to reinstall windows XP on X31

[wchen10]

HI, there

I have a x31 without CD-ROM, and I want to re-install its windows XP, what can I do that? I can borrow a X24 docking station with CD-rom, will that help?

thanks,

[gator]

No, the X24 dock will not work with the X31. Am I corect in understanding that you want to install windows xp from scratch (meaning, you want to wipe out the security partition)? If not, you can do a full factory restore from that partition ...

[wchen10]

No, the X24 dock will not work with the X31. Am I corect in understanding that you want to install windows xp from scratch (meaning, you want to wipe out the security partition)? If not, you can do a full factory restore from that partition ...

right now the system is winXP with SP1, everytime it is required too many updates. I want to restall its OS to winxp with SP 2.

is it ok if i update it using windows sp2 update (online)? I did it once for my 600x, totally corrupted.

Or it does not matter if i stay the sp1? do i need update those windows patches everyday? or just forget those updates.

appreciate your reply,

[billp117]

If you have XP...just go online and take all the updates. SP2 will fix a lot of problems and allow you to get all the security updates.

Worked for me...B

[pianowizard]

I can borrow a X24 docking station with CD-rom, will that help?

See if you can borrow a USB CD or DVD drive.

right now the system is winXP with SP1, everytime it is required too many updates. I want to restall its OS to winxp with SP 2.

XP SP2 also has frequent updates. But regardless, SP2 is better than SP1, so you should get it.

is it ok if i update it using windows sp2 update (online)? I did it once for my 600x, totally corrupted.

I've installed SP2 through the Windows Update site dozens of times and have never encountered problems.

How long ago did you install XP on this X31? If it's more than a year ago, and if you have time, it's not a bad idea to reinstall XP (with SP2) from scratch. Again, all you need is a USB CD/DVD drive.

[wchen10]

I can borrow a X24 docking station with CD-rom, will that help?

See if you can borrow a USB CD or DVD drive.

right now the system is winXP with SP1, everytime it is required too many updates. I want to restall its OS to winxp with SP 2.

XP SP2 also has frequent updates. But regardless, SP2 is better than SP1, so you should get it.

is it ok if i update it using windows sp2 update (online)? I did it once for my 600x, totally corrupted.

I've installed SP2 through the Windows Update site dozens of times and have never encountered problems.

How long ago did you install XP on this X31? If it's more than a year ago, and if you have time, it's not a bad idea to reinstall XP (with SP2) from scratch. Again, all you need is a USB CD/DVD drive.

How long did it take for your sp2 upgraded from windows update?

The XP with sp1 is installed on 2003, I never succeeded for sp2 updated. This time I want to reinstall a new XP with SP2. I will try to get a USB CD/DVD drive. Hope it can be bootable.

thanks for all your replies

[billp117]

All your Windows XP updates should not take more than a couple hours with a hi-speed internet connection. You will need to babysit the process as it stops to ask a couple questions.

You can buy a USB External CD drive on ebay for $5 plus shipping:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Super-Slim-External ... dZViewItem

Have fun shopping since you really need a CD or DVD drive to keep your laptop humming...or if you want to install any software like MS Office, Streets and Trips, etc.

Good luck...B

[wchen10]

All your Windows XP updates should not take more than a couple hours with a hi-speed internet connection. You will need to babysit the process as it stops to ask a couple questions.

You can buy a USB External CD drive on ebay for $5 plus shipping:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Super-Slim-External ... dZViewItem

Have fun shopping since you really need a CD or DVD drive to keep your laptop humming...or if you want to install any software like MS Office, Streets and Trips, etc.

Good luck...B

thanks. All right, after more than 3 hours "update", right now the machine is with "sp 2", and totally the winXP uses like 8GB hard driver disk space of my X31. Is this normal? 8GB only for OS? or there some temp files I can delete? and where they located?

From your experience, do I still need re-install a new winXp with sp2? or I do not need since the updated one is as the exactly as the new installation.

Thanks again !!

[pianowizard]

From your experience, do I still need re-install a new winXp with sp2?

The reason many people reinstall Windows periodically (like annually) is that over time junk files/spyware/errors/etc. accumulate and cause all sorts of problems. If you're happy with the current state of your XP installation, then there's no need to reinstall.

[jdhurst]

A complete Windows XP SP2 machine with Office XP installed is about 6.7 Gb. So if you just have the OS at 8Gb, there are probably some temporary files to delete. Try running Disk Cleanup in Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools to remove temporary files. Also look in My Computer -> Properties to see how much space System Restore is taking. It may be set too high. I keep mine at about 6 percent of disk space, but you might wish to have more. ... JDH

[billp117]

Did you order your CD for $5.00 ? =:)

You can clean up your hard drive by doing the following:

Click on....

Accessories, System Tools, Disk Cleanup

That will give you the opportunity to clean out your stuff on the HD.

[wchen10]

I did the disk clean up, nothing changed.

No, I did not order the $5 usb CD-rom either since it is shipped from HongKong, no idea when I can receive it

Before I updated to SP2 from WINXP Sp1, it only used mine 3GB, and then I did the update, now it is about 8GB.


thanks.

[jdhurst]

Then I expect it is space used by System Restore. Check how much space you allocate to that in My Computer -> Properties.
... JDH

[billp117]

Additional space is also taken by the 100 plus Windows XP updates and patches.

Also, I would recommend you turn off "restore"...reboot and then turn restore back on. That will erase all the old restore points and reduce the total space a little more.

[wchen10]

thanks for all your replies

I have an idea but I donot know whether it works or not -- can I just copy the winXP installation files into a USB falsh driver, and then boot my machine from there? Does this work? anyone has such kind of experience for X31?

thanks agian,

[billp117]

I doubt if your idea will work...your solution is the $5 USB CD drive on eBay or borrow one to reload Windows XP.

You may be OK to leave things where they are if Windows XP is working fine. Now that you have done all the updates, I would not mess with the X31 if it is working.

Good Luck!!!

[wchen10]

Thanks, Bill(p117). I guess you are right, it did not work.

OK, I will leave the X31 as what it is -- I love this machine

Again, thanks all your posts and all your time. You guys are good people.


Good luck !!!