124 Reinstalling Software
Enabling System Restore
If you reinstall Windows XP with less than 200 MB of free hard-disk space available, System Restore is
automatically disabled. To see if System Restore is enabled:
1
Click the
Start
button and click
Control
Panel
.
2
Click
Performance and Maintenance
.
3
Click
System
.
4
Click the
System Restore
tab.
5
Ensure that
Turn off System Restore
is unchecked.
Using the Operating System Installation Media
Before You Begin
If you are considering reinstalling the Windows XP operating system to correct a problem with a newly
installed driver, first try using Windows XP Device Driver Rollback. See "Using Windows XP Device
Driver Rollback" on page120. If Device Driver Ro llback does not resolve the problem, then use
System
Restore
to return your operating system to the operating state it was in before you installed the new
device driver. See "Using Microsoft Windows XP System Restore" on page122.
NOTICE: Before performing the installation, back up all data files on your primary hard drive. For conventional
hard drive configurations, the primary hard drive is the first drive detected by the computer.
To reinstall Windows XP, you need the following items:
• Dell
Operating System
Installation Media
•Dell
Drivers and Utilities
Media
NOTE: The Drivers and Utilities disc contains drivers that were installed during assembly of the computer. Use the
Drivers and Utilities disc to load any required drivers, including the drivers required if your computer has a RAID
controller. Depending on the region from where you ordered your computer, or whether you requested the media,
the Drivers and Utilities media and Operating System installation media may not ship with your system.
Reinstalling Windows XP
The reinstallation process can take one to two hours to complete. After you reinstall the operating
system, you must also reinstall the device drivers, virus protection program, and other software.
NOTICE: The Operating System installation media provides options for reinstalling Windows XP. The options can
overwrite files and possibly affect programs installed on your hard drive. Therefore, do not reinstall Windows XP
unless a Dell technical support representative instructs you to do so.
1
Save and close any open files and exit any open programs.
2
Insert the
Operating System
installation media. Click
Exit
if the
Install Windows XP
message
appears.
3
Restart the computer.
book.book Page 124 Tuesday, February 13, 2007 1:50 PM