Format C on New Laptop

[Guest]

I have a new DELL Laptop computer on the way. It's going to be preloaded with Windows Home Edition and other software. However, I would like to format it and start totally from scratch and load Windows XP Professional as well as whatever software I WANT and not what DELL wants me to have.

It will have a CD RW drive. There is no floppy drive.

How do I format it and be able to load Windows XP Professional on it afterwards?

 

[Gary Tsang]

Easiest way is to take your Windows XP Pro Installation CD, and boot your
computer off of the CD.
You may have to go into your BIOS to tell your computer to boot off your
cdrom.

Once it starts booting off the cd, this will startup the Windows XP
installation process.
During the process, it'll ask you where you want to install your Windows and
options are given if you want to delete the partition and format the hard
drive.

Choose the format hard drive option and continue the setup and you'll have a
fresh brand new install of Windows XP.


--
Gary Tsang
Microsoft MVP - Windows XP Shell/User
http://www.microsoft.com/mvp

I have a new DELL Laptop computer on the way. It's going to be preloaded

with Windows Home Edition and other software. However, I would like to
format it and start totally from scratch and load Windows XP Professional as
well as whatever software I WANT and not what DELL wants me to have.

It will have a CD RW drive. There is no floppy drive.

How do I format it and be able to load Windows XP Professional on it

afterwards?

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Hi,

Boot the WinXP Pro CD, start a new installation. You can format as part of
it.

Know that:

a) doing this will probably void your warranty
b) the retail version of WinXP Pro may not have all the necessary drivers
for the laptop hardware, you may need to check with Dell for the
availability of any needed ones.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers aka "Nutcase" MS-MVP - Win9x
Windows isn't rocket science! That's my other hobby!

Associate Expert - WinXP - Expert Zone

I have a new DELL Laptop computer on the way. It's going to be preloaded

with Windows Home Edition and other software. However, I would like to
format it and start totally from scratch and load Windows XP Professional as
well as whatever software I WANT and not what DELL wants me to have.

It will have a CD RW drive. There is no floppy drive.

How do I format it and be able to load Windows XP Professional on it

afterwards?

 

[Gordon Burgess-Parker]

I have a new DELL Laptop computer on the way. It's going to be
preloaded with Windows Home Edition and other software. However, I
would like to format it and start totally from scratch and load
Windows XP Professional as well as whatever software I WANT and not
what DELL wants me to have.

It will have a CD RW drive. There is no floppy drive.

How do I format it and be able to load Windows XP Professional on it
afterwards?

Dell will sell you a laptop with the OS of your choice. Why not get one with
Pro already installed?

 

[Andrew E]

1st,booting and formating from the cd wont void the
warranty from dell,the xp cd is part of the windows xp
installation,2.you wont need drivers from dell,xp if
kept up with windows update supplies the drivers,it has
all because everyone has to go thru microsofts digital
signature programs.3.Booting from the cd is good,but
with formating,choose recovery 1st,at the screen type:
FORMAT C: /FS:ntfs Otherwise xp gets installed in FAT32
you can type:FORMAT /? for all options to formatting.
If asked for password,press the enter key,when its thru,
type:EXIT you return to install,type:HELP for info.

-----Original Message-----
I have a new DELL Laptop computer on the way. It's going

to be preloaded with Windows Home Edition and other
software. However, I would like to format it and start
totally from scratch and load Windows XP Professional as
well as whatever software I WANT and not what DELL wants
me to have.

 

[Guest]

I'll be downloading an ISO image of Windows XP Professional from my MSDN Library Subscriber Downloads. I'll be using this CD to load up my new laptop from Dell.

The laptop is a refurbished laptop and therefore has Windows Home Edition - which I didn't care about since I have the subscriber downloads with Windows XP Professional.

I will NOT be using any of DELL's software. I'll be using software I either have in the box or provided through MSDN Library Subcription.

Anyone see any problems with this still? I can still boot from the Windows XP Pro CD I'll be making and format the drive and then load Windows XP Pro on it as the first reply to my post said?

Any fore-seeable issues, please let me know.

 

[Gordon Burgess-Parker]

1st,booting and formating from the cd wont void the
warranty from dell,the xp cd is part of the windows xp
installation,

But the OP is going to CHANGE the OS from Home to Pro. That may well void
the warranty.

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Hi Demetri,

Any fore-seeable issues, please let me know.

As already stated: The retail or MSDN version of WinXP Pro may NOT contain
needed drivers for the hardware used in building the laptop. You may need to
solicit Dell for these. An MSDN version is no different from a retail
version in this respect, nor is it meant for use in a regular production
machine.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers aka "Nutcase" MS-MVP - Win9x
Windows isn't rocket science! That's my other hobby!

Associate Expert - WinXP - Expert Zone

I'll be downloading an ISO image of Windows XP Professional from my MSDN

Library Subscriber Downloads. I'll be using this CD to load up my new laptop
from Dell.

The laptop is a refurbished laptop and therefore has Windows Home

Edition - which I didn't care about since I have the subscriber downloads
with Windows XP Professional.

I will NOT be using any of DELL's software. I'll be using software I

either have in the box or provided through MSDN Library Subcription.

Anyone see any problems with this still? I can still boot from the Windows

XP Pro CD I'll be making and format the drive and then load Windows XP Pro
on it as the first reply to my post said?