Reinstalling Microsoft ® Windows ® Xp; Before You Reinstall; Reinstalling Windows Xp - Dell Inspiron 8600 Owner's Manual

Reinstalling Microsoft

Before You Reinstall

If you are considering reinstalling the Windows XP operating system to correct a problem
with a newly installed driver, first try using Windows XP Device Driver Rollback (see
page 104). If Device Driver Rollback does not resolve the problem, then use System Restore
(see page 107) to return your operating system to the operating state it was in before you
installed the new device driver.

Reinstalling Windows XP

To reinstall Windows XP , perform all the steps in the following sections in the order in
which they are listed.
The reinstallation process can take 1 to 2 hours to complete. After you reinstall the
operating system, you must also reinstall the device drivers, virus protection program, and
other software.
Operating System
NOTICE: The
can overwrite files and possibly affect programs installed on your hard drive. Therefore, do not
reinstall Windows XP unless instructed to do so by a Dell technical support representative.
NOTICE: To prevent conflicts with Windows XP , disable any virus protection software installed
on your computer before you reinstall Windows XP . See the documentation that came with the
software for instructions.
Booting From the Operating System CD
Save and close any open files and exit any open programs.
1
Insert the Operating System CD. If any program starts automatically, exit the program
2
before proceeding.
Shut down the computer through the Start menu (see page 42) and restart the
3
computer.
Press immediately after the DELL™ logo appears.
4
If the operating system logo appears, wait until you see the Windows desktop, and
then shut down the computer and try again.
Press the arrow keys to select CD-ROM, and then press
5
When the
6
Press any key to boot from CD
®
Windows
CD provides options for reinstalling Windows XP . The options
message appears, press any key.
®
XP
.
So l vi n g Pro b l em s
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