Win XP Clean Install

Question

Hello.

I've read the various support topics on doing this. I have a couple other questions.

I have THREE older Dell computers that are P4 processors with 512 MB RAM. I don't know how old they are though exactly - they came with the business I bought. Two of them run fine.

One is a complete dog of a computer and I want to try clean installing Win XP. I have TWO of the OS reinstallation CDs with Win XP Pro SP 1a on them. I don't know which computers they came with.

1. Is the OS reinstallation CD specific to a particular Dell computer or will it work on any of them?

2. Is the OS reinstallation CD considered an "upgrade" CD - in other words if I format he HD and then go to install using the Dell CD, is it going to give me a problem that no qualifying OS is found?

The support topics on doing a "clean install" usually don't mention formatting the HD or partition. Sometimes they say you will be prompted to format the partition, but I haven't been prompted for that when I did a test run and quit out of it before it started the actual install (I did get as far as selecting the partition and being told that I'm about to cause problems by installing two operating systems on the same partition).

So I figure I'm going to have to manually format the partition first, then run the install CD, but am worried about the above questions.

Thanks!

DELL-Jesse L · Answer

covingtonvet,

Thank you for using the Dell Community Forum.

You can use Dell Reinstallation cd's on any Dell Computers. You may want to purchase some extra memory for these systems. 512 will work but will be super slow. The OS Reinstallation disk that you mention are not upgrades but full versions.

You can boot to the disk and choose to format the hard drive and then reinstall Windows with the disk as well.

Post back with any other questions you may have.

covingtonvet · Answer

Wow - thanks for the super-fast replies. All I need to do now is slipstream SP3 into the Dell CD. Dell guru - should that work OK? Thanks.

rbxl33t · Answer

I always found this site very useful.  It has screen shots of every step of a windows install. http://www.windowsxphome.windowsreinstall.com/installxpcdoldhdd/indexfullpage.htm

RobinBredin · Answer

Hi, Use nlite HERE to slip SP3 into a XP SP2 disc.

iroc9555 · Answer

Hi Covingtonvet. Sorry. You do not 'slipstream SP3 into the DELL CD'. You use The DELL CD and SP3 to integrate both into a blank CD using nLite and a burning app. Instructions below, use the one you understand the most. http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_sp2_slipstream.asp (Example using Sp2) http://www.lancelhoff.com/how-to-slipstream-service-pack-3-into-windows-xp/ (using nLite refer by RobinBredin) Also after you install windows XP you need to install de drivers. Look for a sticker on the computer with a Service Tag number. Go to DELL support and introduce the number in 'Download drivers' to find out what drivers your PC needs. Drivers for DELL have to be installed in a specific order. See below: http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/dsn/en/document?journalid=3FEB54C5BB5D4D0FE040A68F5A2839DC&docid=3690A8CC21FAF290E040A68F5B281A12 Hope it helps.

covingtonvet · Answer

Hello folks.

If anyone is still reading this, I used nLite to slipstream SP3. I followed the instructions exactly. I made sure to select to make it bootable ISO.

The computer won't boot off of the CD that I created. When I explore that CD in Windows I see the file there with the .iso extention but there is no associated program for it. I don't know if this matters. The size is right - about 641 MB.

I can see the computer on boot when I tell it to look at the CD for boot go to read the CD, but then it just goes ahead and boots Win XP off of the hard drive. I've confirmed I'm able to boot with original Dell CD.

Any thoughts?

Here's one - does it matter that I used another machine running Vista 64 bit to create the CD?

Thanks.

covingtonvet · Answer

Found the answer myself for anyone who might find this thread useful. The ISO file has to be burned as an image, not just copied to a CD. It's working now. Thanks to all the helpful people above!

iroc9555 · Answer

Hi covingtonvet.

Sorry I was not available yesterday to help. I am glad you found the answer by yourself and reporting back the solution, not too many members do it. If you read my second link, in steps 12 and 13 it says "ISO". I know the instruction are not clear sometimes, but many computer users have learnt by trial and error and that is the way it stays in the mind.

Remember to install the drivers in the order advised by DELL.

Windows General

Win XP Clean Install

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