Perform a clean installation of Windows XP

I almost never upgrade my system to Windows XP. Instead, I will install a fresh copy of the operating system. I believe you can find the difference, because Windows XP works better when you delete data, old games, or programs that might cause problems after the upgrade.
Upgrade, sometimes referred to as “replace upgrade", replace the current version of Windows with Windows XP. Upgrades keep your programs, settings, and files intact—as long as they are compatible with Windows XP. This is the advantage of the upgrade. You can get back to work quickly. See the Knowledge Base article Supported upgrades for Windows XP to see if you can upgrade. Alternatively, use the Tools Windows Upgrade Advisor to check your system's hardware and software to see if your system is ready to be upgraded to Windows XP.
When you perform “clean installation, you will delete all data, reformat your hard drive, and then install Windows XP from scratch. You can get a new start after deleting old data, residual files, and unused programs that will mess up the contents of your hard drive. The downside is that you have to reinstall the program, back up and restore the data, and reconfigure the settings you want to continue using. In my opinion, a clean installation is worth your extra effort. In most cases, a clean installation will improve performance because you can eliminate problems in the old settings. For more information on choosing to replace or clean, see Upgrade suggestions, known issues, and workarounds.
Before You Begin
Before you install Windows XP from scratch, you need to collect some information.

Record your network configuration: If your computer is connected to the Internet, remember your network configuration so that you can easily configure Windows XP and connect to the Internet.

Booting from the Windows XP CD
The easiest way to perform a clean installation of Windows XP is to boot your computer using your Windows XP CD. But don't be distracted when starting up, because you only have a moment to see the message "Press any key to boot from the disc". If you miss this opportunity, the computer will still boot from the hard drive.
If you do not see the above message, your disc is not bootable, or you must configure your computer's basic input and output settings (BIOS) to boot from the CD. The computer's BIOS settings are different, so I can't give you step-by-step instructions on how to configure the BIOS to boot from the CD. For help on how to enable your BIOS to boot from the CD, consult your computer manual or consult the manufacturer of your motherboard or computer.
After reviewing your computer documentation and searching the network using Google Groups or Wim's BIOS Page, if you still can't figure out how to get your computer booted from the CD, skip to the next section. It will tell you how to perform a clean installation without booting from the CD.
When the CD starts up, it downloads the Windows XP installer. A series of on-screen instructions will guide you through the initial installation process. The installer for this section is in text mode, which corresponds to the GUI mode, which refers to the graphical portion of the installer that is seen after the computer restarts.
Nested text in a table: The trick to successfully installing a clean copy of Windows XP is how to answer the first few questions asked by the installer. >
The trick to successfully installing a clean copy of Windows XP is how to answer the first few questions asked by the installer. First, the installer displays a list of existing partitions. You can install Windows XP on an existing partition, or delete those partitions and then repartition the hard drive. Unless you are not satisfied with the partitioning of your hard disk, it is recommended that you keep them and install the operating system in an existing partition.
Otherwise, you can delete an existing partition and create a new one. Re-partitioning the hard disk using the installer is far easier than describing it, so I will let the Knowledge Base article how to partition and format the hard disk in Windows XP.
Note: If you choose to install Windows XP on an existing partition, the installer asks if you want to leave the partition unchanged or reformat it. You should choose to reformat the partition. Otherwise, the installer will retain the type of residual file you originally wanted to clean. In addition, you must have backed up your important materials.
If the CD does not boot
If you can start your computer using the Windows XP CD, skip this section. The following are three other methods you can use to launch the installer.
The easiest way is usually to start the computer normally (if the computer is running an earlier version of Windows) and then put the Windows XP CD in the drive. If the installer does not start automatically, double-click Setup.exe in the root directory of the CD. The installer will ask if you want to upgrade or a fresh install.
In the "Installation Type" list, click “New Install (Advanced)", and then click “Next”. After you provide the product key and accept the license agreement, the installer installs itself on your hard drive and restarts the computer.
The installation process from this point on will be the same as when you start your computer from the Windows XP CD. In fact, the installer simply copies the bootable partition of the disc to the hard drive to ensure it starts properly.
The next option is to make a set of Windows XP boot disks. You can use the number 1 disk in the group to start your computer and then insert the appropriate disk as prompted. If there is no bootable CD, this is a good solution. The Knowledge Base article gets the Windows XP installation boot disk. Describes where to download the Windows XP version of the boot disk you want to install and how to create them.
The last option is a bit more complicated:
About the installation of upgraded discs If you purchased a Windows XP upgraded disc or have an OEM disc, you can also use them to install a clean copy of Windows XP. Please see my general description in this column. The installer will ask you to provide a qualified product CD. After verifying that you have a CD of the product you want to upgrade, the upgrade process will continue normally. If you are selling an OEM recovery disc or you do not have a qualifying disc, you must first install the recovery disc and then upgrade to Windows XP.
Columnist Jerry Honeycutt is a writer, lecturer, and technologist who has published more than 25 books, including the Microsoft Windows XP Registry Guide (Microsoft Press, 2002). He often writes articles about how to customize and deploy Windows XP.

Find your Windows XP CD: Also your product key.
Back up your files and settings: After a clean installation, you will lose your files and configuration. Therefore, make a copy of these files and configurations so that you can restore these files and configurations to your computer after installing Windows XP. You can find out how to use the tool by referring to the Expert Area's Columns File and Settings Transfer Wizard.
Make a boot disk: This is optional. The boot disk is only required if there is no bootable CD. Later in this column, I will teach you how to make two boot disks.
Check your computer's compatibility with Windows XP: Before you delete your current configuration, especially if you used Windows 98 or Windows Me in the past, check for compatibility. Knowledge Base Article How to Prepare to Upgrade Windows 98 or Windows Millennium Edition to Windows XP Details how to do this. If I used Windows 2000 in the past, I would not worry too much about compatibility issues. I have successfully completed this installation process.
Make an MS-DOS boot disk: Unless you already have an MS-DOS boot disk or an earlier version of Windows, you will need to make the boot disk. Windows XP restored the ability to create MS-DOS boot disks (Windows 2000 removed this feature). Although you can create an MS-DOS boot disk, you must still add drivers for the optical drive device. As far as I know, the best resource to create a boot disk in the absence of all is Bootdisk.com. The boot disk is like a precautionary measure to be taken. Keeping a boot disk at all times can be prepared.
Partitioning and Formatting Your Hard Disk: Knowledge Base Article How to Partition or Repartition a Hard Disk Using the Fdisk and Format Tools Describes how to partition and format a hard disk using the Fdisk and Format tools. But I don't use these tools, I use Gdisk provided by Symantec Ghost. I prefer this tool because it is many times faster than using Fdisk and Format. First type gdisk 1 /del /all to delete all existing partitions, then type gdisk 1 /cre /pri /for /q /y to partition and format the hard disk in the first step, which takes only a few seconds.
Restart your computer and start the installer: After partitioning and formatting your hard drive, you must restart your computer for your changes to take effect. Next, insert the CD into the drive and run Setup.exe from the root of the CD (assuming your MS-DOS boot disk contains the correct CD-ROM device driver). The installer then copies the requested files to your hard drive and restarts the computer. The process after this is very similar to the text mode installation phase you learned earlier.