How to Reinstall Microsoft Windows on a Dell Computer

The article intends to describe the procedure of reinstalling Microsoft Windows operating system on a Dell computer. The methods described here are simple and correct to the date. It is still recommended that users follow the instructions carefully to perform the desired task without bumping into common Dell PC problems and consequently switching between Dell tech support and Microsoft technical help services for help.

Have you already wiped out your hard drive or want to do it now in order to reinstall Microsoft Windows on your Dell computer? If yes, then you certainly need help doing it in the proper manner as installation or reinstallation of an operating system is the most sensitive process. It has to be carried out smoothly from starting till end. Failing of which may result into serious problems in your computer. Don’t worry the below mentioned guide will help you reinstall Microsoft Windows on your Dell computer in the easiest manner. This essentially means that you don’t need spending time on phone with a Dell tech support to help you do so.

Instructions:

Before we begin with the reinstallation procedure, we totally assume that you have already backed up all your data to an external media of your choice before wiping out the hard drive.

It must be noted that if you perform a manual reinstallation like this, you will not be able to restore your Dell computer to factory settings or perform a PC restore. Therefore, it is recommended to either do a system restore or restore to factory settings to resolve the problem before doing the reinstallation. If the problem is not resolved, move on to the instructions below.

You must have the original Microsoft Windows 7\Vista\XP disk (from Dell) or Dell system restore disk for reinstalling the operating system on your computer. If you don’t have the disk, then contact Dell help & support services to send you a new one.

Disconnect all the external devices attached to your Dell PC. Insert the Windows XP disk into the optical drive and reboot (restart) your computer. When the Setup screen comes up, hit Enter on the keyboard. When the Windows XP Licensing Agreement window comes up, read through the license (if you really want as you must have already gone through it), scroll down to the end, press the F8 key on the keyboard to accept the terms and agreement, and then click on I Accept or whatever option you see there to proceed.

This will open up the disk partition screen. It may include PC restore or MediaDirect among other options, depending on the configuration of your computer. Select the biggest partition and then hit Enter on the keyboard. When prompted, you can choose to reformat your hard drive using Format the partition using the NTFS file system (Quick) or FAT option. It is strongly recommended to choose NTFS. The Setup program will automatically format the hard drive and restart the computer when finished. Since it may take a good amount of time, be patient and wait until the computer has fully reloaded (after rebooting).

When the computer has rebooted, the reinstallation will continue. Choose your regional language option and input all other required information and click on the Next button. Follow all the instructions carefully and input all the information correctly.

When the Windows has successfully reinstalled on your Dell computer, connect to the internet and download all the latest updates from Microsoft’s website. Now install Dell drivers as well as other applications one by one. You can either use the Dell Resource CD to install the drivers or download these from the Dell website. Install the latest and compatible drivers for your Windows operating system. When done, attach your backup media (that you backed up the data to) and restore all the data. Install other applications also like Outlook, Microsoft Office etc. if needed.