Need Step-by-Step for Reinstalling XP

[Guest]

Ever since installing SP2, my Dell Latitude has slowed to a crawl. Closing
out of programs is especially tiresome, and shutting down often takes a good
ten minutes. I kid you not.

I am increasingly miserable, and believe that the only way I can eliminate
my misery (other than throwing the computer out the window and going to the
closest Apple store) is to reformat my computer's hard disk and basically
"start over." Others with more knowledge about this have also suggested the
same thing. I've done this once before, but this was long before SP2.

I'm looking for a step-by-step, hold-my-hand check list that:

a) tells me all the things I should do before I reformat (including what
kinds of things I should make sure I have backed up and how)
and
b) walks me through each step of the actual reformatting process.

Can someone point me in the right direction?

Many thanks.

 

[Tom]

Ever since installing SP2, my Dell Latitude has slowed to a crawl. Closing
out of programs is especially tiresome, and shutting down often takes a
good
ten minutes. I kid you not.

I am increasingly miserable, and believe that the only way I can eliminate
my misery (other than throwing the computer out the window and going to
the
closest Apple store) is to reformat my computer's hard disk and basically
"start over." Others with more knowledge about this have also suggested
the
same thing. I've done this once before, but this was long before SP2.

I'm looking for a step-by-step, hold-my-hand check list that:

a) tells me all the things I should do before I reformat (including what
kinds of things I should make sure I have backed up and how)
and
b) walks me through each step of the actual reformatting process.

Can someone point me in the right direction?

Many thanks.

Read here:

http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

 

[WTC]

Ever since installing SP2, my Dell Latitude has slowed to a crawl. Closing
out of programs is especially tiresome, and shutting down often takes a
good
ten minutes. I kid you not.

I am increasingly miserable, and believe that the only way I can eliminate
my misery (other than throwing the computer out the window and going to
the
closest Apple store) is to reformat my computer's hard disk and basically
"start over." Others with more knowledge about this have also suggested
the
same thing. I've done this once before, but this was long before SP2.

I'm looking for a step-by-step, hold-my-hand check list that:

a) tells me all the things I should do before I reformat (including what
kinds of things I should make sure I have backed up and how)
and
b) walks me through each step of the actual reformatting process.

Can someone point me in the right direction?

Many thanks.

How to perform an in-place upgrade (reinstallation) of Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;315341

How to install or upgrade to Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;316941