Question:
clean install of XP Pro
I want to re-install XP Pro on my new Dell laptop to get rid of the various promotional crap that came pre-installed. But I've been hearing different things about the drivers.... Do they come included on the CD I created with the utility or what? I asked that question in the Dell forum, and this is what I was told:
A clean install with a Recovery Disc will just load the operating system with the drivers that were current at that time and nothing else. No junk, such as AOL. Now if you use the restore partition you will recreate the parttion at the time of shipment which will be a clean OS plus all the programs.
Was she right, or should I try to find the Drivers before just in case?
Thanks for your help!
Michael
Answer:
Re: clean install of XP Pro
yeah id burn a copy of the drivers also, the ones on the cd are probly older versions and you can get the most up to date ones from the dell website.
ive heard something about not being able to get one of the burning programs (sonic?) from the the website, though.
Answer:
Re: clean install of XP Pro
You have two options:
1.) You can download them from this link.
http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/index.aspx
2.) copy the Dell folder located on your C: drive and burn it to a disk. If you do this, most likely your drivers will be outdated, so you'll still need to go to the above site and download the current ones.
She was wrong, and somewhat right. The recovery disk does not have the drivers on it. If you called Dell and asked for them to send you an XP CD, then there would be a separate disk with the drivers on it. The restore partition will not be a clean OS. It restores your system back to the first day you got it with all of the junk software on it. You will lose any documents,pictures,etc..in each case, so make sure to backup anything that you want to keep
Sonic is not on the website, but they do have an update for it. Any software that you need like Sonic, Cyberlink, etc, you can call Dell and they will send the CDs to you. It should be free of charge, and you'll receive them usually within 2 days of requesting them. They've been changing their policy recently on the CDs, so its kind of a mess right now.
Hope this helps,
SG
Answer:
Re: clean install of XP Pro
Pretty easy process, but what most people seem to have problems with are removing the partition and installing it clean rather than adding another operating system. Read your prompts carefully and make sure that's what you're doing or you'll have to start all over again. Mine worked fine even before installing all the additional drivers, but I went back afterward to make sure they were all up to date. You can always get them form Dell if you need to.
Answer:
Re: clean install of XP Pro
Arg, they're not gonna make it easy, huh? I think it's pretty crappy that they pack so much junk on their computers.. but I guess that's how they keep prices down. I really appreciate all your help, but I think I'm just gonna leave it alone for now, rather than screw everything up to a point that I have to buy my own XP CD's or pay a pro to fix it for me. My 5-year-old desktop has less hard drive space used up than this brand new laptop :( . I guess I'll just have to deal with it for now.. or until they release Longhorn.
Thanks again!
Michael
Answer:
Re: clean install of XP Pro
its actually fairly easy, and i have step by step instructions if you want to do it. Besides if something did get screwed up, Dell would send you the XP CD for free. If you decide you want to do it, let me know and i'll get you the instructions.
Answer:
Re: clean install of XP Pro
I would like to see the instructions, too.
Answer:
Re: clean install of XP Pro
How to Reinstall XP
1. You'll need to get a copy of XP. You have a couple of options. There is a dell program on the 9300 called Dell Recovery Disk (something similar to that). Its under the start menu in one of the dell folders. It will burn a copy of XP to a CD. If you don't have that program, you can call dell and request the OS CDs (3 in total). (see Dell Tidbits for additional information)
2. (skip this step if you called Dell) go to Dell's Site and download your wireless or network card driver and burn them to a CD. This will allow you to get on the net once it is installed, so you can get the other drivers.
3. Back up any personal documents (email, music, pictures, etc) to a CD.
4. Once you get your XP cd from step 1, insert it into the cd-rom and reboot. Once it restarts, you should see "hit any key to boot from cd". Hit any key to start reinstall of XP. If it does not ask you this and boots into Windows, then restart the system again. Once the dell screen appears, hit "f12" to enter boot screen and select CD-ROM. Reboot.
5. From there, this website will provide you step by step instructions (scroll down to about mid section and it gives directions with pictures)
6. When you get to the part about partitions (step 5 on the website), you'll want to choose the largest partition. If you want, you can delete each partition and it will combine them into one partition. Then you can install windows on that partition. (See Delete partitions section below)
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After Installation
Insert the drivers cd (if you called Dell) or the CD from step 2 and install the wireless or NIC driver. Once you get access to the internet, then go to the site listed in step 2 and download/install the other drivers. You'll want to do this even if you called dell because the drivers on the website are more current.
From here, you can install any additional software.
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Deleting Partitions Warning: This will delete all information located on that partition
Deleting:
1. select/highlight partition that you would like to delete
2. press D
3. if asked to confirm, say yes
4. repeat for any partition you would like to delete
****if you delete all partitions, all of the HDD space will be lumped into one big partition.***
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Dell Tidbits
1.) Recently Dell stopped sending the CDs with their systems. If you would like to use CyberLink PowerDVD (dvd decoder), Sonic or any other software, contact Dell and request the software CDs. If you state that you reformatted your harddrive, they should send these to you free of charge, and you will receive them next business day.
2.) The recovery disk and the XP disk from Dell will only have the basic operating system. This will only have the standard programs that come with XP.
3.) The restore partition will restore your system back to factory condition and will include all junk software (press ctrl + F11 when you see the Dell logo)
4.) If you have a latitude system, you should receive a retail version of XP from Dell for free. The Inspiron systems will receive a OEM version which Dell *might* charge you for them.
5.) most important part about reinstallation is patience and to read each direction carefully. It takes around an hour to complete.
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I'm still working on it. The website from step 5 is a very good source for specific steps in the reinstallation process. It has detailed pictures of every step, and if you aren't familiar with reformatting, it will walk you through each part.
Hope this helps...
Answer:
Re: clean install of XP Pro
Thanks for the post!
Answer:
Re: clean install of XP Pro
no problem...one hint, If you are not familiar with reformatting and if you have a second computer, i would have that website on it while you are doing this just in case you have any problems.
If you have reformatted any XP system before, its basically the same thing.