How to Reinstall Windows XP Pro
- 1). Insert the Windows XP Pro CD into the disk drive and restart the computer. Upon booting, you will be presented with a line of text telling you to press any key to begin setup. Press a key and wait for the installer to load, which may take up to 15 minutes.
- 2). Notice the generic greeting window that appears. Press "Enter" to skip beyond that and you will be shown a list of the partitions on your hard drive. From here, you have two options. Do a full installation of Windows or a recovery installation. A full installation will format the hard drive, erasing all of your files and restoring the computer to factory defaults. A recovery installation leaves your files in tact, replacing only the core operating system. Press "R" to recover, or "Enter" to format and reinstall.
- 3). Read the Microsoft Windows Terms of Service. Press "F8" to to accept or press "Esc" to abort if you do not wish to accept. Once you have accepted the terms, you will be prompted for your CD key. This is the serial number printed on the Genuine Microsoft Windows sticker located on the side, bottom, or back of your computer case. On laptop computers, this is almost always located on the bottom. Type in the CD key and press "Enter."
- 4). The setup will now take place. This is entirely automated, so no input or supervision is required on your part. Depending on your system configuration, the installation may pause half-way through to ask you some questions about your network configuration. Once the installation is complete, the computer will restart, and you will be presented with the Windows XP desktop.