, then we agree to this courtesy and install it. Reboot so that the drivers are fully installed.
- If there are no disks, then we remember where we downloaded our drivers from the official sites and install them from there.
- We insert the disk from our video card. As you may (or may not) have noticed, if you drag windows, you can see that they move in jerks. This indicates that your video driver is not installed. So install the video driver from the disk and reboot.
- Next, we follow the same scheme and install the rest of the equipment. For example, a scanner, printer, tablet, mouse, keyboard, etc.
- Successfully Installed or how to determine if everything is in place
We need to make sure that we haven't forgotten anything and that all the drivers are installed correctly. It's not difficult to do. Let's go to Control Panel --> System --> Hardware --> Device Manager. As you can see, we have all of our installed equipment listed here. If there is a question mark next to something, this means that the driver for this device is not installed and the system does not know what to do with this equipment. If you find such an icon, then read what it says next to it and install the driver for this device. Ideally, there should be no question marks at all, as, for example, here:
3. Optimization or freeing up memory.
For more comfortable work, in the partition where you have Windows installed, nothing unnecessary should be installed; it is also advisable not to have a swap file on it and a temp folder. This is what we will do now.
- Doesn't let me access the internet?
Remember when we wrote down strange numbers on a piece of paper? Now you need to write them back in. To do this, follow step 3 of the first stage
This completes the whole process. You now have a brand new Windows, which is also already configured. Can be used
Afterword
It seems as if all this is very complicated and incomprehensible, but after 10-20 identical actions and Windows settings, you will do it instantly. And there’s really nothing complicated about installing an OS, it just takes a little more time and attention
Now I would like to mention some points that are somehow not included in the scope of this article.
- When writing this article, I only considered a disk with an official copy of Windows XP. I do not consider various assemblies, like Zver, Philka, etc. And, although installing assemblies is practically no different from installing a licensed copy of Windows XP, you install the assembly at your own peril and risk.
- The reason I didn't cover registering your Windows XP is because the process is pretty straightforward whether your key is printed on the box or mailed to you.
- I did not consider the possibility of installing drivers from special programs, since I do not consider this option secure enough.
PS: The article was written by a person hiding under the nickname “barn4k” (friend and project assistant). For which I thank him very much.
As everyone knows, to work with a computer we need an operating system, which over time becomes unusable due to viruses, junk and other factors. Many people think that it is better to turn to a professional for reinstallation, but I offer you step-by-step instructions for installing Windows XP. After studying it, you will have no doubt that you can install Windows XP yourself.
Why do you have to reinstall Windows?
According to statistics, even if you have good computer protection from viruses and careful handling, you still have to reinstall Windows xp every three years. The “garbage” that accumulates in the system is sometimes the remnants of uninstalling programs and games, which contain settings, configuration files and other system files of the old application. Many programs make entries in the registry, and after deleting the entry remains “live” in the system. It also happens that the computer hangs and there is no way to “revive” it, and the conclusion suggests itself: you need to install a new Windows xp.
Setting up your computer to boot from disk.
Usually, when the computer boots, the motherboard splash screen appears for a moment, then the post is checked, and now we see the “Windows XP” greeting. To install, we do not need to launch Windows itself, but we need to launch a disk with our windows xp image. To do this you need to go to Bios. To enter Bios, you must press the DEL or F1 key when turning on the computer. (On laptops use F1, F2, F3, DEL, Ctrl+Alt+Esc. If more than one combination does not work, then you need to look on the official website for how to enter bios).
Most often there are only two types of bios:
1. Phoenix AwardBIOS.
If you have this particular version, then you need to do the following: enter the Advanced BIOS Features section, select First Boot Device and assign the value CD-ROM. Then press the F10 key (to save the settings and exit) and select Yes in the dialog box that appears.
2. American Megatrends BIOS.
In this version, the background will be gray and the sections will be written in a line at the top. First you need to enter the Boot section, then the Boot Device Priority subsection and in the 1st Boot Device item select your CD-ROM drive. And just like in Phoenix AwardBIOS, press the F10 key and confirm Yes.
