Despite its hopeless obsolescence, operating system Windows XP still remains very popular among users due to its ease of use and fairly high stability. In some ratings, it is even ahead of the “seven”. Next up for consideration is the question of how to install Windows XP from a disk and perform the initial system setup. It is believed that the installation of this particular modification should not cause any special difficulties, but in reality it is necessary to pay attention to some important nuances, without understanding which the installation of the system may be unsuccessful.

Create a Windows XP installation disk

At the first stage, we will assume that the user does not have the original installation disk. Booting Windows XP can be implemented in the form of an image from the official Microsoft website or from another (necessarily trusted) source.

In this case, you should immediately pay attention to the contents of the downloaded distribution. It is recommended to download only the one that initially contains the second and third service packs, so as not to have to install them manually later.

It is not difficult to record an image onto optical media. To do this, you can use many programs for working with images (for example, UltraISO or Nero Burning ROM). If you need to create a multiboot Windows disk XP, it is best to use a tiny utility called WindowsSetupFromUSB, but to write the distribution to a flash drive.

BIOS Presets

So, we assume that the installation distribution is recorded. Now you need to make it so that you can boot from it. To do this, you must use the primary I/O system BIOS settings. Usually on desktop computers entry is made by pressing the Del key, but in different models Notebooks may use other keys (F1, F12) or combinations thereof.

To be recognized as bootable, you need to find a section with a name like Boot, Boot Priority, Boot Sequence and install it first in the list of boot devices by pressing the PgUp/PgDown key optical drive(CD/DVD-ROM).

Start installation

After all preparatory actions You can move on to solving the problem of how to install Windows XP from a disk directly. After turning on the computer and starting from the removable device, a black screen will appear with a prompt asking you to press any key to boot from the disk. Keep in mind that you will only have five seconds to make a decision. Otherwise, it will boot from the next device (usually a hard drive), provided that it has a bootloader, an installed OS, or even a damaged OS.

Next, a screen will appear to preload the basic installation components and a line at the bottom prompting you to install additional SCSI and RAID drivers. In most cases this is not necessary, however, if there are several hard drives, combined into the same RAID array, the installation must be applied. But it will assume that the user has one hard drive.

Partition selection and formatting

At the next stage, a welcome screen will appear with options to choose from:

• immediate installation of the system;
• restoring a damaged system via the console;
• refusal to install.

Select the first item by pressing the enter key. Next, we agree to the license agreement and press F8 to continue the installation (hints will appear at each installation stage).

After this, previously installed copies will be scanned, after which you will need to make a choice in favor of installation new system(Esc).

Now the most important thing begins with the question of how to install Windows XP from a disk. The first step is to decide on the system partition and its size. If installed on a new hard drive that did not have logical partitions, the unallocated area (full volume) will be shown.

It is undesirable to allocate all the space to the system partition (this can later play a cruel joke). It’s better to partition the disk right away by pressing the C key and specifying the required volume in MB (for the system you can allocate 40-60 GB, but not less than 20 GB). Please immediately pay attention to the fact that for the normal functioning of Windows XP, about 10-15% of its size must always remain free in the system partition both after installing the OS and after installing user programs. After returning to the partition creation screen, you can begin formatting (but more on that later).

If the hard drive has already been broken and has an old system, the user will be shown all available partitions. If necessary, all partitions can be deleted (press D when selecting a partition). If the user is satisfied with the disk structure, simply select the desired partition in which the system was installed previously and proceed to formatting.

In the case of new hard drives, you can immediately select quick formatting to NTFS. If the operation is applied to an existing partition, several options will be offered to choose from. It is best to perform a full format in NTFS. But to save data you can leave file system without changes. Most likely, you will next receive a warning that the Windows system directory already exists, with a suggestion to overwrite the current copy or select a new folder. Here - optional (all the same Windows folders XP old version, if one was previously present, will be saved).

Now all that remains is to wait for the files to be copied, after which the reboot will occur and the installation of the system will begin in normal graphical mode.

