NOTE: See "Advanced Troubleshooting" for information on identifying drivers,
creating a restore point and resolving software and hardware incompatibilities.
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.
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 CD contains drivers that were installed
during assembly of the computer. Use the Drivers and Utilities CD to load any
required drivers, including the drivers required if your computer has a RAID
controller.
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.
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 CD provides options for reinstalling Windows
XP. The options 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.
When the Windows XP Setup screen appears, press <Enter> to
select To set up Windows now.
Read the information on the Microsoft Windows Licensing
Agreement screen, and press <F8> to accept the license agreement.
If your computer already has Windows XP installed and you want to
recover your current Windows XP data, type r to select the repair
option, and remove the CD.
If you want to install a new copy of Windows XP, press <Esc> to
select that option.
Press <Enter> to select the highlighted partition (recommended),
and follow the instructions on the screen.
The Windows XP Setup screen appears, and the operating system begins to copy files and install the devices. The computer automatically restarts multiple times.
NOTE: The time required to complete the setup depends on the size of the
hard drive and the speed of your computer.
NOTICE: Do not press any key when the following message appears: Press
any key to boot from the CD.
When the Regional and Language Options screen appears, select the
settings for your location and click Next.
Enter your name and organization (optional) in the Personalize Your
Software screen, and click Next.
At the Computer Name and Administrator Password window, enter a
name for your computer (or accept the one provided) and a password,
and click Next.
If the Modem Dialing Information screen appears, enter the
requested information and click Next.
Enter the date, time, and time zone in the Date and Time Settings
window, and click Next.
If the Networking Settings screen appears, click Typical and click
Next.
If you are reinstalling Windows XP Professional and you are prompted
to provide further information regarding your network configuration,
enter your selections. If you are unsure of your settings, accept the
default selections.
Windows XP installs the operating system components and configures the computer. The computer automatically restarts.
NOTICE: Do not press any key when the following message appears: Press
any key to boot from the CD.
When the Welcome to Microsoft screen appears, click Next.
When the How will this computer connect to the
Internet? message appears, click Skip.
When the Ready to register with Microsoft? screen appears, select
No, not at this time and click Next.
When the Who will use this computer? screen appears, you can enter
up to five users.
Click Next.
Click Finish to complete the setup, and remove the CD.
Reinstall the appropriate drivers with the Drivers and Utilities CD.
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 2000, you need the following items:
Dell™ Operating System CD
Dell Drivers and Utilities CD
NOTE: The Drivers and Utilities CD contains drivers that were installed
during assembly of the computer. Use the Drivers and Utilities CD to load any
required drivers., including those drivers required if your computer has a
RAID controller.
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 using the Operating System CD under certain conditions.
To reinstall Windows 2000, perform all the steps in the following section 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 CD provides options for reinstalling Windows
2000. The options can overwrite files and possibly affect programs installed on
your hard drive. Therefore, do not reinstall Windows 2000 unless a Dell
technical support representative instructs you to do so.
NOTICE: To prevent conflicts with Windows 2000, disable any virus
protection software installed on your computer before you reinstall Windows
2000. See the documentation that came with the software for instructions.
When the Windows 2000 Setup window appears, ensure that To
setup Win2000 now, press ENTER is highlighted. Then press
<Enter>.
When the Windows 2000 Professional Setup window appears, press
the arrow keys to select the Windows 2000 partition option that you
want. Then press the key for the partition option you chose.
When the Windows 2000 Professional Setup window reappears, press
the arrow keys to select the type of file system that you want Windows
2000 to use, and press <Enter>.
Press <Enter> again to restart your computer.
When the Welcome to theWindows 2000 Setup Wizard window
appears, click Next.
When the Regional Settings window appears, select your region and
click Next.
Enter your name and organization in the Personalize Your Software
window, and click Next.
Enter the Windows product key, which is printed on the Microsoft
label on your computer, and click Next.
When the Computer Name and Administrator Password window
appears, enter a name for your computer and a password, if desired.
Then click Next.
Enter the date and time in the Date and Time Settings window, and
click Next.
Windows 2000 installs components and configures the computer.
When the Completing the Windows 2000 Setup Wizard window
appears, remove the CD from the drive and click Finish.
The computer automatically restarts.
Reinstall the appropriate drivers with the Drivers and Utilities CD.
The Microsoft® Windows® XP operating system provides a Files and Settings Transfer wizard to move data from the source computer to the new computer. You can move data such as:
E-mails
Toolbar settings
Window sizes
Internet bookmarks
You can transfer the data to the new computer over a network or serial connection, or you can store it on a removable medium, such as a writable CD or floppy disk.