This completes the computer setup.
Launch the windows installer.
The first step is to insert the Windows disk into the drive and restart the computer. On the dark screen we will see the inscription “Press any key to boot from CD”, which means press any key to boot the disc, which is what we do. This inscription is displayed for no more than five seconds, so you need to immediately press any key. If you didn’t have time, you should restart the computer and press the key again.
On the monitor we will see that the Windows installation has started. There is no need to interfere unless you want to install a special RAID or SCSI driver. In this case, you need to press the F6 key.
Next we will be asked:
1. Start installing windows xp (Enter key)
2. Restore Windows (R key)
3. Exit the installer (F3 key)
We press Enter and the license agreement appears; to agree and continue the installation, press F8. Next, you need to select the hard drive partition on which the installation will be performed. If the disk is new and there is only an unallocated area on it, you need to create a partition (C key), specify the required size in it.
We will also be offered quick and regular formatting of the hard drive. Formatting is best done as usual with the ntfs file system. After all, the long-awaited installation of windows xp will finally begin; upon completion, the computer will reboot itself and a window will appear with the inscription “Press any key to boot from CD”, this time we are not pressing anything!
A window like this will appear in which you don’t need to change anything, but in the next one, be sure to enter the Name and Organization.
Probably every second computer-related website has an article about how to install Windows XP operating system. I thought that let my blog be no exception and remain on it Windows XP installation instructions.
You can install Windows on a blank hard drive; on top of an already installed system; or as a second (third, etc.) operating system. Each of these options has its own characteristics. Today I want to tell you how to completely reinstall your existing operating system while formatting the system disk.
In general, you can start installing Windows XP in two ways: 1) by booting from the installation disk; 2) directly from the installed system. The first option is preferable, and we will consider it.
A small digression: I did not take the screenshots used in the article myself. I borrowed them from the site compbegin.ru. I hope the author won’t be offended by me for this :)
So, for installation we need boot disk with Windows XP operating system. Only such a disk contains a special hidden partition with important system files that will allow the computer to boot directly from this CD.
We turn on our computer and first of all go to the BIOS to configure booting from disk. To do this, immediately after turning on, press the key on the keyboard Delete or F2(other keys may also be used, so you need to carefully watch the prompts on the screen).
Once in Bios, you need to find the section with the word Boot, and then change the order of boot devices in it so that the CD-ROM is in first place. Depending on the BIOS version, the device from which the computer will boot is either selected from the list or moved to the top using the keys F5/F6, +/-
.
After the changes have been made, we exit the BIOS, saving the settings. Before leaving, you need to insert a disk with Windows XP into the drive so that the computer can boot from it.
If any Windows operating system was already installed on your computer, then after rebooting you will see “” on the screen (this means “Press any key to boot from CD”). Accordingly, you need to press any button on the keyboard. If you wait more than 10 seconds, the current operating system installed on the hard drive will begin loading (then you will have to restart the computer again). 
The Windows XP installer shell will appear on the screen. The OS will check the hardware installed on the computer and begin downloading installation files. 
At the end of this process, a window will appear asking you to begin installing Windows. Click Enter on keyboard. 
Next, accept the license agreement by clicking F8.
It will then search for previous copies of Windows installed on your computer. If any are found, you will see a screen with a list of these systems. 
Here you will also be offered:
1) Restore the found copy of Windows by pressing the R key .
Recovery can help if Windows system files are damaged, deleted, or replaced by infected files.
If you select this option, you will have to go through the full system installation procedure, during which all system files of the old copy will be replaced with new ones from the CD. All your data, settings and installed programs will not disappear anywhere.
2) Install a new copy of Windows by pressing the Esc key .
Because we want to install a new Windows XP, then press now on the keyboard Esc.
You will not see a window with a list of installed systems if you are installing the system on a new hard drive, or if the previous copy of Windows has a different edition or service pack.