Setting initial parameters

In the next steps in the question of how to install Windows XP from a disk, the user's actions are quite simple. When rebooting, be sure to remove the optical media from the drive, otherwise you will get the pre-start screen again.

After the installer starts, the language and region are selected (usually you don’t need to change anything if you have a Russian copy of the system), then, if required, enter the user name and organization name (optional), after which the product key is entered (without it, the installation will not continue ). Working keys, by and large, can be easily found on the Internet.

At the next stage, you need to enter the name of the computer and specify the administrator password (this can be done later). Next, the date and time are set (usually you don’t need to change anything), and finally a screen with a choice of settings may appear network card. Feel free to select “Regular settings” and indicate that the computer is not participating in the network (it is better to select the group and domain after installation is complete).

Completing the installation

Only now will the device drivers begin. Upon completion, several additional windows may appear. For example, the system will ask for consent to install optimal resolution screen. We must agree with this.

Then a welcome blue screen starts, in which most of the actions can be skipped (for example, deferring protection, checking the Internet connection and registering with Microsoft). Finally, all that remains is to enter the names of the accounts that will be registered in the system. You can enter only your data, after which a notification will appear informing you that the installation is complete.

Clicking the “Finish” button will cause the “Desktop” to appear with a familiar picture. At this point, the installation can be considered complete (if service packs were present in the distribution, they will be installed automatically, otherwise you need to install them yourself).

Typical errors when installing the system

Not often, of course, but you can meet Windows errors XP, moreover, precisely during the installation of the system. The most common occurrence is BSoD ( blue screen). Installation is impossible due to an incorrectly set mode for hard drive.

If a message appears about a BIOS firmware mismatch, you must disable ACPI mode during installation.

It is possible that the disc itself is damaged or scratched. Just burn the distribution onto another medium and try installing the system again.

Initial setup of Windows XP

Initially, the system usually does not need any special settings. But to reduce the load on computer resources, it is advisable to disable some background services that are activated by default and start with the system.

In the Run console (Win + R), enter the msconfig system configuration access command, go to the startup tab and disable everything that is there, leaving only the ctfmon process, which is responsible for displaying the language in the tray and changing keyboard layouts.

Required additional software

Then be sure to install security software, since there is practically no protection in the “expert” itself. Antiviruses for Window XP are quite diverse and do not cause installation problems. However, based on the fact that this version of the system is usually used on relatively low-power machines, you should not install heavy packages like Kaspersky Lab software products. It is better to limit yourself to some lightweight versions (Avira, Panda Cloud, etc.).

However, if you look at antiviruses for Window XP from the point of view of providing maximum protection, you can use NOD32 or Smart Security from ESET. True, they will have to be activated monthly using special keys that are freely distributed on the Internet.

Finally, all that remains is to install an archiver, a set of codecs, a flash player for the browser, office suite and some other applications that the user may need while working.

Good day.

Despite the fact that many computer users have long switched to new versions of the operating system from Microsoft, there are still customers who prefer the old versions. Like any mechanism that has worked for a long time, the OS can also fail. There are several ways to return your device to its previous state. Today I will tell you how to perform a disk recovery in Windows XP. This will help to revive your computer as soon as possible.

If you are not using latest versions operating systems from Microsoft, it is advisable to always have a backup option in case of any malfunctions. And in general, you should always have a tool that allows you to return everything to its place at any moment if problems arise.

And one of the most effective is the emergency recovery disk. It's actually just an installation image. It is desirable that this be the one from which the current operating system was installed. If it is impossible to find it, you need to look for the same version. The main thing is assembly and bit depth.

In the absence of a distribution kit, we download and record it on any convenient medium. Which one depends on motherboard. If it was released a long time ago, it is likely that it does not have the ability to run from a flash drive. In this case, you need to use a plastic disk. To create the desired image, you need to use special programs which I wrote about earlier.

Recovery( )

This procedure must go through the BIOS, since system areas are affected. The procedure can be called practically the only one that will help with non-working recovery in an already loaded operating system.

So, to run the tool with boot disk, we perform several actions:

We insert the appropriate USB flash drive or CD into a suitable drive into the port. Let's reboot.

