To check your system specs in Windows XP, open the Start menu and right-click My Computer. From the menu, select Properties. This will open the System Properties window. In the General tab, your system specifications will be listed under the Computer heading.
You can use DVDs, CDs, external hard drives, flash drives, or the cloud, depending on how much data you have to backup.
Once in the BIOS menu, select the Boot menu. Change the order of devices so that your computer boots from CD before booting from the hard drive. Save your changes and exit. Your computer will restart. If you are installing from a flash drive, then you will need to set the BIOS to boot from removable storage.
Your system may automatically launch the setup program without asking you to press any key.
Select the partition of your existing operating system and click the Delete button. If you are installing an operating system for the first time on this hard drive, then there will be no partitions to delete. If your hard drive has multiple partitions, be sure to delete the correct one. Any data on a deleted partition is lost for good. Confirm the deletion process.
Windows will automatically restart your computer when finished. Setup will launch again, and a message will tell you that Setup is updating registry settings. Setup will then configure your computer’s services. This happens every time you start Windows, but will happen in the background next time. A window will open letting you know that Windows is completing the installation. Your computer will restart again when this is complete. Setup will now load drivers and check video settings. This part does not require any input from you.
You can add more users later through the Windows Vista Control Panel. Windows will ask you for a password. This is optional but highly recommended, especially if the computer will be accessible by users other than yourself. If you’d rather not have a password, leave the fields blank and click Next.
Windows will now attempt to connect your computer to the network. This process is completely automated.
