Today there is huge amount a variety of operating systems that users can install on their computers and use them successfully. There is no doubt that the most popular operating system today remains Windows XP - and this despite the fact that newer and modern versions 7 and 8. However, XP still remains the undisputed leader, which is used by millions of residents of domestic countries. When installing this operating system, various failures and disturbances often occur, which are caused by both external and internal factors. But the result is the same - due to these failures and violations, further installation of the operating system is impossible. What to do in this case? Why won't Windows XP install and what are the most common problems? Let's take a closer look and try to figure out what can be done if installation is impossible and how to resolve the existing problem.

Why won't Windows XP install?

There are several main reasons why Windows will not install. Everything is due to two options: the first option is problems in the software; the second option is problems with the hardware. In both the first and second cases, this may prevent the installation of Windows XP, but all problems can be solved. So, the most common situations when it is not installed operating system:

At the first installation failure, the user involuntarily thinks that there is some serious problem. However, most often the reason is simple and it is necessary first of all to find out whether this is the case in this case. First, you need to check which I/O device is set to boot from in the BIOS. It is necessary that the boot occurs from a disk drive (if Windows XP is installed from a disk) or a flash drive. Choose required device It’s quite easy: after entering the BIOS, you need to go to the Boot section and set the boot order for devices. After the action is completed, you must save the changes. If after this the operating system cannot be installed due to unsaved data, then it is advisable to check the battery that powers the CMOS on the motherboard.

Another answer to the question of why the OS is not installed may be hidden in the same BIOS: you need to check the Virus Warning parameter, which is enabled by default. This option is specially designed to counteract boot viruses, so to install Windows XP you will need to turn it off (set it to Disabled).

The problem may be hidden in a malfunction of the CD/DVD drive through which the operating system is installed. The installation may be interrupted at any stage due to a malfunction of the disk drive, and the user will be able to hear that the computer is reading information, but no further loading occurs. The solution to the problem is quite simple - you should replace the CD/DVD drive and Windows will be successfully installed on your computer.
One of the most common and common reasons why the operating system does not install is a faulty CD or incorrect image recording. Perhaps the disc has a large number of scratches that prevent the information from being read, or the disc was written incorrectly, as a result of which some files were lost or cannot be read. In this case, you can either rewrite the disk with Windows XP, or try installing from a flash drive.
The reason can also be found in the hardware: if the computer has been subjected to shocks or shocks, it is possible that the hard drive has become deformed (installation on it becomes impossible), or there has been a failure in the data input/output device on the motherboard, or the contacts have come loose. The only way to determine such violations is to have the hardware diagnosed by a professional. In turn, you can determine the health of your computer quite simply - try installing Windows XP on another computer. If the OS does not install, then the problem lies with your computer.
Installation problems may also arise if the system is installed on a computer or laptop with the latest motherboard. In this case, the installation program may simply not “see” the hard drive, although it may work normally. This problem occurs because the BIOS specifies the AHCI value for the IDI/SATA controller of the chipset. This value is only present on motherboards Oh latest generation. You can solve such a difficult problem - just go into the BIOS and switch the AHCI option to the IDE option to access SATA drives (which are “perceived” by older motherboards). After this, the installation of the Windows XP operating system will be successful.

Windows installation XP is the second system after Windows 7/8.1/10

If you have a desktop computer, then it would be even better to use an SSD for modern Windows 7/8.1, and a classic hard drive- for XP. In this case, you can temporarily disable the SSD with Windows 7-10 so as not to accidentally erase anything from it, calmly install XP and then proceed to configure the boot order.

METHOD 1. Installing Windows XP with a connected hard drive with Windows 7/8.1/10 or installing Windows XP on another partition of the same physical disk

This is a common situation that most users face. In addition, this method is suitable for inexperienced users who have several physical drives, but do not want or cannot disconnect the hard drive with Windows 7/8.1.

Attention! This method not suitable for SSD. If you want to install XP and 7/8.1 on solid state drive, you will need to first perform disk preparation for XP with using Alignment Tool, then install XP, and only then you can install Windows 7/8.1.

Step 1 Prepare the partition for the second operating system.

Create a partition on your hard drive where you will subsequently install XP. If you need to partition your disk or redistribute space between existing partitions, use free program MiniTool Partition Wizard Home (Download from the official website).

Important! Prepare sections EXCLUSIVELY on Windows 7/8.1/10 BEFORE installing XP! We strongly DO NOT recommend partitioning the disk in the XP installer! All you have to do in the XP installer regarding partitions is select the partition you want and quickly format it!

Let's say you have three partitions on your disk:

Bootable (capacity 100MB for Windows 7 or 350MB for Windows 8/10)
System, where Windows 7/8./10 is installed.

