Unlike XP, Windows 7 uses a new bootloader, so installing two operating systems with different bootloaders on one computer is sometimes a difficult task for a beginner. It’s good that Microsoft allows you to save the old bootloader from XP, installing the newer “seven” instead, and add an item to the boot menu for loading an outdated OS.

Today we’ll look at a situation where a user needs to install Windows XP next to an already installed Windows 7. The crux of the situation is this: if you install Windows XP after Windows 7, the latter stops loading, and to get out of the situation you will have to manually restore the 7 bootloader.

Installing XP after Windows 7

To install XP on a computer running Windows 7, it is recommended to use different partitions, hard drives, or install the “seven” on an SSD, and XP on a magnetic disk if you have a solid-state drive. Do not install two systems on one volume under any circumstances - this may end badly.

Let's consider the classic situation when installation is performed on different volumes of the same hard drive or different HDDs while the partition with Windows 7 installed is active (that is, without physically disabling it or in the BIOS second hard disk).

Preparing the partition for installing XP

We start the computer under Windows 7 and prepare a partition for installing XP on it. Under no circumstances should you use the program built into the XP installer for this (you can only use it to format the partition).
If you need to create a disk for installing an old OS, use Windows tools called Disk Management or one of the popular free programs designed to manage partitions. With their help, it is easy to split an existing section with user data, “cutting off” part of it free space, and create a new system disk in the unallocated area.

After creating a new partition, be sure to label it so that you do not make a mistake when choosing where to install Windows XP.

Installing Windows XP

We boot from a CD or bootable USB drive by entering the BIOS boot menu. Depending on the assembly, we select the XP installation option, wait for the preparatory stage when it is copied from removable media compressed files future OS. Now we indicate the section prepared in advance or created in the previous step, focusing on the size and letter label.

After pressing “Enter” we start the installation or, if necessary, quickly format the partition in the file NTFS system.

When the installation is complete, install the application software and device drivers and configure the system and begin restoring the 7 bootloader.

Resuscitation of the Windows 7 boot loader

Download two console utilities “bootsect” and “bcdedit” from any trusted source. Unpack the downloaded archive or archives to the system drive (C:). As a result, the “C:\FixBoot” directory should appear; if this does not happen, move the downloaded files to it.

Programs will be needed for recovery boot entry MBR and bootloader that were replaced during the XP installation process. First, let's revive the new bootloader used in the "seven", and then add an entry about XP to it to display a window with the option to select the boot operating system.

We launch the command interpreter through the Start menu.

Enter the command “c:\FixBoot\bootsect.exe /NT60 all”, which applies the main bootloader to all partitions designated as bootable (these are disks with Windows 7 and XP installed). Press "Enter".

At the end of the procedure, we add a new entry to the reanimated bootloader, which allows you to display a menu for selecting the boot OS, where XP will appear along with Windows 7. Enter the code below and press “Enter”:

The command will create a new bootloader configuration entry for the legacy ntldr bootloader used in XP. The text in quotes can be anything - this is the name of the item in the boot loader selection menu.

The XP boot loader (ntldr) is located on the C: drive. We specify the path to it using the command:

Set the bootloader name:

We restart the laptop or PC and get to the OS selection menu.

If you use XP irregularly, its boot item should be set last in the list:

That's all. We reboot the laptop and see this menu with a choice of operating system to boot.

Resuscitating the bootloader via a graphical interface

Using the Shell and unknown commands may seem difficult for most users. To simplify and visualize the above actions, there is a graphical shell with advanced functionality.

Stage one - bootloader recovery

• Download, run the EasyBCD installation file and wait until the installation of the application is completed. For the utility to function, you must install the .NET Framework 2.0 from Microsoft.
• Launch the application and go to the “Installing BCD” section.
• We select the volume where the bootloader was located before installing XP (usually this is the 1st partition with a capacity of ~100 MB).
• Select the bootloader type.
• Click “Overwrite MBR”.

• Restart the PC.

Windows 7 should start due to the destruction of the XP bootloader.

Stage two - adding the XP boot entry to the restored Windows 7 bootloader

• Click “Add entry”.
• We indicate the type of bootloader and enter its name, which is displayed in the computer boot menu.
• Check the “Auto search for a disk with a working operating system” checkbox.
• Click on the “Add” button.

