Need Tips on Re-installing Win XP

[Scott]

I need to re-install Win XP. (The multimedia functions are crippled.)

I also want to partition the drive into C and D drives, with XP on C. (I
have discovered that only the OS needs the de-frag and file cleaning stuff.
These will run quicker if it doesn't have to do the whole HD.)

The HD is 70GB, I'm using 43, and 28 is free.

How much space does XP Home SP3? (I am planning to allocate 10GB to account
for XP and other things like IE8. Is that enough?)

My installation disk has the original XP. Do I have to do anything to get it
to SP3, or will the Windows Update site support this kind of upgrade? (I
have a Dell with an Intel processor, 1GB RAM)

I will back up everything before doing this.

Thanks
Scott
Los Angeles

 

[Shenan Stanley]

I need to re-install Win XP. (The multimedia functions are
crippled.)
I also want to partition the drive into C and D drives, with XP on
C. (I have discovered that only the OS needs the de-frag and file
cleaning stuff. These will run quicker if it doesn't have to do the
whole HD.)
The HD is 70GB, I'm using 43, and 28 is free.

How much space does XP Home SP3? (I am planning to allocate 10GB to
account for XP and other things like IE8. Is that enough?)

My installation disk has the original XP. Do I have to do anything
to get it to SP3, or will the Windows Update site support this kind
of upgrade? (I have a Dell with an Intel processor, 1GB RAM)

I will back up everything before doing this.

I suggest a minumum of 20GB for your system partition (C:\) for the
installation and other stuff. Even though a normal install of Windows XP
with SP3 and all the extras/programs a home user might have falls between
the 4.5GB and 9GB rang - you really want to keep some significant free space
on the drive for various reasons.

You'll want to download the full SP2 installation and the full SP3
installation files and install SP2 followed by SP3 as soon as you have
finished installing Windows Xp and updated your hardware drivers. I also
suggest being physically disconnected from the Internet until you have at
least updated to SP2 - better even if you wait until you have installed SP3.

SP2 Full Install
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...BE-3B8E-4F30-8245-9E368D3CDB5A&displaylang=en
(Consider yourself an IT Professional.)

SP3 Full Install
http://www.microsoft.com/DownLoads/...a8-5e76-401f-be08-1e1555d4f3d4&displaylang=en

(Consider yourself an IT Professional.)

Oh - and for your own benefit - make sure you have installation media for
all your software, backups of all the stuff you want to keep (pictures,
documents, email, contacts, etc) and all the product keys/serial numbers for
the stuff you need to install. Running something like Belarc Advisor before
you start to get a printout (paper) of your setup might help too.

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

 

[Big_Al]

Shenan Stanley said this on 3/14/2009 2:27 AM:

I suggest a minumum of 20GB for your system partition (C:\) for the
installation and other stuff. Even though a normal install of Windows XP
with SP3 and all the extras/programs a home user might have falls between
the 4.5GB and 9GB rang - you really want to keep some significant free space
on the drive for various reasons.

You'll want to download the full SP2 installation and the full SP3
installation files and install SP2 followed by SP3 as soon as you have
finished installing Windows Xp and updated your hardware drivers. I also
suggest being physically disconnected from the Internet until you have at
least updated to SP2 - better even if you wait until you have installed SP3.

SP2 Full Install
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...BE-3B8E-4F30-8245-9E368D3CDB5A&displaylang=en
(Consider yourself an IT Professional.)

SP3 Full Install
http://www.microsoft.com/DownLoads/...a8-5e76-401f-be08-1e1555d4f3d4&displaylang=en

(Consider yourself an IT Professional.)

Oh - and for your own benefit - make sure you have installation media for
all your software, backups of all the stuff you want to keep (pictures,
documents, email, contacts, etc) and all the product keys/serial numbers for
the stuff you need to install. Running something like Belarc Advisor before
you start to get a printout (paper) of your setup might help too.

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

I would add that if you wanted, you can make a new CD from your Windows
CD with SP2 and SP3 already installed. Its not really hard, as there
are tools that walk you through it plus tons of writeups, just google
"slipstream". N-lite & auto streamer, are two that come to mind.
The backup folders and residue from the upgrades don't eat up a lot,
even all the updates post SP3 on my PC are only 300M+, and I'm not sure
how much you want to nit pick, but it does make a cleaner install and
reduce all those $NTUninstall.... folders in windows. I just mention
it as an optional item. However, doing it would then provide you
with a Windows CD with SP3 installed that would work if you needed to do
a Repair install. IIRC you can't repair a SP3 installation with a SP1
cd etc.

 

[Scott]

Thank you very much for your suggestions.

Your detail led to think of another question. I am asking about an Intel
based computer, but I also have a notebook with an AMD processor that will
someday need a re-install. Are there different SP2 and SP3 downloads for AMD
processors.

Thanks
Scott
Los Angeles

 

[Scott]

Thank you for alerting me to this tool. The search term did work and I found
tool. I am studying it, and would like to try it.

Thanks
Scott
Los Angeles

 

[Big_Al]

Scott said this on 3/16/2009 8:01 PM:

Thank you very much for your suggestions.

Your detail led to think of another question. I am asking about an Intel
based computer, but I also have a notebook with an AMD processor that will
someday need a re-install. Are there different SP2 and SP3 downloads for AMD
processors.

Thanks
Scott
Los Angeles

I suggest a minumum of 20GB for your system partition (C:\) for the
installation and other stuff. Even though a normal install of Windows XP
with SP3 and all the extras/programs a home user might have falls between
the 4.5GB and 9GB rang - you really want to keep some significant free
space on the drive for various reasons.

You'll want to download the full SP2 installation and the full SP3
installation files and install SP2 followed by SP3 as soon as you have
finished installing Windows Xp and updated your hardware drivers. I also
suggest being physically disconnected from the Internet until you have at
least updated to SP2 - better even if you wait until you have installed
SP3.

SP2 Full Install
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...BE-3B8E-4F30-8245-9E368D3CDB5A&displaylang=en
(Consider yourself an IT Professional.)

SP3 Full Install
http://www.microsoft.com/DownLoads/...a8-5e76-401f-be08-1e1555d4f3d4&displaylang=en

(Consider yourself an IT Professional.)

Oh - and for your own benefit - make sure you have installation media for
all your software, backups of all the stuff you want to keep (pictures,
documents, email, contacts, etc) and all the product keys/serial numbers
for the stuff you need to install. Running something like Belarc Advisor
before you start to get a printout (paper) of your setup might help too.

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

No diff. SP3 is SP3. Its just prepwork that diffs.