Installation
Windows XP should boot straight from you CD, if for any reason it doesn't you will need to adjust your BIOS to allow booting from CD. Refer to here instructions on how this is done.
Start machine and press any key to boot from CD if prompted. If you don't have an operation system installed it will automatically do this for you.
At the Windows XP Setup screen press ‘Enter’, read the agreement and press 'F8' to accept and continue. If it states you already have an operating system installed I suggest backing up all your data and formatting the drive and putting on a clean install of Windows.
Even if you have an upgrade disk you should never actually upgrade from one Windows install to another. You can install a clean copy of Windows from an upgrade disk, you just need the original disk from the previous copy of Windows.
Press 'D' to delete any partition you have and then 'L' to confirm this. Now press 'C' to create a partition and select the size you want. Press 'Enter' to set up XP on this partition. It will ask how you want the drive partitioned select the 'NTFS' option, don't do the quick one do the full option.
Windows will now copy files to your PC, this can take 10 minutes or so.
Windows will ask you for your Regional Setting and Language setting, choose what you need and click 'Next'.
Enter you Name and Organisation, click 'Next', enter your valid Windows XP key and press 'Next'.
Give your Computer a Name and enter an Administrator password, click 'Next'.
Enter Date and Time Zone, click 'Next'.
Select 'Typical settings', click 'Next', if your PC is on a network with other PC's select your Workgroup name and enter it here. Click 'Next'.
Let Windows do its thing until it restarts, you will see a screen Welcome to Microsoft Windows, click 'Next', 'Skip', 'Skip' select 'Not at this time' and 'Next'. Now configure you user account name and click 'Next' and 'Finish'.
Windows will now start, activate you copy of Windows so you can get the updates required.
Now you will have to install any needed drivers for your system, video card, sound card etc. I will have to leave this up to you!
Systems
Service Pack 2
The first thing you will want to do is install Service Pack 2 if your install disk didn't have it already integrated. Go to here and download it. Run and install.
Windows Update
When PC restarts close the Security Center and head to Start/All Programs and select Windows Update. Along the top tab it gives you an option for Microsoft Update, click on this. Click on 'Start Now', 'Continue' and select 'Install'.
If it asks you to install an 'ActiveX' control agree to this.
Once Microsoft Update is installed click on 'Check for Updates' and then 'Custom' when prompted.
After a while it will prompt you to 'Download and Install Now' select this. Once this is done let your PC reboot.
Head to Start/All Programs/Microsoft Update click 'Update Windows' and then 'Custom' when prompted. In the left hand pane click on 'Software, optional' and then 'Select All' in the main pane. Then do the same for 'Hardware'.
Above that it will say 'Review and install updates' click on this, then finally 'Install Updates'. This will download and install all updates. Once finished reboot and repeat this procedure until no updates remain.
Finally, down near the clock is the 'Security Center' open this and 'Turn on Automatic Updates'
AVG Anti-virus
If you do not have anti-virus you are asking for trouble. Download AVG Anti-virus Free Edition from here, install but choose 'NO' to restarting PC when it has completed.
If the AVG Control Panel doesn't start automatically go to Start/Programs/AVG 7.5/ AVG Control Center. On the left hand panel select 'Check for Updates', check the box 'Do not ask....' and select 'Internet'. Then select 'Update'.
Repeat process until no more updates are available, only restart if AVG prompts you to.
Once done restart PC and check AVG Control Center for any more updates.
From the Control Center run a Full scan.
SpywareBlaster
We also need protection from spyware, I use SpywareBlaster, download from here. Install and run the program.
On the left hand panel select 'Updates' and then 'Check for Updates' on the main panel.
After updating has been completed select 'Protection' from the left panel and then 'Enable All Protection' from the main panel.
Spybot
While SpywareBlaster prevents known spyware from installing you need a program to remove any. Download and install Spybot from here.
Once you have Spybot installed - run the program, check the box not to see the warning again. Don't create registry back-up just click 'Next'.
Click on 'Search for Updates' and then 'Download All Available Updates'. Click on 'Immunize' on the left pane and then the Immunize green cross on the main pane.
Now to run a complete scan, do the 'Update' option, then 'Immunize' and then 'Search & Destroy'- 'Check For Problems'. Remove everything it finds.
CCleaner
Windows collects a lot of useless crap for you, download and install CCleaner from here.
On the Install option page uncheck the following boxes 'Add CCleaner Yahoo!', 'Add Open CCleaner...', 'Add Run CCleaner...', 'Add Start Menu...'. Then click on 'Install'.
Run the program once installed.
On the main pane click on 'Advanced' and click 'OK' four times. Now down the right hand bottom corner select 'Run Cleaner'. Check 'Don't Show...' and select 'OK'.
After that in the left hand pane select 'Issues' and down the bottom in the middle select 'Scan for Issues'. Once it has completed select 'Fix Selected Issues', click on 'No' to registry backup and finally 'Fix All Selected Issues' and the 'OK'
Follow this procedure each time you run this program.