Immediately after the first characters appear on the screen, you need to enter the BIOS. To do this, in most cases, use the " Del", although depending on the manufacturer they may be " F2, F11, F12" or other. Which button is suitable is written on the screen.



In the BIOS menu we go to boot - “ Boot" We choose to required device became the first to start the system.



Click " F10", save and restart the computer.



Then the following message will appear on the dark screen: “ Press key to boot..." You need to press any button and the disc will start. If this is not done, the system will try to operate in standard mode.



We are waiting for the program to load necessary drivers and will offer options to choose from.



A list will then appear from which you can choose new installation or restoration. Don’t rush right away - select the first item by clicking on “ Enter" And don't worry - the process will go through without losing data.



will appear license agreement. We indicate that we have read and understood it in detail by clicking “ F8».



But now a window will appear in which the running program will find already established solution. Select our operating system and click “ R", which will run the command " Recovery».

Windows XP remains one of the most popular operating systems today. Users value it for its reliability and ability to work on weak old hardware. Step by step installation Windows systems XP is a fairly quick and easy process. Below is a detailed description of it.

Preparing the computer for installing a new OS

The simplest way that Windows XP can be installed is with installation disk. If, instead of reading data from it, the system starts loading the old OS or a black screen appears that does not respond to button presses, then you just need to go into the BIOS and make the appropriate settings:

1. Open the Advansed BIOS Features or BIOS/Boot Device Priority section;
2. Select First Boot Devise;
3. In the list that opens, select CDROM or the name of your drive;
4. Save the result by pressing the F10 key and restart your PC.

Note that there are a lot of BIOS versions for laptops today, so the described steps when installing the OS on a laptop may be slightly different.

Let's proceed directly to the installation

The first window is a blue screen. It is at this stage that step by step installation software for installing Windows XP on a SCSI (high-speed disk) or on a RAID array. To do this, press F6, after which the installation of the appropriate drivers will begin. But in most cases, users install the system to normal HDD, for which no intervention during the installation is required at this stage, you just need to wait for the next welcome screen.

1. Install Windows XP. The standard choice in most cases is to install the system from scratch or restore the old one. A convenient graphical interface is used.
2. System recovery using the console. This is the choice of professional users and craftsmen - restoration is made from command line using DOS commands. In this case, a complete reinstallation of the system is not performed.

Next, the system proceeds to search for previously installed OS versions. If any were found, the list will be displayed on this screen below, and the menu will offer options for subsequent actions:

• restore old Windows XP;
• install a new copy of the OS.

In the first case, you will be able to use earlier installed applications. Will only be replaced system files, and the installation will be completed completely. The second option involves a complete reshuffle of the system.

No list will appear not only if Windows XP is installed on an “empty” computer, but also if the previously installed system has a different edition or service pack.

The most crucial moment of installation

The next installation point is perhaps the most important, and should be performed thoughtfully and carefully. You will need to identify the system partition and allocate disk space in such a way that virtual disk, allocated for the system, there was enough space for its functioning.

Of course, you can use the same partition equal to the entire hard drive space for both the system and your personal data, but such an organization is guaranteed to create many problems in the future.

We split the disk into partitions

If Windows XP is installed completely new disk, then you will have to distribute the partitions yourself, since previously this step by step procedure never produced. The window that appears will indicate the size of the unallocated area - it will coincide with the size of the entire hard drive.

Here you need to create a so-called The system partition is the one where the OS will be installed. To do this, you need to indicate its size in megabytes (1 GB is equal to 1024 MB) and press “Enter” on the keyboard. After this, you will again return to the window in which the hard drive is partitioned. The created section will already be displayed in a separate line with a Latin letter assigned to it (usually C).

You should not skimp on the size of the system partition - the stability of the system will depend on it. The minimum space for installing Windows XP is 20 GB, but it is better to allocate not 20, but 40, or even all 60 GB.

Similarly, from the remaining unallocated area, we create other sections for personal data, however, you should not get carried away with the quantity - in this case, large files and folders will be distributed less efficiently, and navigation through the sections will become more confusing.