Because in my case, the operating system was already installed on the computer, and the hard drive was already distributed into logical drives. Therefore, a window appears listing all found partitions. 
If the current partition of your hard drive does not suit you, you can delete existing partitions by pressing D(you can select the desired section using the arrows on the keyboard). After deleting a partition, the area it occupied becomes unallocated, and all data located on this logical disk is deleted.
The existing structure of the hard drive suits me, so I use the arrow on the keyboard to select the partition in which the system will be installed. Let it be C: Section2 (SYSTEM). Then I click Enter.
If the following window appears, just click Enter.
Then select “Format partition using NTFS” and click Enter.
The formatting process will begin: 
When it’s finished, Windows XP files will begin copying to your hard drive: 
After the copying is completed, the computer will reboot. If after rebooting a screen appears that says “”, do not press anything (just wait 10 seconds). Otherwise, the installation will start again.
Next, Windows will offer to configure the language and region. Click “Next”. 
In the “Setting program affiliation” window, enter some name (for example: Ivan) and the name of the organization (for example: Nome). Click “Next”. 
The “Product Key” window will appear, in which you must enter the Windows XP serial number. 
Next, come up with and enter a computer name under which it will be visible on the network (use Latin letters). The administrator password can be left blank. 
In the “Setting time and date” window, check all the settings and click “Next”. 
You will see the next two windows only if the Windows XP distribution contains a driver for your network card. In the first of them, we leave the marker in the “Normal settings” position, and in the second, we agree with the name of the working group WORKGROUP and simply click “Next”. 
Windows will then begin setting up the network and copying files. After the installation is complete, the computer will restart and offer to automatically adjust the screen resolution - click “OK”. 
A welcome screen will appear - click “Next”. 
The next window will ask you to enable automatic updates. You can select “Delay this action” and click “Next”. 
If a network card driver was installed during installation, two more windows will appear in front of you. In the first “Test Internet connection” click “Skip”. And in the second, put the marker in the “No, some other time” position and click “Next”. 
The account creation window will appear. In the “Your account name” field, enter any name in Latin letters and without spaces. You can also create a second, third, etc. now. users, but for now one is enough. Click “Next”. 
This completes the installation of Windows XP. After clicking the “Finish” button, the Desktop will appear. 
Do not forget to return the computer to boot from the hard drive in BIOS.
This article discusses the procedure for installing Windows XP on a computer that already has Windows 7 installed and the sequence of steps required to create a dual-boot configuration where, when you turn on the computer, a menu is available to select the operating system to boot.
Introduction
It is generally accepted that the more correct Windows installation sequence is to install the minor version before the older one. In this case, it is possible to boot an older system, and after installing a newer OS, a menu for selecting a bootable system appears.
However, the sequence does not matter if you know the principles of loading operating systems. Let's consider a situation where Windows 7 is already installed, but you need to install Windows XP on your computer. The article is intended to help avoid pitfalls for those who plan to install Windows XP after Windows 7.
Initial data
Installing Windows XP
A lot of articles have been written about installing Windows XP, so there is no point in dwelling on this issue in detail within the framework of this article. The only thing is that you can install Windows XP if Windows 7 is already installed by booting from the Windows XP installation disk. During installation, you must specify a disk partition that was prepared in advance.
Figure 2 - Selecting a partition for installing Windows XP
Already in this figure you can see that the partition that does not have a letter in Windows 7 is assigned the letter C, and the partition with Windows 7 is assigned the letter D.
This is how the “disk management” picture looks after installing Windows XP
Figure 3 - Disk Management in Windows XP
After installing Windows XP, there will be neither a choice of operating systems at boot, nor, accordingly, the ability to boot Windows 7.
Pay attention to the changes that have occurred with the hidden “System Reserved” section: it has become visible (it is assigned the letter C). Let's see what is located on the active section (C). To do this, you need to disable hiding system files in the folder properties and allow them to be displayed:
Figure 4 - Enabling the display of hidden and system files
So, on partition C we see Windows 7 boot files: bootloader - bootmgr and folder Boot, in which the boot menu interface files are located, the boot data storage file - bcd, memory test program files - memtest.exe. In addition, it now contains the Windows XP boot files: ntldr, ntdetect.com, boot.ini.