• Go to “Current Settings” and make sure that the program was able to add a new boot entry.

If necessary, go to “Edit boot menu” to edit the order in which the OS is displayed in the list and the delay time before loading the operating system by default. Click “Save”.

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This article discusses how to install Windows XP on a computer that already has Windows 7 installed and the sequence of steps required to create a configuration with dual boot, when when you turn on the computer, a menu for selecting an operating system to boot is available.

Introduction

It is generally accepted that the more correct Windows installation sequence is to install the minor version before the older one. In this case, it is possible to boot an older system, and after installing a newer OS, a menu for selecting a bootable system appears.

However, the sequence does not matter if you know the principles of loading operating systems. Let's consider a situation where Windows 7 is already installed, but you need to install Windows XP on your computer. The article is intended to help avoid pitfalls for those who plan to install Windows XP after Windows 7.

Initial data

Installing Windows XP

A lot of articles have been written about installing Windows XP, so there is no point in dwelling on this issue in detail within the framework of this article. The only thing is that you can install Windows XP with Windows 7 already installed only by booting from the installation Windows disk XP. During installation, you must specify a disk partition that was prepared in advance.

Figure 2 - Selecting a partition for installing Windows XP

Already in this figure you can see that the partition that does not have a letter in Windows 7 is assigned the letter C, and the partition with Windows 7 is assigned the letter D.

This is how the “disk management” picture looks after installing Windows XP

Figure 3 - Disk Management in Windows XP

After installing Windows XP, there is no choice of operating systems at boot, nor, accordingly, the ability to Windows boot There won't be 7.

Pay attention to the changes that have occurred with the hidden “System Reserved” section: it has become visible (it is assigned the letter C). Let's see what is located on the active section (C). To do this, you need to disable hiding in the folder properties. system files and allow them to be displayed:

Figure 4 - Enabling the display of hidden and system files

So, on partition C we see Windows 7 boot files: bootloader - bootmgr and folder Boot, in which the boot menu interface files are located, the boot data storage file - bcd, memory test program files - memtest.exe. In addition, it now contains the Windows XP boot files: ntldr, ntdetect.com, boot.ini.

Figure 5 - Boot files for Windows 7 and XP operating systems

Restoring the Windows 7 boot loader in Windows XP

To restore Windows 7 boot, you need to use the Windows 7 installation disc.

Insert the Windows 7 installation disk, find the file on it bootsect.exe in a folder BOOT. Please note: the path to the bootsect.exe file is F:\boot\bootsect.exe. In your case, instead of F there will be a letter belonging to the CD - DVD drive

Figure 6 - Contents of the BOOT folder installation disk Windows 7

Launch command prompt: click Start - Execute, enter in the field cmd. Once prompted, enter the following command

Figure 7 - Flow of the bootsect command

The result of the command will be the restoration of the Windows 7 master boot record and boot code, which transfers control to the Windows 7 boot manager.

Creating a Dual Boot Configuration on Windows XP

As you know, there is no utility for changing configuration data in XP, but it is in the folder with Windows 7 installed. To apply it correctly in XP, you need to enter the System32 directory of the Windows 7 operating system at the command line. After the transition, run the following commands in sequence:

Bcdedit /create (ntldr) /d " Microsoft Windows XP"

This command creates a Windows XP download store in the Windows 7 download store. Running this command may fail because the repository is already created by default, so you just need to rename it:

Bcdedit /set (ntldr) description "Microsoft Windows XP"

The following command will tell the Windows 7 boot loader the device location of the XP boot files:

The following command will point the Windows 7 bootloader to the Windows XP bootloader:

Bcdedit /set (ntldr) path \ntldr

The following command will add a line about selecting Windows XP in the boot menu and place it under the rest:

Bcdedit /displayorder (ntldr) /addlast

Figure 8 - Complete list of commands for creating a boot menu in Windows XP

You can check the correct execution of commands and the presence of a boot menu by running in the window command line team bcdedit or by analyzing the bootcfg file obtained by running the bcdedit >c:\bootcfg.txt command. The file will be located in the root directory of drive C.