Diskeeper Lite
Basically as you use Windows it throws files all over your hard drive, to fix this you need to 'defrag' you hard drive. Windows comes with a defrag utility but it is useless on all versions except Vista. Download Diskeeper Lite from here and install. Select 'Yes' to a restart.
Run the program on restart. It may take a while to complete.
Maintenance Folder
Right click anywhere on the desktop and create a New Folder, call it ‘Maintenance’. Now drag the SpywareBlaster icon, the Spybot icon, the CCleaner icon and the Diskeeper icon into it. Rename each icon as follows
SpywareBlaster = 1.SpywareBlaster
Spybot = 2.Spybot
CCleaner = 3.CCleaner
Diskeeper = 4.Diskeeper
This is now your Maintenance Folder, you should run each program one at a time. I strongly suggest doing this weekly. The first time you run Diskeeper it may take a while.
Tweaks
Go to Start and right click on My Computer icon, select ‘Properties’ and ‘System Restore’ from change from Max to Min. Click 'Apply' and then ‘OK’.
Then click on 'Automatic Updates' tan and confirm that 'Automatic' is checked.
And now the 'Advanced' tab, under 'Performance' click 'Settings'. This will open up a box with three tabs, under 'Visual Effects' check 'Custom' and then uncheck every box except the bottom three. Click 'Apply'.
Now on the 'Advanced' tab go down to 'Virtual memory' and click on 'Change'. Make sure that 'Custom size:' is checked and enter an 'Initial size (MB):' and and 'Maximum size (MB):' that is equal to twice your systems RAM and press 'Set', 'OK', 'OK' and 'OK' again. Now reboot.
There is another two programs I use to tweak a Windows XP box. They are XP-AntiSpy from here and XP Lite from here. I suggest you look into them and decide whether you want to use.
Applications
Zip Central
Used for extraction of files with .zip archives. Get it from Zip Central from here, download and install.
Open Office
If you don’t have Microsoft Office a good alternative is Open Office. Download and install from here. Check the ‘Custom Install’ option, and choose to associate with Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint Presentations.
FoxIt Reader (PDF Documents)
This is needed for opening PDF Documents. Download and install from here. Be sure to restart PC before opening any PDF’s.
K-Lite Mega Codec Mega Pack
This will install all the codecs you could ever need and a really good media player - Media Player Classic I suggest using it for all videos. Download from here.
When you go to open a video file right click on the file and select ‘Open With..’ and chose Media Player Classic
FlashGet
This is by far the best download manager I have ever used, download and install from here.
Firefox
Firefox is an alternative browser to Internet Explorer, it is strongly suggested that you use it. Download and install from here. With Firefox you can add all sorts of extension, these add extra functionally to the browser. I suggest the following extensions.
videodownloader, super drag and go, flashblock, pdf downloader, flashgot, fasterfox, adblock, ie tab.
CD BurnerXP Pro
The best freeware CD burning program. Download and install from here.
That's it for the applications.
All that's required now it is time to clean up a bit of the mess created by installing programs. I suggest creating System folder and a Media folder on your desktop. Drag the CD Burner icon and the AVG icon into the System folder. Drag the Windows Media Player icons into the Media folder. Delete the FoxIt Reader icons.
Now down next to the Start button you can safely delete the FoxIt icon, the Windows Media Player icon and the Internet Explorer icon (after all you will be using Firefox anyway). You can delete icons from the desktop also if you are not going to use. You can them drag the divider across and regain some Toolbar real estate.
You can now do the same for the start menu. Double click on My Computer then the C Drive\Documents and Settings\%user%\Start Menu. This will show you all the folders in your start menu. Double click on the Programs folder. I think you can safely delete the following folders AVG, CD Burner, FlashGet, Mozilla Firefox, SpywareBlaster, ZipCentral. I would also delete the Diskeeper icon and Windows Media Player icon.
Finally drag the Maintenance, System and Media folders from your desktop into the Start Menu.
Now really finally Start/Run and type ‘msconfig’. Go to the Startup tab and uncheck everything except the AVG items. Restart the PC. Every time you install a new program it will want to put icons everywhere, be aware of it and delete or move as required
Anyway run the Maintenance Folder you are done (and every week)
Windows XP - Up and running!!
At the command prompt type 'format c:', press 'Enter' and 'y' to format. Let it do its thing and then enter a name for your drive, I would call it 'WinME', 'Win98, or 'Win98SE'.
Click 'Next' when prompted, accept the Agreement, enter your Product Key and click 'Next' three times.
Now enter your Name and Company Name then click 'Next' twice. If you know what the name of your Workgroup is enter that information here, if not just type 'MSHOME' then click 'Next'. Select your Country and click 'Next', select your Time Zone and click 'Next'. 
