[ReverendTed]

I occasionally get questions about how to completely wipe a system and reinstall Windows XP from scratch.
This is the best website I've found for walking someone through the process, complete with screengrabs of all the critical steps. Just thought I'd post it here in case anyone needs it:
Windows XP Professional Install Guide

That link is for XP Pro specifically, but the site has a number of other tutorials for other operating systems (including XP Home and RedHat 8.0), which can be found here:
Black Viper's Operating System Guides
You tech-types might be particularly interested in the XP Pro "Super Tweaks" and the "Services Configuration", which pretty much lays out what all the XP default processes do and when you can safely disable them to conserve resources. (Also, how you can best disable them, ie: services.msc instead of msconfig.)

[BubbaJudge]

you get a pin for that

[ReverendTed]

BOOYA - mission accomplished!

[Hellwalker]

There was also a very good guide in MaxPC Feb issue.

[Q]

This is cool. I'll be following these instructions soon.

[BubbaJudge]

heres a good looking tweak guide updated for SP2

http://www.tweakhoun...upertweaks1.htm

[MooN]

I just got xp pro and want to reformat. I looked at that link and still have no idea what to do. If I just install xp pro without reformatting first will it do this for me in the process?

[ReverendTed]

On that first link, there are step-by-step instructions with pictures. Just follow those and it'll reformat and do a clean install of WinXP.
The install begins from restarting your computer with the CD in the drive.
(It recommends you have SP2 handy on CD first, so you can install that before connecting to the Internet.)

[MooN]

I have the sp2 on disk. How do I boot from a cd?

[Wayward]

Moon the copy of XP you got from me already has SP2 slipstreamed on it.
So it will install automatically when you install XP.

[MooN]

I dont know to much about PCs, If I restart my comp with the cd in it will it automatically go to the screen to reformat/reinstall?

What I understand from the site is when I start my comp that screen will show up?

[Wayward]

Got him going I believe

[Iron Monkey]

GUYS GUYS GUYS...

Deleting the partition using the XP install WILL NOT overwrite the previous partition fully.

Case in point...I overwrote an XP Home install on a laptop over a year ago (used the Win2k installer, booting from CD, deleted existing partitions and created an NTFS partition).

You know what came up after the first good boot?

An option to boot either Windows 2000 or Windows XP Home.

Since that time, I've used KILLDISK to wipe the drive (or in technical terms, low-level format (writes 0's to each and every sector of the drive) before installing anything.

This will present you with a fresh drive, as if you'd purchased a brand-new drive from the store.

www.killdisk.com

Download the KILLDISK utility that creates a bootable disk. Boot with it, and erase your drive before installing XP (but DO use the links provided by Ted...awesome find sir!).

[Hellwalker]

Yes, the XP install will kill the existing partition. All that is left behind is a reference line in th boot.ini file to the previous install, which can easily be edited out.

Killdisk is nice to have though.

[Iron Monkey]

Hellwalker, on Apr 11 2005, 09:10 AM, said:

Yes, the XP install will kill the existing partition.  All that is left behind is a reference line in th boot.ini file to the previous install, which can easily be edited out.

Killdisk is nice to have though.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

With Billy Gates and the boyz, I don't take any chances. Especially those of you coasters

[ATTABOY]

Black Viper's links don't work anymore...."Under Construction" any of you have his stuff saved to disk that you could post? Also if you are re-installing XP, why not just format the drive instead of using killdisk???

I just figured it out. If you just want to re-install XP to your operating system partition you don't want to format the whole drive...LOL

atta

This post has been edited by ATTABOY: 20 December 2005 - 02:15 PM

[gr|nt]

His site has been down for a long time now. But here is the link to his services listing. I use it myself! Love that list.

Black Vipers Services


I would print this out and keep it stowed away.