Figure 9 - Checking for the presence of a Windows XP boot entry and boot menu

After running these commands, when you boot your computer, you will be given the option to select the OS to boot.

Figure 10 - Selecting OS to boot

It may be more convenient for many to reduce the OS boot selection timeout, which by default is 30 seconds. To configure this parameter, use the command

Bcdedit /timeout XX

Where XX is the timeout time in seconds.

Features of creating a dual boot configuration in Windows 7

If you are just going to install Windows XP, then you can create a dual boot configuration in advance, even under Windows control 7. The same recommendations will help when you have restored Windows boot loader 7, being in Windows XP, and decided to create a dual-boot configuration later.

In this case, some features should be taken into account.

Commands, just like in Windows XP, are executed on the command line. On Windows 7, these commands must be run from an elevated command prompt. To do this, click the button Start, select item Standard, click right click mouse over the command line shortcut and select , or like this:

Click Start and in the search field enter cmd

On the found file, right-click and select context menu paragraph Run as administrator.

Figure 11 - Running command prompt with elevated rights (as administrator)

The order of execution of the commands is the same, with the exception of one. As you know, the Windows 7 and Windows XP boot files are located on a hidden partition that does not have the letter . Therefore, instead of the command

Bcdedit /set (ntldr) device partition=C:

Need to do

Bcdedit /set (ntldr) device partition=\Device\HarddiskVolume1

This note has no meaning if for some reason (for example, if you have hard drive was partitioned before installation), hidden boot partition was not created, and the system boot files are on the same partition as Windows 7.

Conclusion

Even if the installation sequence of operating systems is not entirely correct, it is easy to organize their correct loading without resorting to complex manipulations or third party programs. Using the Windows 7 installation disc, you can restore the ability to boot into this operating system, and using the utility bcdedit configure the loading of two operating systems.

Most often on the Internet you can find instructions on how you can install Windows 7, 8 or 10 as a second system when Windows XP is already installed on your computer. This is a relatively simple task that even an inexperienced user can handle, since a newer operating system always retains the bootloader of the old one and automatically creates a menu in which the user can choose when booting which system to boot - the new one or the previous one. In this article we will look at the opposite situation - when Windows 7, 8, 10 is installed on the computer, and the user wants to install Windows XP in parallel. The piquancy of the situation is that after installing Windows XP, the previously installed Windows 10/8/7 will stop loading and its bootloader will have to be restored.

Windows installation XP is the second system after Windows 7/8.1/10

If you have a desktop computer, then it would be even better to use an SSD for modern Windows 7/8.1, and a classic hard drive for XP. In this case, you can temporarily disable the SSD with Windows 7-10 so as not to accidentally erase anything from it, calmly install XP and then proceed to adjust the boot order.

METHOD 1. Installing Windows XP with a connected hard drive with Windows 7/8.1/10 or installing Windows XP on another partition of the same physical disk

This is a common situation that most users face. In addition, this method is suitable for inexperienced users who have several physical drives, but do not want or cannot disconnect the hard drive with Windows 7/8.1.

Attention! This method not suitable for SSD. If you want to install XP and 7/8.1 on solid state drive, you will need to first prepare the disk for XP using the Alignment Tool, then install XP, and only then can you install Windows 7/8.1.

Step 1 Prepare the partition for the second operating system.

Create a partition on your hard drive where you will subsequently install XP. If you need to partition your disk or redistribute space between existing partitions, use free program MiniTool Partition Wizard Home (Download from the official website).

Important! Prepare sections EXCLUSIVELY on Windows 7/8.1/10 BEFORE installing XP! We strongly DO NOT recommend partitioning the disk in the XP installer! All you have to do in the XP installer regarding partitions is select the partition you want and quickly format it!

Let's say you have three partitions on your disk:

1. Bootable (capacity 100MB for Windows 7 or 350MB for Windows 8/10)
2. System, where Windows 7/8./10 is installed.

For Windows XP, you create a fourth partition. Where it will be placed and from which section to cut off the area is up to you. Of course, it is more logical to arrange the sections like this:

1. Bootable
2. System, where Windows 7/8/8.1 is installed.
3. Windows XP installation section
4. Disk with user data.

Although you will format the partition in Windows XP Setup, you can format it in Windows 7/8/10 so that you can set a label. And the label will help you not to make a mistake in choosing the desired section in the XP installer.

