It can be difficult and time consuming to install Windows XP and choosing the right way to install Windows XP is very important.
These simple, step-by-step guides will show you exactly how to install Windows XP - quickly and painlessly.
Note: These guides work equally well in explaining how to install Windows XP Pro and how to install Windows XP Home.
Windows XP Clean Install
After serious system problems it's often necessary to wipe your hard drive clean and install Windows XP from scratch.
A Windows XP clean install will require the deletion of everything on your primary hard drive so a good backup of the data you want to keep is absolutely necessary. Also, all of your software will need to be reinstalled after the clean install is over.
The most frustrating and time consuming way to install Windows XP is probably the Windows XP clean install the but it's almost always the most effective at ending serious Windows problems.
This Windows XP clean install guide is broken into four parts for a total of 34 steps and will visually walk you through every part of the reinstall process.
Windows XP New Install
If you're planning to install Windows XP on a newly installed, empty hard drive then a Windows XP new install is what you're after.
This Windows XP new install guide is broken into 30 steps over three parts and will walk you through the entire installation process. Every action is accompanied by a screen shot so you'll always know exactly what the next screen will look like.
Windows XP Repair Install
Repairing a Windows XP installation is valuable when you need to keep your programs and data in tact but need to restore the Windows XP system files to their original state.
A Windows XP repair install is often an easy fix for startup and other hard to troubleshoot issues in Windows XP. It's best to install Windows XP this way before you resort to a clean install, described in the first link above.
This easy to follow, visual guide to to repairing XP is broken into two parts for a total of 19 steps.
Windows XP Parallel Install
A less common way to install Windows XP is in a way called a "parallel install." A Windows XP parallel install installs a second copy of Windows XP on your PC.
Outside of solving some very specific kinds of issues, there are few reasons you'd want to install Windows XP in parallel to another installation of XP.
Usually, a parallel install is created by accident after making key mistakes during a clean install. A parallel install of XP with a different operating system makes sense if you'd like access to both Windows XP and other OS. This is called dual booting.
Important: To be clear, after a parallel install, you will have two separate and generally unrelated Windows XP installations on your computer.