For Windows XP, you create a fourth partition. Where it will be placed and from which section to cut off the area is up to you. Of course, it is more logical to arrange the sections like this:

Bootable
System, where Windows 7/8/8.1 is installed.
Windows XP installation section
Disk with user data.

Although you will format the partition in Windows XP Setup, you can format it in Windows 7/8/10 so that you can set a label. And the label will help you not to make a mistake in choosing the desired section in the XP installer.

Step 2 Install Windows XP

Boot from the installation CD or bootable flash drive and install Windows XP on the prepared partition. Be extremely careful when choosing a section. Be guided by its size.

Select a section and click Enter:

Select an item Format partition in NTFS system (fast):

Further steps for installing Windows XP do not differ from its usual installation as the only operating system.

After installation is complete, boot into XP and install all necessary device drivers. Set up your network and internet (if necessary).

Step 3 Restore the boot loader of the first operating system and add an entry for the second previous generation system to it

A. Preparatory stage. Downloading support software

Click Register bottom of the page:

To download, just like it on behalf of your Facebook account or subscribe by email:

The program requires Microsoft .NET 2.0 SP2 Framework. You can download from the Microsoft website http://www.microsoft.com/ru-RU/download/details.aspx?id=1639:

Install Microsoft .Net 2.0 SP2 Framework.
Install EasyBCD.

B. Restoring the Windows 7/8/10 bootloader

During the installation of XP, the Windows 7/8/10 bootloader got lost. Therefore, the first thing we need to do is restore it.

Launch EasyBCD.

Go to section BCD installation.
Select the partition on which the Windows 7\8 boot loader was located before installing XP.
In most cases, this is the very first partition, 100MB in size for Windows 7 or 350MB if your first system was Windows 8\8.1.
Select bootloader type - Windows Vista/7/8 in MBR
Click the button Rewrite MBR

After this, the Windows XP bootloader will be erased, and a new type of bootloader will be installed in its place.

Restart your computer. Now, instead of XP, your copy of Windows 7/10.

Now our task is to add a second entry to the bootloader - to boot XP.

B. Adding XP boot entry to Windows 7/8/10 boot loader

Install EasyBCD in the same way again - now on Windows 7/8/10.

Launch EasyBCD.

Click Add entry
Select OS type Windows NT/2k/XP/2k3
Select a system name.
This is the name that will appear in the menu when loading. We recommend removing the word Microsoft.
Click the button Add:

Now go to the section Current settings and check that the second boot entry is added:

After this you can click the button Edit boot menu, select the time for displaying the menu with a choice of operating systems at boot and rename the OS names. If you make changes, don't forget to click the button at the end Save:

METHOD 2. Installing Windows XP while the hard drive with Windows 7/8.1/10 is disconnected

This method, as we wrote above, is more suitable for desktop computers and only some laptops where it is possible to connect several data storage devices. The advantages of this method:

You don't risk accidentally erasing already installed Windows 7/8.1/10 during XP installation.
If you disconnect any of the physical disks, you will be able to boot from the remaining disk because this method places the bootloaders on different physical disks. You may only need to adjust the boot order in the BIOS.

Step 1 Turn off your computer. Disconnect the data cable from hard drive, on which Windows 7/8.1/10 is installed

Step 2 Turn on your computer and install XP on the remaining hard drive in the most normal way - as if this would be the only Windows. Install all necessary drivers.

Step 3 Turn off the computer and connect the hard drive with Windows 7/8.1/10 back to the previous SATA port.

Step 4 Download Windows 7/8/10.
If you haven't changed the boot priority in the BIOS, by default you should boot from the same drive into your old Windows 7/8/8.1.

A.Installing software for editing bootloaders

Install Microsoft program.Net Framework 2.0 SP2 and EasyBCD (described in Method 1).

Now the only thing we need to do is add an entry to the Windows 7/8/8.1 bootloader about XP installed on another drive.

B.Adding the Windows XP boot entry to the Windows 7/8.1/10 bootloader

Follow these steps:

go to the tab Add entry;
select OS Windows;
select type Windows XP;
specify the desired system name in the OS selection menu;
click the button Add to add.

After this, restart your computer, select Windows XP from the menu and make sure that it boots from its hard drive.

The issue of reinstalling the Windows operating system is not something supernatural for many users. The whole procedure takes about 40 minutes and does not cause any particular difficulties, because modern versions of the OS perform all operations with virtually no user intervention. Some users switch to Windows XP in order to speed up their computer. But many people don't know how to install Windows XP on a laptop.

In fact, the process is quite similar to installing Win 7, 8, 10, but it has a completely different graphical interface. Let's consider in detail all the steps that need to be taken to install Windows XP.