Step 2 Install Windows XP

Boot from the installation CD or bootable flash drive and install Windows XP on the prepared partition. Be extremely careful when choosing a section. Be guided by its size.

Select a section and click Enter:

Select an item Format partition in NTFS system (fast):

Further steps for installing Windows XP do not differ from its usual installation as the only operating system.

After installation is complete, download XP and install everything necessary drivers devices. Set up your network and internet (if necessary).

Step 3 Restore the bootloader of the first operating system and add an entry for the second previous generation system to it

A. Preparatory stage. Downloading support software

Click Register bottom of the page:

To download, just like it on behalf of your Facebook account or subscribe by email:

The program requires Microsoft .NET 2.0 SP2 Framework. You can download from the Microsoft website http://www.microsoft.com/ru-RU/download/details.aspx?id=1639:

1. Install Microsoft .Net 2.0 SP2 Framework.
2. Install EasyBCD.

B. Restoring the Windows 7/8/10 bootloader

During the installation of XP, the Windows 7/8/10 bootloader got lost. Therefore, the first thing we need to do is restore it.

Launch EasyBCD.

1. Go to section BCD installation.
2. Select the partition where the Windows 7\8 boot loader was located before installing XP.
   In most cases, this is the very first partition, 100MB in size for Windows 7 or 350MB if your first system was Windows 8\8.1.
3. Select bootloader type - Windows Vista/7/8 in MBR
4. Click the button Rewrite MBR

After this, the Windows XP bootloader will be erased, and a new type of bootloader will be installed in its place.

Restart your computer. Now, instead of XP, your copy of Windows 7/10.

Now our task is to add a second entry to the bootloader - to boot XP.

B. Adding XP boot entry to Windows 7/8/10 boot loader

Install EasyBCD in the same way again - now on Windows 7/8/10.

Launch EasyBCD.

1. Click Add entry
2. Select OS type Windows NT/2k/XP/2k3
3. Select a system name.
   This is the name that will appear in the menu when loading. We recommend removing the word Microsoft.
4. Click the button Add:

Now go to the section Current settings and check that the second boot entry is added:

After this you can click the button Edit boot menu, select the time for displaying the menu with a choice of operating systems at boot and rename the OS names. If you make changes, don't forget to click the button at the end Save:

METHOD 2. Installing Windows XP when the hard drive with Windows 7/8.1/10 is disconnected

This method, as we wrote above, is more suitable for desktop computers and only some laptops where it is possible to connect multiple data storage devices. The advantages of this method:

1. You don't risk accidentally erasing an already installed Windows 7/8.1/10 while installing XP.
2. If you unmount any of the physical disks, you will be able to boot from the remaining disk because this method places the boot loaders on different physical disks. You may only need to adjust the boot order in the BIOS.

Step 1 Turn off your computer. Disconnect the data cable from the hard drive on which Windows 7/8.1/10 is installed

Step 2 Turn on your computer and install XP on the remaining hard drive in the usual way - as if this Windows would be the only one. Install all necessary drivers.

Step 3 Turn off the computer and connect the hard drive with Windows 7/8.1/10 back to the previous SATA port.

Step 4 Download Windows 7/8/10.
If you haven't changed the boot priority in the BIOS, by default you should boot from the same drive into your old Windows 7/8/8.1.

A.Installing software for editing bootloaders

Install Microsoft program.Net Framework 2.0 SP2 and EasyBCD (described in Method 1).

Now the only thing we need to do is add an entry to the Windows 7/8/8.1 bootloader about XP installed on another drive.

B.Adding the Windows XP boot entry to the Windows 7/8.1/10 bootloader

Follow these steps:

• go to the tab Add entry;
• select OS Windows;
• select type Windows XP;
• specify the desired system name in the OS selection menu;
• click the button Add to add.

After this, restart your computer, select Windows XP from the menu and make sure that it boots from its hard drive.

Probably on every second site computer topics there is an article about how to install Windows XP operating system. I thought that let my blog be no exception and remain on it Windows XP installation instructions.