Figure 5 - Boot files for Windows 7 and XP operating systems
Restoring the Windows 7 boot loader in Windows XP
To restore Windows 7 boot, you need to use the Windows 7 installation disc.
Insert the Windows 7 installation disk, find the file on it bootsect.exe in folder BOOT. Please note: the path to the bootsect.exe file is F:\boot\bootsect.exe. In your case, instead of F there will be a letter belonging to the CD - DVD drive
Figure 6 - Contents of the BOOT folder of the Windows 7 installation disk
Launch command prompt: click Start - Execute, enter in the field cmd. Once prompted, enter the following command
Figure 7 - Flow of the bootsect command
The result of the command will be the restoration of the Windows 7 master boot record and boot code, which transfers control to the Windows 7 boot manager.
Creating a Dual Boot Configuration on Windows XP
As you know, there is no utility for changing configuration data in XP, but it is in the folder with Windows 7 installed. To apply it correctly in XP, you need to enter the System32 directory of the Windows 7 operating system at the command line. After the transition, run the following commands in sequence:
Bcdedit /create (ntldr) /d "Microsoft Windows XP"
This command creates a Windows XP download store in the Windows 7 download store. Running this command may fail because the repository is already created by default, so you just need to rename it:
Bcdedit /set (ntldr) description "Microsoft Windows XP"
The following command will tell the Windows 7 boot loader the device location of the XP boot files:
The following command will point the Windows 7 bootloader to the Windows XP bootloader:
Bcdedit /set (ntldr) path \ntldr
The following command will add a line about selecting Windows XP in the boot menu and place it under the rest:
Bcdedit /displayorder (ntldr) /addlast
Figure 8 - Complete list of commands for creating a boot menu in Windows XP
You can check whether the commands are executed correctly and the presence of the boot menu by running the command in the command line window bcdedit or by analyzing the bootcfg file obtained by running the bcdedit >c:\bootcfg.txt command. The file will be located in the root directory of drive C.
Figure 9 - Checking for the presence of a Windows XP boot entry and boot menu
After running these commands, when you boot your computer, you will be given the option to select the OS to boot.
Figure 10 - Selecting OS to boot
It may be more convenient for many to reduce the OS boot selection timeout, which by default is 30 seconds. To configure this parameter, use the command
Bcdedit /timeout XX
Where XX is the timeout time in seconds.
Features of creating a dual boot configuration in Windows 7
If you are just going to install Windows XP, then you can create a dual-boot configuration in advance, while still running Windows 7. The same recommendations will help when you restored the Windows 7 bootloader while in Windows XP, and decided to create a dual-boot configuration later.
In this case, some features should be taken into account.
Commands, just like in Windows XP, are executed on the command line. On Windows 7, these commands must be run from an elevated command prompt. To do this, click the button Start, select item Standard, right-click the Command Prompt shortcut and select , or like this:
Click Start and in the search field enter cmd
On the found file, right-click and select the item in the context menu Run as administrator.
Figure 11 - Running command prompt with elevated rights (as administrator)
The order of execution of the commands is the same, with the exception of one. As you know, the Windows 7 and Windows XP boot files are located on a hidden partition that does not have the letter . Therefore, instead of the command
Bcdedit /set (ntldr) device partition=C:
Need to do
Bcdedit /set (ntldr) device partition=\Device\HarddiskVolume1
This note does not make sense if for some reason (for example, if your hard drive was partitioned before installation), the hidden boot partition was not created and the system boot files are on the same one as Windows 7 section.
Conclusion
Even if the installation sequence of operating systems is not entirely correct, it is not difficult to organize their correct loading without resorting to complex manipulations or third-party programs. Using the Windows 7 installation disc, you can restore the ability to boot into this operating system, and using the utility bcdedit configure the loading of two operating systems.