Reinstalling Microsoft ® Windows ® Xp; Before You Begin; Reinstalling Windows Xp - Dell PP04S Owner's Manual

Reinstalling Microsoft

Before You Begin

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. If Device
Driver Rollback does not resolve the problem, then use System Restore to return your
operating system to the operating state it was in before you installed the new device driver.
See "Using Windows XP Device Driver Rollback" on page 92 and "Using Microsoft
®
Windows XP System Restore" on page 95.
NOTICE: Before performing the installation, back up all data files on your primary hard drive.
For conventional hard drive configurations, the primary hard drive is the first drive detected by
the computer.
To reinstall Windows XP , you need the following items:
• Dell™ Operating System CD
• Dell Drivers and Utilities CD
NOTE: The Drivers and Utilities
Drivers and Utilities
computer. Use the
• Product Key (Product ID Number)
NOTE: The Product Key is the bar code number on the sticker that is located on the external
side cover of your computer. You may be prompted for the Product Key when you use the
Operating System
CD under certain conditions.

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.
NOTICE: The Operating System
can overwrite files and possibly affect programs installed on your hard drive. Therefore, do not
reinstall Windows XP unless a Dell technical support representative instructs you to do so.
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.
®
Windows
CD contains drivers that were installed during assembly of the
CD to load any required drivers.
CD provides options for reinstalling Windows XP . The options
®
XP
®
So l vi n g Pro b l em s
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