You can install Windows on a blank hard drive; on top of an already installed system; or as a second (third, etc.) operating system. Each of these options has its own characteristics. Today I want to tell you how to completely reinstall your existing operating system while formatting the system disk.

In general, you can start installing Windows XP in two ways: 1) by booting from the installation disk; 2) directly from the installed system. The first option is preferable, and we will consider it.

A small digression: I did not take the screenshots used in the article myself. I borrowed them from the site compbegin.ru. I hope the author won’t be offended by me for this :)

So, for installation we need boot disk with Windows XP operating system. Only such a disk contains a special hidden partition with important system files that will allow the computer to boot directly from this CD.

We turn on our computer and first of all go to the BIOS to configure booting from disk. To do this, immediately after turning on, press the key on the keyboard Delete or F2(other keys may also be used, so you need to carefully watch the prompts on the screen).
Once in Bios, you need to find the section with the word Boot, and then change the order in it boot devices so that the CD-ROM comes first. Depending on the BIOS version, the device from which the computer will boot is either selected from the list or moved to the top using the keys F5/F6, +/- .
After the changes have been made, we exit the BIOS, saving the settings. Before leaving, you need to insert a disk with Windows XP into the drive so that the computer can boot from it.

If any operating system was already installed on the computer Windows system, then after rebooting you will see “” on the screen (this means “Press any key to boot from CD”). Accordingly, you need to press any button on the keyboard. If you wait more than 10 seconds, the current operating system installed on the hard drive will begin loading (then you will have to restart the computer again).
The Windows XP installer shell will appear on the screen. The OS will check the hardware installed on the computer and begin downloading installation files.
At the end of this process, a window will appear asking you to begin installing Windows. Click Enter on the keyboard.
Next, accept the license agreement by clicking F8.
It will then search for previous copies of Windows installed on your computer. If any are found, you will see a screen with a list of these systems.
Here you will also be offered:

1) Restore the found copy of Windows by pressing the R key .

Recovery can help in case of damage, deletion or replacement of infected system files Windows files.
If you select this option, you will have to go through the full system installation procedure, during which all system files of the old copy will be replaced with new ones from the CD. All your data, settings and installed programs however, they will not disappear anywhere.

2) Install a new copy of Windows by pressing the Esc key .

Because we want to install new Windows XP, then press now on the keyboard Esc.

List box installed systems you will not see if you install the system on new hard disk, as well as if the previous copy of Windows has a different edition or service pack.

Because in my case, the operating system was already installed on the computer, and the hard drive was already distributed into logical drives. Therefore, a window appears listing all found partitions.
If the current partition hard drive you are not satisfied, you can delete existing partitions by pressing D(you can select the desired section using the arrows on the keyboard). After deleting a partition, the area it occupied becomes unallocated, and all data located on it logical drive are deleted.

Me existing hard structure I'm satisfied with the disk, so I use the arrow on the keyboard to select the partition in which the system will be installed. Let it be C: Section2 (SYSTEM). Then I click Enter.

If the following window appears, just click Enter.
Then select “Format partition using NTFS” and click Enter.
The formatting process will begin:
When it’s finished, Windows XP files will begin copying to your hard drive:
After the copying is completed, the computer will reboot. If after rebooting a screen appears that says “”, do not press anything (just wait 10 seconds). IN otherwise the installation will start again.

Next, Windows will offer to configure the language and region. Click “Next”.
In the “Setting program affiliation” window, enter some name (for example: Ivan) and the name of the organization (for example: Nome). Click “Next”.
The “Product Key” window will appear, in which you must enter serial number Windows XP.
Next, come up with and enter a computer name under which it will be visible on the network (use Latin letters). The administrator password can be left blank.
In the “Setting time and date” window, check all the settings and click “Next”.
You will see the next two windows only if the Windows XP distribution contains a driver for your network card. In the first of them, we leave the marker in the “Normal settings” position, and in the second, we agree with the name of the working group WORKGROUP and simply click “Next”.

Windows will then begin setting up the network and copying files. After the installation is complete, the computer will restart and offer to automatically adjust the screen resolution - click “OK”.
A welcome screen will appear - click “Next”.
The next window will ask you to enable automatic updates. You can select “Delay this action” and click “Next”.
If a network card driver was installed during installation, two more windows will appear in front of you. In the first “Test Internet connection” click “Skip”. And in the second, put the marker in the “No, some other time” position and click “Next”.

