Restoring it factory setting is hardly re-formatting me thinks. All you have to do is go into BIOS, set boot priority as CD-ROM, put your XP disc in your CD drive, re-boot & just follow what the screen says. Quite easy really, saying that, if you have an inkling about PCs then you should be OK, if not I would advise someone to sit with you when you do it. When you seen it done once you are unlikely to forget. Unless you are a goldfish of course!
I will help you, but I need more information. What kind of computer are you using? Does it have a "Restore" feature when you boot up? Do you still have the Windows XP disc? MORE INFORMATION PLEASE!
@ IM1 here you go..If you are trying to do this with a laptop seek professional guidance or you could easily end up holding a brick.. What you need to do to get a clean install, with everything previous wiped is this. Set the pc to boot from CD. usually by pressing delete or f2 when prompted and looking for boot device priorities. Set it to CD Insert XP disk in cd drive and reboot When XP starts and you come to a menu chose delete partition. Then when it's done chose Create partition in free space. That should give you a completely clean drive to start again installing on.. Select from the list Install XP in the free partition which will need formatting. Chose NTFS Quick. When that completes..a minute or 2 usually.. xp will continue to install.. F8 to accept the end user agreement and then just follow the menus. About the only other thing that can catch you out is when it reboots the first time.. The stupid thing will say " Press any key to boot from cd".. just ignore it..don't do anything. Eventually you will get to a screen for setting your timezone..keyboard and language.. You know where you live so chose what you need. And that's it..the guide to installing the supposedly "foolproof" xp. Easy eh, when you have had to do it as many times as me it gets really boring. I'd rather watch the news.. lol. If you get stuck don't be afraid to ask.. And as before.. If it's a laptop seek professional advice. They have the drives partitioned differently. p.s. your sig is too big, there's a push on at the moment about it ;-)
Was it the goldfish remark that didn't help? BTW, Listen to what Jan says, she [bold]really[/bold] does know her stuff. I didn't give a more comprehensive guide as I thought what I said would be OK. I sometimes forget that not everyone knows about PCs. As Jan says, after a while, it just becomes second nature re-formatting PCs.
Never used Linux, I guess it is because I like gaming & I believe that Linux is not as compatible with games. My brother is a C++ programmer, but as he lives in NZ, I rarely get to see or speak to him. If he was in the UK I would probably give Linux a go, as I could always ask him what to do, or he could come round & show me. As I am a complete retard, I need to actually see how to do something as opposed to reading a script & doing it that way. This is why I can skimp on instructions as I only remember stuff when I am doing it! My worst nightmare is when someone asks me for directions. I could not give directions to the end of my road! This can be problemmatic as I am a postman & people tend to ask you for directions.
Hmm I dont run anything else these days. I don't find many things I used to do I can't do now.. Given it's a bit DIY and there is a mega amount to learn, I just got so fed up of most of my cpu cycles and ram being taken up by firewalls and antivirus software. I was getting to the point of buying a new pc until I lost everything on my desktop because of a msn virus. That swung it for me, plus the fact ms want everybody to pay for that broken product that's just insecure and buggy.. Not me. I'd rather invest a bit of brainpower and work it out.. No windows.. no windows disks.. no going back. All I've ended up with is an old pc that works better than things 5 times as fast with 4x the ram running windows.. And that's great as far as I'm concerned... It's not for everybody, but I'm set now and I can't see myself ever going back to windows.. I don't even like using it at work and changed my os without asking. There was a bit of fuss until they realised I wasn't having downtime through having to run virus scans every few days, or the monthly re-format and reinstall everybody got used to. I don't even lose the bookmarks in my browser if I decide to try a different OS for a few days.. That's just so cool.. With a rw cd I can take my os and all settings and run it on any machine in the office.. also very cool. At the end of the year when the xp licence comes up for renewal I can see a major shift in ofice policy. Everybody is using thunderbird and firefox already, so the shift is coming.. Anyway completely off topic.. I'll shut up now If anybody needs help with installing xp just ask.. It's a bit confusing. A few things aren't as obvious as they seem..
