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FIGURE 17-25: Keyboard language options.

FIGURE 17-26: Enter your name and organization.

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3.In the Your Product Key screen, you have the task of entering the 25-character product key into the box on the screen off the back of the cardboard wallet that your CD came in. See Figure 17-27. When you have entered your product key in the boxes, click Next. If you have entered this information incorrectly, you will have to enter it again (the setup wizard knows the difference between a legitimate product key and one that isn’t).

FIGURE 17-27: Product key screen.

4.If the product key information you entered is correct, the Computer Name and Password Administration screen displays (see Figure 17-28). You need to give the PC a name (one will be suggested but it’s likely to be an odd one, and it’s better to give the system a new and less obscure name) and enter an administrator password. This password will be the main password needed for logging into Windows XP as an administrator.

5.Click Next.

6.The Date and Time Settings screen allows you to enter the date and time and your time zone (see Figure 17-29). You can also choose to have Windows alter for daylight saving changes automatically. Click Next to move on.

The Windows Setup Wizard will now move on to installing the network, as shown in Figure 17-30. This process is automatic at first but does need some user input at the end.

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FIGURE 17-28: Computer name and administrator password options.

FIGURE 17-29: Date and time settings.

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FIGURE 17-30: Installing network components.

7.You need to choose network settings and, unless you have a reason to think you need something out of the ordinary, you should choose Typical settings. (See Figure 17-31.) Click Next to continue.

8.Now, you need to specify whether your PC part of a workgroup or domain (see Figure 17-32). For home networks, choose Workgroup. If your PC is to be connected to an existing network, enter this workgroup name in the box. Click Next to continue.

The setup will now enter another portion that doesn’t require user input, and it will copy the necessary files to the appropriate folders. See Figures 17-33 and 17-34.

What Makes a Good Password?

The recommendations are:

■Six to eight characters

■Combination of uppercase and lowercase letters

■Combination of letters and numbers

Whatever you choose, make it something you’ll remember!

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Figure 17-31 Choose installation type.

FIGURE 17-32: Workgroup or domain information.

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FIGURE 17-33: Another batch of copied files.

FIGURE 17-34: Completing installation.

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Then the Setup Wizard will install Start Menu items, register installed components and then automatically move on to finalizing the installation. See Figures 17-35 and 17-36.

FIGURE 17-35: Installing Start Menu items.

Finalizing the Installation

After this, your computer will enter the stage where it reboots to complete the installation.

1.Upon reboot you will see a splash screen (see Figure 17-37). At this point, you might be given the option to allow Windows to improve the display and screen appearance (see Figure 17-38). Click OK to proceed.

2.If the monitor settings are acceptable, click OK again to continue. See Figure 17-39.

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FIGURE 17-36: Registering components.

FIGURE 17-37: Splash screen after reboot.

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FIGURE 17-38: Improving display.

FIGURE 17-39: Click OK to accept changes.

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3.The final stage of the installation is to finish setting up Windows. On the screen, you will see a Welcome to Microsoft Windows screen (see Figure 17-40). Click Next here.

FIGURE 17-40: Welcome to Microsoft Windows.

4.The next step in the installation is the security settings screen where you can choose to turn on or off the Windows Update mechanism. It’s recommended that you enable this so that your copy of Windows is always kept up-to-date automatically. (See Figure 17-41.) Click Next to continue.

5.Now the Windows Setup Wizard will check to see if you are connected to the Internet and asks for some basic information. See Figures 17-42 and 17-43.

Enter this and click Next. Alternatively, you can choose to Skip and enter the details later.