For now, use the maximum size, unless you have a specific need for more partitions.

Once you have created your partition(s), you will return to the original partitioning screen. Note that the previously unformatted space now appears as 'Partition1 [new (raw)]' and has a drive letter assigned to it, which should be C: unless you already have a partition present on another disk. Highlight the new partition and press 'enter' to begin installing Windows XP onto it.

You will be prompted to format the drive with one of four file systems: NTFS quick, FAT quick, NTFS, or FAT

For the purposes of this article, you have a choice between FAT (File Allocation Table 32) and NTFS (NT File System). To make this choice, there are several things to keep in mind.

If your computer already has another version of Windows installed, specifically a version of Windows 9x/ME, and you think you will need to access files in your new XP installation from the other operating system, choose FAT32, since computers with these older operating systems cannot read NTFS partitions.

Note that Windows XP, like Windows 2000 before it, can read either FAT or NTFS partitions, regardless of how the partition on which the actual OS is installed is formatted.

If you are installing Windows XP Professional, it is a good idea to use NTFS partitions, as only NTFS allows the full range of security settings for access to files, folders and programs, that XP Pro is capable of. In general, unless you have a specific need for the FAT file system for compatibility, use NTFS.

Choose your desired file system and hit 'enter' The system will now format the drive. This will take a while. After formatting, the system will copy the information necessary to install a graphical user interface (GUI) with mouse support which will handle the rest of the installation. System restarts.

Now that you are in the GUI portion of the install, you should have mouse support. XP will prompt you for any regional or language options you might wish to set. The North American defaults are of course English (United States).

You will be prompted to enter your name, and that of your organization. These titles are strictly cosmetic. XP will use them to fill in the name fields of newly installed software for purposes of registration, etc. They have nothing to do with Usernames or authentication, so don't worry about recording what you enter here.

You will now be asked to enter the 25-character product key. This key grants you a temporary license to install and use XP for a period of 30 days, prior to registering your copy of XP. More on the registration process later on.

Next you must specify a name for your computer, or accept the pre-generated one presented to you. The computer name is relevant for networking purposes.

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