Appendix A: Installing or Upgrading to Windows XP
Preparing to Install Windows Here are some tips, including suggestions from Microsoft, for a smoother installation:
- Virus-checking Run a virus-checker on your system before installing Windows, so that no viruses interfere with the installation. You can download several good virus-checkers from the Internet, including those from McAfee (at http://www.mcafee.com) and Symantec (at http://www.symantec.com). Then disable your virus-checker before installing Windows.
Some computers have antivirus programs stored in the computer's BIOS (Basic Input/Output System). In this case, the Setup Wizard won't run. If you see an error message reporting an antivirus program, check your system's documentation for instructions on how to disable virus checking.
- Disk errors Run ScanDisk or ChkDsk (if you use Windows) to clean up any formatting errors on your hard disk.
- Backups Make a complete backup of your system. If that's not possible, make a backup of all of your data files.
- Program installation disks Make sure that you have the program disks (CDs or floppies) for all the programs you want to install. If you downloaded programs, make backups of the installation files.
- Disk space Make sure that you have enough free space on the hard disk on which your Windows program folder will be stored. You need from 850MB to 1.5GB of space, and more if you plan to install many optional programs.
- Hardware problems If you have problems with hardware or software on your system, fix the problems first or uninstall the hardware or software.
- Other utilities Disable any non-Microsoft disk-caching programs, such as the caching programs that come with the Norton Utilities and PC Tools. Turn off other utilities that might interfere with installation, such as CleanSweep (which monitors software installations). Exit from all programs.7
- Network information If your computer is on a network, contact your network administrator before upgrading to Windows XP. Ask whether the computer is part of a domain, and if so, ask for the domain name and your computer's name on the domain. If your network uses static IP addresses (your network administrator will know), ask for your computer's IP address. If your computer isn't part of a domain (that is, it's on a peer-to-peer network as described in Chapter 28), ask for the name of the workgroup. Make sure that your computer is connected to the network during installation, because the Setup Wizard can detect many LAN and Internet settings and configure your computer automatically.
