How to Install a Windows XP Professional Operating System

1. Turn on your computer and place your Windows XP installation CD into your CD or DVD drive.
2. Press 'Enter,' 'Space' or any other key on your keyboard when the 'Press any key to boot from CD' message appears on the screen.
3. Press the 'Enter' key and then press the 'F8' key once the pre-loading sequence finishes and you see the 'Welcome to Setup' screen appear.
4. Scroll, using your arrow keys, to the drive on which you want to install Windows XP. Press the 'Enter' key. Choose a partition size to install XP on and press the 'Enter' key again. The partition size is simply the size of the virtual drive that Windows XP is created on. If you make the partition equal to the size of your hard drive, Windows XP can use the entire hard drive for storing data.
5. Choose the formatting option you want to use ('Quick Format' is the fastest) and press 'Enter.' Windows XP begins installing.
6. Enter your XP product key when prompted and then click the 'Next' button. Windows finishes installing on your computer.