Format the system partition

Next, you will need to select the partition to install the system (in our case, drive C) and press the “Enter” key. A window will open asking you to format the partition.
Choose quick formatting using the NFTS system (FAT is obsolete). After formatting is completed, the process of installing system files will begin.
The most difficult stage of installation has been completed.

By the way, if the disk that you partitioned is not formatted, then you can carry out this procedure with each of the created partitions for personal data even after completing the installation of Windows XP using standard means.

If you are rearranging the system and the disk is already partitioned, then you should simply select the partition with the system to be reinstalled, format it and start the installation process. If you decide to format the remaining partitions, then all information on them will be lost.

Finishing the installation

Once the system files have been copied, the computer will restart and the installation will continue.

We determine the initial parameters:

As everyone knows, to work with a computer we need an operating system, which over time becomes “unusable” due to viruses, “garbage” and other factors. Many people think that it is better to turn to a professional for reinstallation, but I offer you step-by-step instructions for installing Windows XP. After studying it, you will have no doubt that you can install Windows XP yourself.

Why do you have to reinstall Windows?
According to statistics, even having good protection computer from viruses and careful handling, you still have to reinstall Windows xp every three years. The “garbage” that accumulates in the system is sometimes the remnants of uninstalling programs and games, which contain settings, configuration files and other system files of the old application. Many programs make entries in the registry, and after deleting the entry remains “live” in the system. It also happens that the computer hangs and there is no way to “revive” it, and the conclusion suggests itself: you need to install new Windows xp.

Setting up your computer to boot from disk.
Usually, when the computer boots, the motherboard splash screen appears for a moment, then the post is checked, and now we see the “Windows XP” greeting. To install, we do not need to launch Windows itself, but we need to launch a disk with our windows image xp. To do this you need to go to Bios. To enter Bios, you must press the DEL or F1 key when turning on the computer. (On laptops use F1, F2, F3, DEL, Ctrl+Alt+Esc. If more than one combination does not work, then you need to look on the official website for how to enter bios).

Most often there are only two types of bios:

1. Phoenix AwardBIOS.
If you have this particular version, then you need to do the following: enter the Advanced BIOS Features section, select First Boot Device and assign the value CD-ROM. Then press the F10 key (to save the settings and exit) and select Yes in the dialog box that appears.

2. American Megatrends BIOS.
In this version, the background will be gray and the sections will be written in a line at the top. First you need to enter the Boot section, then the Boot Device Priority subsection and in the 1st Boot Device item select your CD-ROM drive. And just like in Phoenix AwardBIOS, press the F10 key and confirm Yes.
This completes the computer setup.

Launch the windows installer.
The first step is to insert the Windows disk into the drive and restart the computer. On the dark screen we will see the inscription “Press any key to boot from CD”, which means press any key to boot the disk, which is what we do. This message is displayed for no more than five seconds, so you need to immediately press any key. If you didn’t have time, you should restart the computer and press the key again.

On the monitor we will see that the Windows installation has started. There is no need to interfere unless you want to install a special RAID or SCSI driver. In this case, you need to press the F6 key.

We press Enter and the license agreement appears; to agree and continue the installation, press F8. Next, you need to select the hard drive partition on which the installation will be performed. If the disk is new and there is only an unallocated area on it, you need to create a partition (C key), specify the required size in it.

We will also be offered hard formatting disk is fast and normal. Formatting is best done as usual with the ntfs file system. After all, the long-awaited installation of windows xp will finally begin; upon completion, the computer will reboot itself and a window will appear with the inscription “Press any key to boot from CD”, this time we are not pressing anything!

A window like this will appear in which you don’t need to change anything, but in the next one, be sure to enter the Name and Organization.

The password is set at the user's discretion. We leave the date, time and time zone as is or adjust it if necessary.

If the network card driver was built into this build of Windows, then you will see a configuration of network parameters in which you need to select “Normal settings” and click “Next”.

When choosing working group or domain, it is worth checking the first item with the value WORKGROUP.

Well, here we see the Microsoft logo and the latest windows configuration settings.
Welcome to logging in and loading the desktop.

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