JUST MORE INFO I HAD ON MY COMPUTER Clean Install Windows XP I’ve made no secret of my feelings about doing upgrade installations of Windows XP. My personal experience has shown that very seldom, if ever, do you realize the full potential of a new operating system when it’s installed as an upgrade. The most meticulous of users can’t guard against all the stray files, drivers, and registry entries that creep into a system through normal use. I see no sense in starting out at a disadvantage. All the little problems that existed before the upgrade are likely to make the transition right along with the new operating system. So, that said, what’s involved in doing a clean install of Windows XP? The Preparation A clean install in Windows XP is a very straightforward process. Just as there are certain things that need to be done to ensure a successful upgrade, the same care is needed with a clean install. First, check the requirements for Windows XP. A box that just squeaks by on the minimum requirements is not going to make you happy with XP. Truthfully, it’s a recipe for disaster. XP has many nice features, but they do require a box which has the oomph to power them adequately. Check the requirements for the appropriate version using the links below. Windows XP Home Edition System Requirements Windows XP Professional Edition System Requirements If the computer is up to snuff, the next step is to check the rest of the hardware against the Windows XP Hardware Compatibility List to see if it’s supported. It’s possible, even likely, that one or more of your items won’t be on the list. That doesn’t mean you have to replace them or that they won’t work with XP, but it does mean you should visit the manufacturer site to check for XP drivers. In some cases the Windows 2000 drivers will work just fine. The point is, make sure you have the drivers downloaded and saved where they will be available during the XP installation. Drivers for RAID and SCSI devices fall into this same category. Make sure they are available at the beginning of the installation process. Microsoft has made available on their website some excellent documentation regarding upgrading to Windows XP. I strongly suggest it be read before a final decision is made. A number of other articles are linked from the one below, including a download location for the Microsoft Windows Upgrade Advisor. Even though it's a 35MB download, running it will alert you to any hardware and software problems that may be encountered in your XP installation. Description of the Windows XP Upgrade Advisor (Q307726) If you aren’t familiar with the differences between FAT32 and NTFS file systems, now is the time to rectify that situation. This will be the most important decision you have to make during the installation process so a bit of knowledge can be very valuable. See the article linked below. Description of the FAT32 File System in Windows XP (Q310525) Make sure that the installation CD’s for every program you use are available as well as the media that qualifies you to be doing a Windows XP installation. Once you wipe the drive there is no magical set of keystrokes that will get your programs and data back, which brings me to the final point for this section. Back up your data, test and verify the backup, and be sure the backup device you used will be available under Windows XP. With the previous tasks completed, it’s onward to the actual installation. The Installation There are two methods available for installing Windows XP, both requiring the first step of booting your machine. You’re in luck if the box is capable of booting from the CD-ROM drive since the Windows XP CD’s are bootable. No, XP isn’t available on floppies, and even if it was you’d need a two week vacation to do the installation. If the computer doesn’t support booting from the CD, you’ll need a set of Setup Startup Disks, but here is a final caution before you go this route. Most computers that will be happy running XP have the capability to boot from the CD. It’s probably a red flag if you need the startup disks, so take one more look at the minimum and recommended requirements for running Windows XP. If it’s still a go, download the file that will create the disk sets for either the Home Edition or the Professional Edition. Make the disk set, boot the computer and insert the XP CD to begin the installation. For boxes that support booting from the CD, the following steps will get you through the clean install of Windows XP. * Fire up the computer and insert the XP CD. * Watch the monitor for the message that the CD has been auto-detected, followed by the “Press any key to boot CD” message. Don’t fall for the old joke about looking for the “Any” key and just hit the spacebar or any other key that’s convenient within the five second time span the message will be displayed. When I first put together this guide to a clean install of XP I didn't think there would be a big problem with ACPI BIOS detection. I was wrong, so I've inserted this section relating to Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) detection in the hope of saving users a lot of grief over XP not shutting down properly. The identical information is also included on the page about Shutdown Problems. * Files will start to load from the CD to begin the installation. Eventually you’ll be asked if you want to install Windows XP. No need to type an essay here on why you’ve