Before you begin installing Windows XP, you need to pay attention to key features of this operating system.

Firstly, this is the most popular version among the others for the entire existence of the Windows OS. It is under her control, in modern world, most users began to get acquainted with the computer. It was a truly stable and fully functional version of the operating system.
Secondly, since 2015 it has no longer been supported and no updates have been released, but many users still use it and categorically do not want to switch to newer versions, because it uses much fewer resources than new versions.

Windows XP installation steps

First, you need to decide what media you are planning to install from. You can install using an optical disk (you can also use a CD, since the installation package is designed for 700 MB), or you can burn the image to a flash drive. Download from the Internet or take an image of this OS from someone and write it to a disk or flash drive (for removable media you will need to install one of additional programs for recording, for example, Ultra ISO). It is best to use proven and optimized assemblies, where the optimal way is already included necessary functions, and stability in operation is also ensured (read the comments about this build or get the OS from an employee of one of service centers).

Many skeptics will argue: why use outdated version Windows, if almost all laptops come already with installed versions Windows 7, 8 or 10? The fact is that if one of the strips fails RAM, new OS distributions will not work quickly and freezes and slowdowns will constantly occur. With the OS in question, this problem can be solved without resorting to purchasing RAM. In addition, if the user uses graphic editors or programs that require a lot of resources, he will be much more comfortable working with old version, after all software in this case it will work much faster.

Go to the BIOS settings (on a laptop, enter the BIOS in different ways, for example using the Del button, F12, etc. When loading, as a rule, a hint appears on the screen on how to enter the BIOS menu). Select the boot priority item and in the First Boot Device line, select the media from which you plan to install. Click the F10 button to save the settings. After the reboot, a message will appear that you must click on any button to continue the installation. Do this and the installation process will begin.

It will open before you blue screen, which will show the progress of defining controllers, devices, etc. A dialog box will then appear where you can select three options to continue. Due to the fact that we are installing Windows XP for the first time, we must press the Enter button (you can also use the OS there or exit the installation wizard).

After this, you will be asked to select the disk on which this operating system will be installed. Select the required section and press the Enter button.

A window that appears again will offer a choice of formatting for this section. Can be left unchanged this section, but this is the wrong decision, not rational. By personal experience, I can say with confidence that you need to select quick formatting from a file NTFS system.

After formatting the disk, the laptop will restart and then a window will appear with direct Win installation dows xp. The presented window will display the installation stages and the entire installation progress. Also, innovations that have been introduced compared to Win 2000 will be displayed there, but this will not surprise anyone, because many used more modern versions of the OS. The laptop may reboot during the installation process, and the screen may go dark for a few seconds.

After the installation is complete, a working Windows table XP.

In general, the installation can be considered complete, but you still need to install drivers, because this OS does not provide automatic selection. Please remember that the network card will also not work without installing the driver and you will not be able to go online to download them. Therefore, take care of downloading drivers for your laptop model in advance. Use only official download sources, for example, on the website of your laptop manufacturer.

Warning: Before you install Windows XP, you need to know that ALL information on the C: drive will be erased during installation. Therefore, first save all your information to another medium or to another hard section drive (for example drive D:).

Also, before installing Windows XP, you must have a 25-digit license key, confirming your rights to own the Windows XP product.

Installing Windows XP can be done in several ways: Installing Windows XP from a bootable CD or DVD (described in this article) or Installing Windows XP from a flash drive.

Necessary:

a. boot disk With Windows distribution XP

b. CD (DVD)-ROM.

Installing Windows XP:

1) Insert the Windows XP boot disk into the drive.

2) Restart your computer.

3) Login BIOS settings and set the computer to boot from CD-ROM

4) Save BIOS settings and restart your computer.

5) After restarting the computer, you need to have time to press any key on the keyboard when a window appears with the message Press any key to boot from CD. If you didn’t have time to click, restart your computer and try again.

6) To install Windows XP, press the key:

8) If you already had an operating room before installation Windows system XP, a window may appear on the screen asking you to restore Windows. To continue installation, press the key:

9) Next, you need to specify the drive on which you want to install Windows XP (if the hard drive is empty, then create two drives - C: and D:). All information will be deleted from the selected disk. It is advisable to install on drive C: and make at least two partitions (so that the operating system and necessary programs are on one drive, and games, music, documents, etc. are on the other drive), i.e. drive C: and D:. This is necessary in order to quickly reinstall Windows, if necessary, without fear of losing information. For the disk where you will install Windows XP, 10-15 GB will be enough.

