How to reinstall windows xp?

Hey everyone.....I've recently had some troubles with my laptop where I have come to the conclusion where I will probably have to reformat my computer.

The problem that I have now, is that the version of XP that I have on a cd is older than the version that I have on my dell laptop.

My question is, how do I reinstall the older version (it said I could with some rebooting or something but I tried and it didnt work) and is it bad if I install an older version of xp?

Also if anyone has any other ideas on what I should do, I would appreciate any input.

Thanks everyone.

 

It is true that you install Windows by booting from the CD. If it's genuine Windows installation media then it will most certainly be bootable. Since it didn't work, it's likely the case that your BIOS is currently set not to have the CD drive as the first boot device. To change this, you will press a key during bootup almost immediately after you press the power button. Depending on the BIOS, it could be a variety of buttons, but in my experience it's either the DEL button or one of the F-keys. You could try pressing one-by-one, or look at the bottom of the screen early in bootup. You will see something similar to 'Enter BIOS' and 'Select Boot Device'. Once you enter either, make sure you set the CD-ROM from as the first device in the boot priority list.

Once booted from the CD it is a pretty simple process. You can refer to this excellent guide for more detailed information about the process.

After installation is complete there are two places you'll want to visit, Windows Update and your notebook manufacturer's support site. At Windows Update, you can download the latest service pack and patches. The will make your installation completely up to date. At the manufacturers support site you will download the latest drivers and manufacturer provided software.

Before proceeding, it would be wise to download at least the video and ethernet (or wifi if you are connecting wireless) drivers. This will ensure that you can connect to the internet and easily view everything while completing the updates previously described.

 

It doesn't have all the updates and whatnot installed...also, may not have SP2 or SP3, if you've installed that. Back up all your personal data first of all. You'll also probably want to head over to http://support.dell.com and follow the prompts to get the network drivers for your laptop, so you can install other drivers and updates once you install XP.

What you'll want to do is back up, shut down, and boot from the CD. To do so, you may need to hit F12 at the BIOS screen to get a boot menu, and then select the CD. If I remember correctly, you'll have the option to install. Choose that. When you get to the hard drive section, you'll want to choose to reformat it all (at least the NTFS partition you have XP installed on...there may be another small Dell partition or so. Then install.

Do you have another computer connected to the Internet so you can check back with any questions/problems in the process?

Cheers...