Below are the steps required to installing the standard version of Microsoft Windows XP.  It’s important to realize that some computer manufacturers have their own proprietary install of Windows XP on a Recovery or Restore disc, or may have a hidden partition that installs Windows XP.  Therefore the steps below may not all apply to how Windows XP is installed on your computer.  If the steps below do not apply, it is recommended you contact your computer manufacturer for additional help.

1. If you’re still able to get into Windows before following the checklist of things to consider before erasing the computer and starting over.
2. Insert the Windows XP CD into the CD-Rom drive, and reboot.
3. When the screen “Press any key to boot from CD” comes up, press any keyboard key immediately.  If you do not get this prompt, or are unable to boot from the disc, run through the “Booting from a CD Troubleshooting Tips”.
4. When the Windows XP setup menu appears, press “Enter”.
5. Press “F8” to agree to the “Windows XP Licensing Agreement”, once you’ve read through it.
6. Windows will give you the option to repair Windows XP, or to install a fresh copy if Windows XP is already installed on the computer.  If you’re wanting to install a new copy of Windows XP, press “ESC”.
7. The partition setup screen will appear.  If you see “Unpartitioned space”, then a partition exists.  If you see anything else, there is no partition.  It is recommended that if a partition already exists and you do not plan on having multiple operating systems on the computer, that you delete the existing partition before continuing the setup.  **Note:  When deleting a partition, ALL information will be deleted.  To Delete The Partition:  On the drive, press “D” and “ENTER”, then press “L” to delete the partition.  Then press “ENTER” if you are aware that this will delete ALL INFORMATION on the partition.  To Create The Partition:  Select the “Unpartitioned space” you want to create a partition in.  Press “C”.  Specify the size of the partition.  By default the full amount of the drive will be already entered.  Press “ENTER”.
8. Once you have a partition ready to have Windows XP installed, press “ENTER” to install.
9. Select whether the drive will user FAT or NTFS.  We suggest NTFS for users who are not sure what file system they want to use.  Press “ENTER”.
10. The computer will start formatting the drive.  Depending on how big the partition is, determines the length of time the format takes to complete.
11. Once formatting is complete, Windows will begin installing the files.  It will then take you through a wizard to continue with the remainder of the setup.

***NOTICE:  Following the steps below WILL ERASE all information on your hard drive.  Once the steps below are completed, you WILL NOT BE ABLE TO REVERSE the steps if you want to recover possible lost data.***

Erasing The Hard Drive:

Go to the appropriate OS below for instructions on how to erase the hard drive and re-install Windows.

Windows 8:

1. Press the “Windows” key plus the “C” key to open the “Charms” menu.
2. Select “Search”.  Type “reinstall” in the Search text field (Do NOT press “Enter”)
3. Select “Settings”.
4. On the left side of the screen, select “Remove Everything and Reinstall Windows”.
5. On the “Reset your PC” screen, click “Next”
6. On the “Do you want to fully clean your drive” screen, select “Just remove my files” to do a quick deletion of your personal files on the computer or select “Fully clean the drive” to have all files erased and overwritten several times with random data.
7. On the “Ready to reset your PC” screen, click “Reset”.

The hard drive will be erased, and Windows 8 will be re-installed.

Windows 7 and Vista:

1. Insert the Windows 7/Vista installation CD in the CD-Rom drive, and restart the computer.
2. When the “Press any key to boot from CD” screen comes up, press a key on the keyboard. (Here, pause to hear Homer Simpson say “Hey, where’s the any key?”)
3. When the “Windows Setup welcome screen” appears, click “Enter”.
4. When prompted, press any key on your keyboard.  (Just because it’s amusing, listen to Homer Simpson again).
5. On the “Install Windows” screen, select your preferred language and other personal preferences.  Once completed, click “Next”
6. On the “License Agreement” screen, read through the agreement, click “Accept” and click “Next”.
7. On the “Installation Type” screen, chose “Custom”.
8. Select “Drive Options (Advanced).
9. For Disk 0, delete all partitions.  When all partitions have been deleted, you should see a single entry named “Unallocated Space”.
10. Click “Disk 0” and select “Next”.

The Windows installation process will proceed with creating a new partition, formatting the partition, and installing Windows on the hard drive.

Windows XP

**Note:  Windows XP is no longer supported by it’s manufacturer.  We urgently recommend you upgrade, as this puts your computer and information, at a high security risk!**

1. Insert the Windows XP/2000 installation CD in the CD-Rom drive and restart the computer.
2. When you see the message “Press any key to boot from CD” screen comes up, press a key on the keyboard. (Here, pause to hear Homer Simpson say “Hey, where’s the any key?”).
3. Press “Enter” at the “Windows XP Setup” welcome screen.  Then press “F8 to accept the Terms and Agreements (after you’ve read them, of course).
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to select a hard drive partition to format and install Windows XP on.
5. After formatting the hard drive, erasing all data, click on one of the links below for steps on how to install Windows XP.

Microsoft Windows XP