Windows XP : Preparing for installation

Gather important information about your PC

If this is a reformat / re-installation of Windows on an existing (not new) PC you will need to write down the following information before you begin. If your PC is from a major system manufacturer it came with a sticker somewhere on your tower/case, or if your PC is still online you can get it from the manufacturer's web site:

Acer

Asus

Dell Support - select Drivers & Downloads and allow Dell to identify your system (requires IE 5.5+).

Using your Service Tag to find your exact PC, download the following drivers for your computer (in order of importance):

Dell Support - find your sticker

Dell Service Tag

Gateway Part Number / Serial Number

HP/Compaq Part Number / Serial Number

IBM

Lenovo

Sony

Toshiba

Motherboard manufacturer / model number

Download key system drivers

Using your manufacturer links established above download the most recent versions of the drivers below, either to a CD or a USB thumb drive.

Important: Create a folder for each file ("chipset", "LAN", etc.) and place the files in them AS THEY ARE DOWNLOADED. Most system manufacturers (Dell, for example) give their driver files a numeric name like "R64565.EXE" If you do not organize this now at the time of download you will not be able to tell which driver is which when it is time to install them. This is important because the order in which they are installed matters.

While it will save you time later if you can download all of the drivers below, you really only need #1 and #2 (if available).

1. LAN network card

2. chipset

3. WiFi network card (laptop only)

4. video driver

5. audio driver

6. card reader driver

Download key files from the f i x a c o ftp server

• • Windows XP unattended VLK 5 ISO [volume] [time @ Mbps]

  • Documents_and_Settings.rar

• Program_Files.rar

• Windows_(-wallpaper).rar

• optional RAR files as needed

Backup your current data

You must first copy all your critical files to separate storage destination or they will be overwritten and permanently lost. Here are common data sources you should strongly consider backing up, including sub-folders (space-permitting):

• 1. My Documents

  2. Shared Documents

  3. Desktop

  4. (user accounts)\application data

  5. (user accounts)\local settings

  6. any Program Files directories known to store data (UPS WorldShip, etc.)

If re-installing Windows XP to your current hard drive (HDD):

Method 1: use a separate PC (optimal)

• 1. Remove your current HDD and install it as a slave drive on a separate healthy PC, either as an internal slave attached directly to the motherboard or in an external USB enclosure.

  2. Scan your entire current drive for viruses and malware using the healthy PC. No one single antivirus/anti-malware program will catch every infection, so use at least two. The time this will take depends upon three factors:

     • The amount of data on your original drive.

     • The number of infections (a single virus can infect hunderds of files).

     • The combination CPU/RAM power of your secondary healthy PC. If your secondary healthy PC is pre-2004 you should not run the antivirus programs concurrently. Below are three highly recommended free programs:

       • AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition

       • Avira AntiVir Personal

       • Spyware Terminator (offline version / NOT including WSG)

1. After you have thoroughly scanned your HDD and your data is virus-free, copy the files you want to save from your HDD to another source on the secondary PC you are using. Make sure the destination has enough free space for your files. The speed of the copy process will depend upon three factors:

   • The amount of data you want to back up.

   • The combination CPU/RAM power of your secondary healthy PC.

   • The speed of the write connection to the source where you are copying your files. Listed in order of speed:

     1. HDD, internal slave.

     2. HDD, external USB.

     3. DVDs (considerably slower if multiple disks are required).

     4. CDs (frequently unrealistic as it requires too many CDs).

     5. Another computer on the local network.

     6. A backup destination on the Internet.

Method 2: copy files from your current configuration

This method is less than optimal for a few reasons:

• 1. If you are reading this your PC's operating system or hard drive is either wounded or badly broken. That means your ability to copy files may be severely impaired.

  2. If your PC isn't too far gone and you can copy, you will still get errors when trying to copy some files from recommended locations because they are loaded into the operating system at startup. The degree to which this is a problem depends upon what files you feel you need to backup.

1. Of the copy destinations listed just above you will not be able to use option #1, which is the fastest. If you have a lot of data and must backup to DVDs it will take hours and require constant participation.

Installing Windows XP to a new (blank) HDD

• 1. Disconnect the data cable from your current HDD. You do not need to remove if from your tower unless you need the space for the new HDD you are installing to.

  2. Install the new HDD and connect the data cable from your original HDD. Connect power cable to new HDD.

Proceed to the next step: Installing the operating system