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i hope you can help me.....i am having a problem with reinstalling my system for my dell 8600 inspiron,,,could you please help me with the step by step instructions to reinstall my system (installation disk, drivers and utilities in the order which they have to be installed) as i have to reinstall a new hard drive (which i dont know how either, so that would be helpful) and dont know the order in which to install my windows xp disks..i keep hearing about partitions...what is that,,,when i install my hard drive will that pop up.....thanks for your help..dottie
Your hard drive should come with instructions or a link to instructions on how to install the hard drive. Basically there are three thing you need to do, plug in the power, plug in the data cable (not actual term can't think of it right now) and set the jumper (also should have instructions from the manufacturer for this)
Once you have all that done make sure to leave the case open because you should check to make sure everything is working before you put it back on. Install the hard drive. Then turn the computer on. When you see the dell splash screen. There should be an option to go to system setup or bios. Hit that button and check to see if your hard drive is listed and has the right volume. You might also want to check the boot order while your in there. Make sure the cd rom is set to boot from.
Once you do that and everything is ok. Put your Windows XP disk in and restart the computer (they should be numbered if there is more than one). Windows is pretty easy to install. Just keep following the on screen instructions. The Windows install will take you through creating and formating a partition. You can either install the drivers during windows installation or after. Windows provides generic drivers so that most things can function it would probably be better to provide the ones you have when prompted to.
If you need more help just come back and try to describe you problem the best you can.
Hope it helps. If your looking for even more step by step instructions. Contact dell or just do a search on how to install a hard drive and install windows.