10) Then you should choose which one file system format the selected disk. If you have a hard drive of 40 GB or less, then it is advisable to select FAT32. If your hard drive is 80 GB or larger, then select NTFS. This is due to the fact that hard drives with a small volume and formatted in NTFS slow down the computer:

11) Windows XP is installed in the partition that you specified. After restarting the computer and copying the files, you can configure the language settings and switch the keyboard layout keys from Russian to English or vice versa (the default is the + key combination). If you are satisfied with everything, then click<ДАЛЕЕ>:

12) Then you should enter the name and name of your organization (For example: name - 1, Organization - 1):

13) In the Product Key window, enter the 25-digit key that should be on the sticker you received with your CD. Windows disk XP.

14) Windows XP installation is almost complete. Next, enter the computer name and administrator password (the password can be left blank):

16) If Windows installs the driver for your network card, Network Settings will appear on the screen. Select REGULAR SETTINGS press<Далее>:

The working group can be left unchanged, i.e. WORKGROUP. Click<Далее>:

18) After restarting the computer, a window with screen settings settings will appear:

Click to continue<ОК>.

19) Windows will automatically adjust the monitor screen resolution:

To continue, click on the button<ОК>.

21) Next Windows window will offer to enable automatic update. Select Snooze this action and click<Далее>:

23) Windows activation XP. Activation is needed to verify your license. This can be done later (within 30 days). Select<Нет>and press<Далее>:

24) In the next window, enter your name and click<Далее>:

25) In the last window, click<Готово>.

Windows XP is the classic and most popular operating system, which is still installed on computers by antique lovers. Unfortunately, due to its obsolescence, serious problems may arise during the installation process. In particular, installation may not occur at all due to errors. But almost all of them can be solved.

What could be the reasons

There are two options in which it may suddenly become impossible to install Windows XP on a computer:

The problems are directly in the software.
Problems with computer components.

In both situations, significant conflicts may arise with the operating system installation process. However, any of them can be easily and simply solved if you understand a little what the problem is.

Damage to the installation disk

One of the most common reasons why Windows XP will not install is a malfunction of the installation disk. In most cases, no one pays attention to scratches and wear on the disk, although massive damage is quite capable of preventing the reading of some files. The same applies to recording - incorrectly “burning” the media will not allow the operating system to be installed correctly. So if the reason is scratched, it is recommended to look for another installation disk.

Incorrect input and output device

The most common and far from sad mistake is an incorrectly positioned I/O device. The operating system is trying to install from some media, but the BIOS does not see it, so the installation fails.

So to fix the problem you will have to look into the BIOS. To do this, immediately after pressing the computer's power button, begin to very actively press one of the keys on the keyboard. As a rule, this is F2, Esc or Del; more precisely, you need to look at the motherboard manufacturer.

After this, we directly set the download priority. Using AMI BIOS as an example:

Let's go to Boot.
We find Boot Device Priority there.
Let's see which device is displayed first. It is necessary that the First Boot Device line contains the device that is needed for installation (floppy drive or flash drive).

After this, you can exit the Bios and save the settings.

If this doesn't help, be sure to replace the small battery that powers the CMOS on the motherboard.

Boot viruses

The next problem, which is also related to Bios, is the function of boot viruses. Or rather, its on state. In the original, this item should fight off viruses during boot, but for some reason it only interferes with the installation of the system. Therefore, you need to disable it by changing the position to Disabled.

Drive failure

In some cases, a damaged drive may prevent Windows XP from installing. The likelihood is especially high if there were problems with it before - it did not read or read information incorrectly. If in everyday life This is not so noticeable, but during the installation process every file is important, which is why it freezes.

There are two ways out of this situation - either put new drive, if you plan to install from a CD/DVD, or try installing the operating system from a flash drive.

Hardware problems

The next reason is any malfunction in the computer hardware. This could be a warped hard drive. It occurs if the computer for some reason falls or hits something. In this case, the hard drive is damaged and recording can no longer be performed on it.

The next “internal” problem is disconnected contacts on the motherboard. Or, for example, there was a failure in the data input/output device, which is located on the motherboard itself.

And there is only one way out - try installing a copy of the operating system on another PC. If it starts, it means that the problem is in the computer’s hardware. If not, the problem lies in the copy itself.

Conflict with modernity

This problem is relevant for the latest motherboards. They work slightly differently, so the installer simply does not recognize the device's hard drive. The essence of the problem is this: in the BIOS the value for the IDI/SATA controller of the chipset, specifically AHCI, is set incorrectly for the installer. The outdated Windows XP operating system is simply not able to recognize such a value, since it appeared much later than the last patch for it.

The solution is the following - enter Bios, then SATA Mode. Find there the value called IDE and set it as used. XP is familiar with it and will not be capricious.

Must be installed after installing windows xp. Installing Windows XP - installation process via BIOS