made the decision to do the installation. Just hit Enter. * Next is the End User License Agreement or EULA which must be accepted to continue installation. Press F8 to accept, F3 to bail out now. You can read the EULA if you want, but it adds two days to the installation time. * The next screen displays the available partitions where XP can be installed. Select the one you want and tap that Enter key again to move on to the screen where you select a file system. * It’s time for that important decision. FAT32 versus NTFS. The preferred choice is NTFS. It allows security features and stability that aren’t possible with FAT32. Apply the knowledge you gained during the preparation phase at this point. Make your choice of formatting options and press the F key to start the process. Once the format process completes the installation will continue. * If you are installing from a full version Windows XP CD the installation continues without intervention. If you’re using an upgrade version CD this is where Microsoft confirms your eligibility by requesting the media that allows you to use the upgrade version. Insert your media in the drive, let the verification complete and reinsert the XP CD when prompted. * Setup continues and eventually the computer will reboot. Watch the onscreen prompts but do not press a key when the “Press any key to boot CD” message appears. * Installation will continue, prompting you from time to time to supply some additional setup information. Feed the prompts with appropriate responses and eventually another reboot will occur, this time bringing you back into Windows XP, depositing you at the Windows Activation screen. * You can either activate your copy of XP now or delay the activation for up to 30 days and suffer the periodic activation reminders. I suggest you activate now and register at the same time. It’s really painless. In any case, activation is required at some point or after 30 days you’ll be denied access to the desktop. Registration is entirely optional. * The last step is to enter a username and watch the XP desktop appear, ready for use. Congratulations. You’ve just completed a clean install of Windows XP. Look around, explore, play with the settings and start installing applications and transferring your data backup. You’re not in Kansas anymore. This is Windows XP. http://www.theeldergeek.com/clean_installation_of_windows_xp.htm
A lot of companies are turning to Linux, lot cheaper & a hell of a lot more reliable. Xp saps RAM like nothing else, Vista will sap even more RAM. Along with all the DRM bullcrap, I can see it being not as popular as Bill gates would like. As time goes by, Linux is becoming more & more appealing.
This post is [bold]only[/bold] if you have the Windows XP disc or a back up XP disc. When you're starting to boot, hit F8 and it should take you to more booting options. From their you will want to go to Start With Command Prompt and then type in the following C:\Format or C:\Format C: When it askes if you really want to type Yes or Y. When it is done and you restart it will automatically ask for the original XP disc or the back up disc you have and when you put it in you will start reinstalling.
The way you put your post, it may be inferred that yours is the only way to format with an XP disc, sully_2u. We all know that to be untrue. We need to be careful as to not confuse the original poster. I have formatted loads of PCs & have NEVER done it the way you said.
Hey dude, didn't mean to seem ignorant to you. I was just simply offering a different way. If I did confuse you I'm sorry lol.
this might help those that have home xp TO: Install Backup from the CD-ROM in Windows XP Home Edition View products that this article applies to. Article ID : 302894 Last Review : June 23, 2005 Revision : 1.3 This article was previously published under Q302894 On This Page SUMMARY SUMMARY Manually Install the Backup Utility Manually Install the Backup Utility APPLIES TO APPLIES TO SUMMARY The Backup utility is not included in the default installation of Windows XP Home Edition. The Backup icon is not present on the Start menu in Windows XP Home Edition, nor is Backup listed in Add Remove Programs for Windows XP Home edition. This article describes how to install Backup, which is included on the CD-ROM in the Valueadd folder. To use Backup, you have to install it manually. Note: Automated System Recovery is not a supported feature in Windows XP Home Edition using Backup, but Backup is provided on the CD-ROM as additional value to help back up critical system data. For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 302700 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/302700/EN-US/) An Error Message Is Displayed When You Attempt to Use the Automated System Recovery Wizard Back to the top Back to the top Manually Install the Backup Utility To manually install Backup: 1. Double-click the Ntbackup.msi file in the following location on the Windows XP Home Edition CD-ROM to start a wizard that installs Backup: CD-ROM Drive:\VALUEADD\MSFT\NTBACKUP 2. When the wizard is complete, click Finish. Back to the top Back to the top APPLIES TO • Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;302894
Sully, you didn't come across as ignorant & you didn't confuse me, like I say, I have re-formatted loads of times! I didn't want the original poster to get confused.... No need to apologise, we are all here to help.
