repair XP/loss of IP address

[Guest]

Recently my computer is stalling when I hit reset. Because of this I wanted
to reinstall XP to see if I could repair it. When I put my disk in the
drive, I am told that the version I am running is newer than the one on the
disk.

How can I reinstall? Should I wipe out the new version and start over again
by reinstalling all the updates too? Or is there a way I can repair that I
am not familiar with?

Also, I am continually losing my IP address on my PC. I am running a
Netgear router so that I can use my laptop in other parts of the house. This
problem did not occur until I installed XP on my machine. Is it possible
that I need a new router or is the system in conflict with the router?

Thanks

 

[Ted Zieglar]

Before going to all the trouble of reinstalling, re-updating and
re-configuring your operating system -- particularly when you don't even
know if that will help -- try diagnosing your problem.

To begin, describe exactly what "stalling" means and what "reset" means
(standby? hibernation? restart? something else?)