The account creation window will appear. In the “Name” field account”Enter any name in Latin letters and without spaces. You can also create a second, third, etc. now. users, but for now one is enough. Click “Next”.
This completes the installation of Windows XP. After clicking the “Finish” button, the Desktop will appear.

Do not forget to return the computer to boot from the hard drive in BIOS.

Many users believe that installing operating systems on a computer is the prerogative of specialists. But is this really so? We learn to install and reinstall Windows XP on our own.

It's no secret that communication between a person and a computer is carried out using the operating system installed on your PC. This is a primary and fundamental software component, without which it is impossible to imagine modern computer. Unfortunately, like any other program, the operating system is imperfect, and over time, almost any user encounters a violation of its normal functionality. This can be expressed in a significant increase in the time it takes to boot the computer and open applications, freezes during operation, the occurrence of various types of errors when performing certain actions, or even a complete failure of the system. Such consequences can result from both incorrect actions of the user himself and the impact of various malware, available in abundance in global network Internet.

According to statistics, even if you operated your OS carefully enough and reliably protected it from virus infections, after 3-4 years 80% of users have significant reasons to reinstall the system. And if you still decide to do it yourself, without contacting all sorts of paid technical services, this article is for you. In it we will look at not just the complete installation of the WindowsXPSP3 operating system, but we will try to analyze all the main nuances that arise during the installation process. This approach will not only allow you to more flexibly configure the new OS at the reinstallation stage, but also avoid possible loss of important data.

Naturally, before starting the installation you need to have an installation disk with the system. Moreover, this disk must be bootable, i.e. the computer must be able to boot from it. As a rule, all original system disks or their images are bootable by default. In general, the installation of WindowsXP can be started in two ways - directly from an already installed system or by booting from disk. The second method is preferable, but if your old system does not boot or you are installing on new computer, then the only possible one.

In order for the computer to start booting from the installation disk, you may need to make simple settings in the BIOS. The point is that your optical drive should be first in the list of boot devices, which is not always configured this way. To check this, you need to insert the Windows CD into the drive and restart the computer. If during the boot process you see the message: “Press any key to boot,” then everything is in order and you can proceed with the installation. Otherwise, you need to go to the BIOS settings.

SETTING UP YOUR COMPUTER TO BOOT FROM CD

When you turn on the computer, as a rule, a short message appears indicating the key with which you can enter the BIOS settings menu. Be careful, as this inscription disappears from the screen quite quickly, especially on laptops. If you couldn’t see it the first time, immediately restart your computer using the Reset button and try again. When loading starts, a large screen may appear on the screen. graphic image, covering service inscriptions on the screen. To remove it, press the Esc key.

List of most frequently used keys:

• Desktops - Del (almost always), F1
• Laptops - F1, F2, F3, Del, Ctrl + Alt + Esc. In the case of laptops, keyboard shortcuts can be very diverse, depending on its model. You can find this information either via the Internet or by calling the service technical support.

Having found out the key responsible for calling up the BIOS settings menu, restart the computer again and at the very beginning of boot, press it several times (once is enough, but to accurately catch the right moment, pressing it multiple times won’t hurt). If everything is done correctly, the settings window should open.

As a rule, the most common two types of BIOS are:

If your window looks like this, then you need to select a section here Advanced BIOS Features, and in it the paragraph First Boot Device assign the value CDROM. Then press the F10 key and select Yes in the dialog box that appears.

American Megatrends BIOS

Or if your window has a gray background, like in this screenshot, then select the section at the top Boot and in the subsection BootDevicePriority at point 1stBootDevice Set the name of your optical drive. Then press the F10 key and select Yes in the dialog box that appears.

U mobile devices(laptops), BIOS programs can vary greatly, and it is not possible to list all their possible options within the framework of this article. In any case, you should find an item in the settings window whose name is associated with boot (Boot) and in it set the optical drive (CDROM) as the first device.

STARTING INSTALLATION

After turning on/rebooting the computer, if any Windows operating system is already installed on your computer at that moment, then after some time you will see the message “Press any key to boot from CD” on the screen. CD) which is what you should do.

