Task 7:- installing windows XP.

Ensure that your computer can run Windows XP. Your

computer will need to meet or exceed the minimum system
requirements in order to run Windows XP. You can find your
system information by either checking the computer
manufacturer's manual, or by running DirectX Diagnostic on
an existing Windows operating system of the computer.
 To start the DirectX Diagnostic, open the Run

dialog (press WinKey+R simultaneously), type

dxdiag, and click OK.
 Minimum System Requirements for 32-Bit

 300 MHz Intel or AMD CPU

 128 megabytes (MB) of system RAM
 1.5 gigabytes (GB) of available drive
space
 Super VGA (800x600) or higher display
adapter
 CD or DVD-ROM
 Keyboard and mouse, or other pointing
devices
 Network Interface Adapter required for
Internet and Network Connectivity
 Sound card and speakers or headphones

Find your Windows XP Product Key. It is printed on a

sticker on your software package or located on the
computer itself. It is a string of 5 groups of characters
(each 5 long), separated by dashes, resulting in 25
characters in all. You need the product key to complete
installing Windows.

Step1) Set your computer to boot from CD/DVD. Before

inserting the CD, you'll need to set your computer to boot
from a CD instead of from the hard drive. This will allow you
to load the Windows XP setup files before your computer
boots to its installed operating system. You can change the
boot order from the BOOT menu in your BIOS.
 To enter the BIOS of your computer, you usually

press F9 or DEL when your computer starts or

notifies you that you can enter "setup". Click the
green "BIOS" link for more information. 
 In the BOOT menu,

set the order so that

your CD/DVD-ROM
drive is set as the 1st
Boot Device.
 If you are installing

Windows XP from
a USB drive, make
sure that the USB drive
is set as the 1st Boot Device. You may need to
have the USB drive inserted for it to appear as an
option.

Load the installer. Once your Boot Order is set, insert the

Windows XP CD into your drive and Save and Exit from the
BIOS. Your computer will reboot and you will be presented
with the message: Press any key to boot from CD. Press any
key on your keyboard to start the Setup program.
 Setup will load files necessary to begin the

installation, which may take a few moments. Once

the loading is complete, you will be taken to the
Welcome screen.
Press ENTER to begin installation. Once the loading is
complete, you will be taken to the Welcome screen. You are
given several options, but if you are installing or reinstalling
Windows XP, you’ll want to press ENTER to start the
installation configuration.

Read the License Agreement. This document tells you what you

can and can’t do with Windows, and your rights as the
consumer. After reading, press F8 indicating you agree to the
terms.
Select the partition you want to install on. You will see a
list of available partitions on your installed hard drives. If you
are installing Windows XP on a new hard drive, you should
see only one entry labeled "Unpartitioned space." If you have
a previous version of Windows or Linux installed on your
computer, you will potentially have multiple partitions.
 Installing Windows XP will erase all of the data on

the partition that you choose. Select a partition that

is empty or that contains data that you do not care
to lose.
 You can delete your partitions with the “D” key.

This will return them to “Unpartitioned space”.

Any data on the partition will be lost when it is
deleted.

Create a new partition. Select the Unpartitioned space and

press “C”. This will open a new screen where you can set the
partition’s size from the available space. Enter the size in
megabytes (MB) for the new partition and then press ENTER.
 By default, the partition will be set to the maximum

amount of available space. Unless you plan on

creating multiple partitions, you can usually leave
this at its default.
 Windows XP requires at least 1.5 gigabytes (1536

MB) for its installation files, but you will want

more than this for programs, documents,
 downloads, and other files. 5 gigabytes (5120 MB)
is a good baseline amount for Windows XP, with
more if you plan on installing a lot of programs.
 You can create multiple partitions on a single drive.
This can allow you to separate your programs from
your movies and music, or to install another
operating system. Windows XP can only be
installed on one discrete partition.

Select your new partition. Once you’ve created your installation

partition, you will be returned to the partition selection screen.
Select your new partition, usually labeled

Select "Format the Partition using the NTFS File System"

and press ENTER. NTFS is the preferred method, supporting
a larger amount of disk space per partition than FAT, and
including security features at the file system level. NTFS also
includes system level compression. There are almost no
situations anymore where choosing FAT would be preferable.
 If your partition size is larger than 32 GB, you will

not be given the option to choose FAT.

 It is highly recommended to avoid Quick Format,

as this skips an important process that checks the

hard drive for errors or bad sectors. This scan is
what consumes the majority of the time taken when
performing a full format. If there are errors on a
disk at the physical level, it's best to catch them
now rather than later.

Wait for the format to complete. The system will now format

the partition. The length of time this process requires depends
on the speed and size of the drive. In general, the larger the
partition, the longer the process will take
Wait for the Setup files to copy. Windows will now start
copying files from the installation disc and prompt you to
reboot the computer when the process is completed. Press
ENTER when prompted to reboot, otherwise it will do so
automatically after 15 seconds.

Allow the computer to boot normally. You will see the message

asking you to press a key to boot from CD. Ignore it and allow
the computer to continue booting from the hard drive. You will
see the Windows logo as the Setup program loads.

Wait for the installation to proceed. After the Windows

logo goes away, you will see a list of steps remaining on the
left side of the screen, and tips for using windows on the right.
The time remaining for the installation will be displayed
below the list of steps remaining.
  It is normal for the screen to flicker, turn on and
off, or resize during this process.

Choose your language and region settings. During the

installation process a dialog window will appear, asking you
to choose your Regional settings. Select appropriate settings
native to your area. Click the Next button when that is
completed.
 Enter your full name if you want. This will be set

as the “owner” of Windows, and will be attached to

certain things, such as Document creation.

Enter your Product Key. You will not be able to complete

the installation process without a valid Product Key. Click
"Next" to continue.
 Some versions of Windows will not ask for the

Product Key until installation is complete.

Set your computer’s name. This will be the name that
represents the computer on a network. Windows sets a default
name, but you can change it if you would like. You can also
set a password for the Administrator account. This is optional,
but recommended for public computers.

Choose your network settings. Almost all users installing

Windows XP on a home or personal computer can leave
"Typical Settings" selected for Network Setup. If you are
installing Windows XP in a corporate or academic
environment, check with the system administrator, though
Typical Settings will most likely work.
 In the next window, nearly all users can select “No,

this computer is not on a network, or is on a

network without a domain.” If you are in a
 corporate setting, ask your system administrator
which you should choose.
 You can typically leave the workgroup name set to
default.

Wait for the installation to finalize. This will only take a few

minutes, and the computer will reboot when it is finished
installing. Once the computer reboots, you will be taken to the
Windows XP desktop. At this point, installation is complete,
though there are a few things left to do before Windows is
completely usable.

Activate your copy of Windows. If connected to the Internet,

Select "Activate Now." Windows will connect to the
activation server and automatically authenticate your copy of
Windows. If you haven’t entered your Product Key yet, you
will need to enter it now.]

Start using Windows. You will now be looking at the default

Windows XP Desktop. Congratulations! There are a few
things that you should probably do now that you have
Windows up and running:
 Install any drivers that you need to for your

computer’s hardware.
 Install an antivirus program if you are connected to

the internet.
 Set your BIOS to boot from the hard drive again

instead of the CD.