I thought of doing that but how would that work if I want to do a total reinstall of the OS, which involves formatting the hard drive? What you said would work only if I was reinstalling the os on top of the current os right? With a reformatting of the hard drive, wouldnt all the data that was on the hard drive be lost?
The other option, which is what I think you guys were talking about is to create a partition, store all the new os data on that, format the partition that had the existing os, and then install the new os from the new partition. Is that what you were saying? If so, how do I partition a hd that has an os on it already? and how do I do the whole installing from the partition?
1.
Format. You are not necessarily required to reformat a partition to install an operating system. You would format a partition to establish a file system, to change the type or level of an existing file system, or in the belief it will wipe out existing malware. The normally accepted answer is if you format a partition you will lose all access to the data.
Not sure what you mean by a "
total reinstall". You are not required to reformat the partition if it already contains an acceptable file system, but you would normally reformat the partition for a "clean" install (to eliminate all the previous garbage). Not sure what installation constraints an OEM install CD may impose.
You've never said why you wish to reinstall the operating system...
2. There are several approaches you may take to install Windows XP onto the existing hard drive:
a. Repair installation over existing operating system
b. Parallel installation of the operating system
c. Multiboot different operating systems
3.
Repair Installation. You may "repair" install over an existing operating system. It will restore the system files back to the versions within your source media. If you just wish to replace missing or corrupt system files, a better option might be to run the "
System File Checker" utility (sfc). If you set your system up correctly, it should also check your service pack and other update locations in an attempt to maintain the current level of your operating system (doesn't throw you back to version of your install CD).
4.
Parallel Installation. A parallel installation is when you install a second copy of the same operating system to the system. It may be installed to:
a. Separate directory within the existing Windows boot partition
b. Another partition on the same hard drive
c. Partition on another hard drive
There is "free" software you may use to adjust the partition sizes of your hard disk. They always recommend you do a complete system backup before attempting it (and I've never used any of them).
When installing to a "separate directory" within the existing Windows boot partition, you must be alert for the opportunity to specify this. Research this before attempting it, so you don't miss the prompt.
5.
Multiboot Installation. If you want to wipe the drive and start over, then this is the option for you. It would eliminate any malware and provide the opportunity to repartition the hard drive (into two or more partitions).
Windows XP should be built on the machine it is to run on, but the Windows 9x operating systems and MS-DOS aren't that picky. So... with the hard drive in whatever machine works for you; install one of the more primitive operating systems to the first partition. Add the Windows XP installation directory along with whatever HP motherboard drivers you need to a safe place on the disk (somewhere they won't be wiped from).
Return the hard drive to the HP laptop, boot into the primitive operating system and attempt to use it to initiate the Windows XP installation (preferably to a second partition). Not sure if you'll need any Windows 9x motherboard drivers to accomplish this. I think it will stumble through successfully without them.