Be careful as you will only have 5 seconds to enter the system installation. If the current operating system starts loading, it means that the opportunity to start the installation was missed and you should restart the computer again for the next attempt.

The basic installation screen will then appear. software Windows XP, which requires your intervention only if you plan to install the system on a hard drive array (RAID) or a high-grade SCSI drive.

This is where you should press the key to install additional drivers for these devices, following the messages on the bottom line of the screen. In most cases, such intervention is not required and you should simply wait for the welcome screen.

On the welcome screen you will be asked to:

• Install Windows XP. Should be selected by pressing ENTER in case new installation or restoring a previous copy of Windows using a graphical interface.
• Windows Recovery using the recovery console. Should be chosen by experienced users to restore the system using DOS commands run from the command line. Allows you to eliminate minor system errors without going through the full installation procedure. Most often used for recovery boot sector file system and master boot record (MBR); spot copying, renaming or deleting operating system folders and files; creating and formatting partitions on disks. The Recovery Console is called up with the R key.
• Exit. If you refuse to install, press the F3 key.

Select the first item “Proceed with installing Windows XP” (even if you are going to reinstall the system) by pressing the ENTER key, after which a window will appear with license agreement, which must be accepted in order to continue the installation by pressing F8.

If any are found, you will see a screen with a list of these systems and a menu that will offer:

• Restore the found copy of Windows by pressing the R key. By selecting this item, you will have to go through the full system installation procedure, during which all system files of the old copy will be replaced with new ones from the CD. All your data, settings and installed programs will be saved. Recovery helps in case of damage, deletion or replacement of infected files or Windows system files.
• Install a new copy of Windows by pressing the ESC key.

You will not see a window with a list of installed systems if you are installing the system on a new computer/hard drive, or if the previous copy of Windows has a different edition or service pack.

The next step in installation is distribution disk space under the operating system. This is very important point and you should treat it carefully, and perform all actions very carefully.

RULES FOR HARD DISK DISTRIBUTION

At this point I would like to make a small digression and give some useful recommendations by partitioning the hard drive:

• Don't allocate all of your hard drive space to one single partition. This is considered bad manners and can cause you a lot of trouble in the future.
• Modern hard drives have quite large capacities for storing data and therefore it is advisable to divide them into several thematic sections.
• It is recommended to set aside a separate section for installing the operating system and necessary software and not fill it with your personal data.
• Choose size system partition should be done with reserve, taking into account that for correct Windows operation, 15% of the space in this section should be left free.
• Don't create too many sections. This will make navigation difficult and reduce the efficiency of distributing large files and folders.

DEFINITION OF SYSTEM PARTITION

Now, let's get back to the installation. From this point on, the installation can proceed in two ways:

Option 1: You have a new computer and the hard drive has never been allocated. In this case, the following window will appear in front of you:

The size of the unallocated area is the volume of your hard drive and, of course, it absolutely should not coincide with that indicated in the screenshot. To continue the installation, you must create a partition on the disk (system partition) into which the OS will be installed in the future, and specify its size. As a rule, for Windows XP and related software, 40 - 60 GB is enough, but not less than 20 GB. By pressing the C key in the window that appears, enter the required size of the partition to be created.

The size must be specified in megabytes. Calculate it based on the fact that 1 GB = 1024 MB. Thus, if you want to allocate 60 GB for the system partition, you must enter the number 61440 in the size field.

By pressing the ENTER key you will return to the hard disk partition window, where the created partition will be highlighted in a separate line indicating the assigned letter from the Latin alphabet (usually “C”), the file system - in our case “new (unformatted)” and its size. Below there will be a line with the remaining unallocated area, which you can divide in exactly the same way into the number of sections you need. True, it is not at all necessary to do this here, since after installation it can be done using Windows tools.

Once you have created the system partition, select it using the arrow keys on your keyboard and press ENTER, after which you will see a final dialog box asking you to format it.

Feel free to select the quick formatting option by pressing ENTER, since in the second case the physical surface of the disk is checked, which takes quite a long time, especially if the partition is large.

After selecting the file system, the installation of Windows will begin.

