Product Information

Windows XP Professional delivers the new standard in reliability and performance. This operating system is designed for businesses of all sizes and for users who demand the most from their computing experience.
Windows XP Professional serves as a solid platform for developing applications and for using new technologies such as the .NET Framework and Speech SDK. Based on the Windows NT kernel, Windows XP offers greater stability and reliability and is excellent for running Visual Studio .NET.

System Requirements

• PC with a Pentium 233 MHz or higher processor (300 MHz recommended)
• 128 MB of RAM or higher
• 1.5 GB of available hard-disk space available

You can upgrade to Windows XP Professional from Windows 98, ME, NT 4.0, 2000 or XP Home Edition. Or, if necessary, you can install a new copy. Preinstallation information is located in the file read1st.txt in the folder \docs. System requirements information is located in the file pro.txt in the folder \docs. Please consult the Windows Hardware Compatibility List at www.microsoft.com/hcl for the latest list of supported devices.

Software Installation

IMPORTANT: We strongly recommend closing all open applications and windows and disabling background applications before installing any of the software.

You should decide whether to perform an upgrade or a clean installation.

IMPORTANT: Please back up all of your files as a precaution before proceeding.

Clean Installation

1. If you have an existing Windows installation, you may perform a clean installation by starting Setup from within Windows and selecting Clean Installation from the list.
2. Otherwise, you can start the installation process from the Windows XP disk. You may need to use your BIOS setup to configure your computer to start from the CD-ROM.
3. Follow the instructions given by the Setup Wizard.

Upgrade Installation

1. Insert the Windows XP disk into the CD-ROM drive. The Windows XP Setup menu should start automatically. If it does not, double-click SETUP.EXE in the CD-ROM directory.
2. Click Install Windows XP then select Upgrade Installation from the list.
3. Follow the instructions given by the Setup Wizard.

   PRODUCT ACTIVATION: Windows XP Professional requires a unique product key for each machine XP is installed on. The product key will be supplied by the Site Administrator when a student checks out Windows 2000 Professional. Windows XP Professional requires Windows Product Activation (WPA). WPA requires that you activate your product with Microsoft within 30 days. Activation, which is mandatory, is anonymous. WPA can be accomplished on-line or over the phone. Do this as soon as possible after you have installed Windows XP.

   SERVICE PACK: We recommend that you install the latest service pack for Windows XP. Obtain the Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1) from the Site Administrator.