To prepare the new computer for the file transfer:
Click the Start button, point to All Programs® Accessories® System
Tools, and then click Files and Settings Transfer Wizard.
When the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard welcome screen
appears, click Next.
On the Which computer is this? screen, click New Computer and
click Next.
On the Do you have a Windows XP CD? screen, click I will use the
wizard from the Windows XP CD and click Next.
When the Now go to your old computer screen appears, go to your old
or source computer. Do not click Next at this time.
To copy data from the old computer:
On the old computer, insert the Windows XP Operating System CD.
On the Welcome to Microsoft Windows XP screen, click Perform
additional tasks.
Under What do you want to do?, click Transfer files and settings.
On the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard welcome screen, click
Next.
On the Which computer is this? screen, click Old Computer and click
Next.
On the Select a transfer method screen, click the transfer method you
prefer.
On the What do you want to transfer? screen, select the items you
want to transfer and click Next.
After the information has been copied, the Completing the Collection Phase screen appears.
Click Finish.
To transfer data to the new computer:
On the Now go to your old computer screen on the new computer,
click Next.
On the Where are the files and settings? screen, select the method you
chose for transferring your settings and files and click Next.
The wizard reads the collected files and settings and applies them to your new computer.
When all of the settings and files have been applied, the Finished screen appears.
You can change the appearance of the Windows desktop, Start menu, and Control Panel so that they look more like previous versions of the Windows operating system.
NOTE: The procedures in this document were written for the Windows default
view, so they may not work if you set your computer to the Windows classic
view.
Your computer is set up to use the Desktop Cleanup Wizard to move programs that are not frequently used to a designated folder 7 days after you first start your computer and every 60 days after that. The appearance of the Start menu changes as programs are moved.
To turn off the Desktop Cleanup Wizard:
NOTE: You can run the Desktop Cleanup Wizard any time by clicking Clean
Desktop Now under Run Desktop Cleanup Wizard every 60 days.
Right-click an empty spot on the desktop and click Properties.
Click the Desktop tab and click Customize Desktop.
Click Run Desktop Cleanup Wizard every 60 days to remove the
check mark.
Click OK.
To run the Desktop Cleanup Wizard at any time:
Right-click an empty spot on the desktop and click Properties.
Click the Desktop tab and click Customize Desktop.
Click Clean Desktop Now.
When the Desktop Cleanup Wizard appears, click Next.
In the list of shortcuts, deselect any shortcuts you want to leave on the
desktop and click Next.
Click Finish to remove the shortcuts and close the wizard.
The Internet Connection Firewall provides basic protection from unauthorized access to the computer while the computer is connected to the Internet. The firewall is automatically enabled when you run the Network Setup Wizard. When the firewall is enabled for a network connection, the firewall icon appears with a red background in the Network Connections section of the Control Panel.
Note that enabling the Internet Connection Firewall does not reduce the need for virus-checking software.
The Microsoft® Windows® XP operating system provides a Network Setup Wizard to guide you through the process of sharing files, printers, or an Internet connection between computers in a home or small office.
Click the Start button, point to All Programs® Accessories®
Communications, and then click Network Setup Wizard.
On the welcome screen, click Next.
Click Checklist for creating a network.
NOTE: Selecting the connection method This computer connects directly to
the Internet enables the integrated firewall provided with Windows XP.
Complete the checklist and required preparations.
Return to the Network Setup Wizard and follow the instructions on
the screen.
After the Microsoft® Windows® XP operating system is installed, the administrator or a user with administrator rights can create additional user accounts.
Click the Start button and click Control Panel.
In the Control Panel window, click User Accounts.
Under Pick a task, click Create a new account.
Under Name the new account, type the name of the new user and
click Next.
Under Pick an account type, click one of the following options:
Computer administrator — You can change all computer settings.
Limited — You can change only your own personal settings, such as your password. You cannot install programs or use the Internet.
NOTE: Additional options may be available, depending on whether you are
using Windows XP Home Edition or Windows XP Professional. Also, options
available in Windows XP Professional vary depending on whether your
computer is connected to a domain.
NOTE: Fast User Switching is unavailable if your computer is running
Windows XP Professional and is a member of a computer domain, or if your
computer has less than 128 MB of memory.
Fast User Switching allows multiple users to access one computer without requiring the previous user to log off.
Click the Start button and click Log Off.
In the Log Off Windows window, click Switch User.
When you use Fast User Switching, programs that previous users were using remain running in the background, which might decrease your computer's response time. Also, multimedia programs, such as games and DVD software, might not work with Fast User Switching. For more information, see the Windows Help and Support Center.