Option 2 - If the system was installed on your computer. Then your hard drive has already been distributed into logical areas, and you will see a window listing all found partitions.

Attention! All further manipulations with the found partitions may lead to the loss of your data, so be very careful in your actions. If you are not satisfied with the current partitioning of your hard drive, you can delete existing partitions in whole or in part by pressing the D key. Select the desired section using the up and down arrow keys. After deleting a partition, the area it occupied becomes unallocated, and all data located on this logical disk is deleted. When you delete several sections, they turn into a single unallocated area, which you can later distribute as you wish. The principle of distributing an unallocated area of ​​a hard disk is described above.

After all the redistributions or if the existing hard drive structure suits you, all you have to do is select the desired partition in which you plan to install the system and press ENTER.

If you chose a pre-existing hard drive partition with data existing on it to install the OS, you will be given several options to choose from on what to do next. Be careful, formatting a partition in any file system will lead to the loss of the data contained in it! FAT system is outdated and it makes sense to format only in NTFS (fast is preferable). Once you have made your selection, press ENTER to begin formatting and copying system files.

If for some reason you still want to save the information located in the section you have selected, then you should select the “Keep current file system no change." In this case, all the data located on it will not be touched. Moreover, if it was in this partition that the previous copy of Windows was installed (the most likely option), then the installer will warn you that the “Windows” folder already exists, suggesting that you either erase the existing copy by clicking, or select new folder for installation. Here, definitely click, since anyway the old folder with the system will be renamed automatically and saved.

It should be noted that after such an installation, it is strongly recommended to manually clean your system partition, namely delete large quantity duplicate files. The fact is that the Windows installer will not only save the old copy of the system, but also all the files of the accounts that existed in it. Of all this goodness, the “My Documents”, “Favorites” and “Desktop” folders may be useful for you. Everything else will turn out to be useless garbage, taking up gigabytes of hard drive space. That is why it is preferable to take care of saving your data in advance, and new system install to a clean partition, pre-formatted.

This is where the installer branches end, and further installation proceeds linearly. After selecting a hard drive partition to install a new operating system, the copying of the main Windows system files begins.

Upon completion of the copying, the computer will restart, where you do not need to do anything, but just wait for the installer screen to appear with a graphical shell.

DETERMINING INITIAL WINDOWS PARAMETERS

In this window you can change regional settings and input language. By default, the location is already set to Russia and the Russian language. So you don’t need to change anything unnecessarily, click “Next”.

In the next window, you must enter your username (your name) and organization (optional). Click “Next”.

To continue the installation in the key entry window, you must enter the Windows serial number and license sticker.

In the window for setting the time and date, most likely you won’t have to change anything either, since the correct data will be entered automatically, and all you have to do is click on the “Next” button.

You will see the next two windows only if the WindowsXP distribution contains a driver for your network card.

You should not change anything here, leaving the “Normal settings” option selected, however, just like in the next one, where it is more advisable to select the name of the workgroup/domain after installation.

After clicking the “Next” button, the final installation phase will begin, and all you have to do is wait for it to finish. It will happen in a few minutes automatic reboot computer, after which the first launch of the new operating system will begin.

COMPLETING THE INSTALLATION

When you initially start Windows, you will see a few more dialog boxes. The first one will be “Display Options”, where you just need to click “OK”.

After automatic settings screen resolution, Windows will ask you to confirm them, which you should do by clicking “OK”:

There is nothing to configure on the welcome screen, so just click “Next”:

The next step is to be able to select parameters automatic update Windows, designed to regularly check via the Internet for all kinds of system security patches, critical updates and service packs on the official technical support website. Enabling automatic updates is desirable, but not required at this stage, since you can configure this setting more flexibly after installation from the control panel.

If network card drivers were installed during installation, then you will see two more windows: the first is checking and setting up your Internet connection, which should be skipped, and the second is registering the system, which is also better left for later.

The last parameter you will have to enter to finally boot Windows will be the name of the user account under which you will work on the system.

Finally, you will see a window informing you that the installation of the operating system is complete.

A complete installation of Windows XP can take from 15 to 35 minutes and depends on the power of your computer. Immediately after its completion, you should install all the necessary drivers for the installed devices, after which you can begin installing the software.