Format HD save XP

[Tyler]

I want to clean everything off my hard drive, and
reinstall windows XP home. However, I'm afraid that if I
do so, when I try to reload windows, I will not be able to
activate it.
Is there anyway to unactivate, or how can I work around
this.
What would happen if you had a virus on your computer and
you had to format your hard drive and put XP back on your
computer? Do you have to drop $150 and buy another XP?
(Not happening to me, but just curious)

 

[Nicholas]

You'll reactivate Windows XP in the same manner as you did
originally, usually via the internet.

The Windows XP CD is bootable and contains all the tools necessary
to partition and format your drive. Follow this procedure and allow
Windows XP to partition and format your drive:

1. Open your BIOS and set your CD Drive as the first bootable device.
2. Insert your Windows XP CD in the CD Drive and reboot your computer.
3. You'll see a message to boot to the CD....follow the instructions.
4. The setup menu will appear and you should elect to delete the existing
Windows partitions, then create a new partition, then format the primary
partition (preferably NTFS) and proceed to install Windows XP.

5. Clean Install Windows XP
http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

[Courtesy of Michael Stevens, MS-MVP]

6. After installing Windows XP, be sure and visit the support website
of the manufacturer of the computer to download and install any
available Windows XP compatible drivers, such as video adapter
and audio drivers.


--
Nicholas

---------------------------------------------------------------------


| I want to clean everything off my hard drive, and
| reinstall windows XP home. However, I'm afraid that if I
| do so, when I try to reload windows, I will not be able to
| activate it.
| Is there anyway to unactivate, or how can I work around
| this.
| What would happen if you had a virus on your computer and
| you had to format your hard drive and put XP back on your
| computer? Do you have to drop $150 and buy another XP?
| (Not happening to me, but just curious)

 

[Tyler]

I know how to reactiate XP, but my question is, will it
let me reactivate, or will it say that this product has
already been activated once.

Also, with office xp professional, will i have the same
problems when I load it on again? How will it know that
I'm not loading it onto a different computer?

 

[Nicholas]

Yes, there is no limit to the number of times you can reinstall
Windows XP or Office XP and still activate it normally, as
long as the reinstallation takes place on the same computer.

Windows Product Activation (WPA)
on Windows XP
http://www.aumha.org/a/wpa.htm

[Courtesy of Alex Nichol, MS-MVP]


--
Nicholas

-------------------------------------------------------------------------


| I know how to reactiate XP, but my question is, will it
| let me reactivate, or will it say that this product has
| already been activated once.
|
| Also, with office xp professional, will i have the same
| problems when I load it on again? How will it know that
| I'm not loading it onto a different computer?