Installing Windows XP
Installing an operating system is not an especially pleasant activity for most Windows users. Depending on your hardware, just booting up the setup CD can be a headache. Then you have to type that ridiculous 25-digit CD key and then make a bunch of choices about your network (all of which really could be made after setup, by the way). You then must sit and wait . . . and wait . . . for Windows to copy some two thousand files to your hard disk and then go through the excruciating process of "configuring" your computer. When it finally boots — assuming it even makes it this far — you then have the unenviable task of having to download and install more than a hundred megabytes worth of updates and fixes. And when all is said and done, you still will need to go through and turn off all of the annoying "features" littered throughout the interface and then fix the myriad of problems that are sure to pop up.
But the worst part is the feeling you can't shake: that you chose to install Windows XP on your machine, and now you've got to live with it.
Tip
Since a significant percentage of Windows XP users will obtain the OS preinstalled on their computers, many reading this will be fortunate enough to not have had to endure the installation of an operating system. That doesn't mean, however, that the task won't come back to haunt you later on, such as when you need to reinstall Windows or upgrade to the next version.
Both the steps to begin the installation procedure and the ...
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