How to reinstall windows xp on dell mini 10

I have been told that when I make external hard drive as bootable device for installing OS , since those are connected to USB slots, the USB driver conflicts happens which causes keyboard buffer over run keyboard hangs and stops working due to resource allocation conflict. I have tried clicking F8 many times with no response. Since this Dell does not have PC Restore and sicne it does nto have an internal CD drive, how is one suppose to reisntall the OS without using an external drive?

We would require the service tag number of your system to check the best available option for you. Let me know of the findings, Glad to be of assistance. I have researched many sites including Dell. My son was told the computer came with no disks which stands to reason as it has no disk drive. Repeatedly hitting f8 takes us to advanced windows boot which offers many choices - none of which is the recovery program.

Sooooo what else could be used to access the hidden partition so i can reload his Windows XP? I need to do this as his pc is a dog I was able to load a virus protection program, Avast! Can I Install a program that will allow me access to the partition from the boot up?

One other bit of info, this laptop was purchased at Walmart. You will then need to convert this to a bootable USB. I am not sure on the current policy for Windows XP and you may be charged for this service. However as you will likely need to pay for the installation CD and as Windows XP is reaching its end of life, it is recommended to instead to install buy a Windows 8 or Windows 7 upgrade.

The 32 bit version of either should work. If the Inspiron Mini cannot boot, run the downloader on another Windows computer but ensure that it is running the 32 bit version of XP,Vista,7 or 8 as if ran on a 64 bit computer you will get 64 bit installation files which you cannot use. Personally I would recommend installing the Windows 8. To make a bootable USB with the. Browse Community. Windows General. Turn on suggestions. Auto-suggest helps you quickly narrow down your search results by suggesting possible matches as you type.

Showing results for. Search instead for. Did you mean:. All forum topics Previous Topic Next Topic. Replies 9. Hi metrojeep, Welcome to the Dell Community. PC Restore 2. Manual Reinstallation Before starting installation :- Remove non-essential peripherals Except for the monitor, keyboard, and mouse, remove all external peripherals including: Note: An external peripheral is a device that connects to a port on the front, side or back of the computer, like a printer or memory key.

When the restore process is complete, the following message will appear: The system recovery process was successful. Step 2:For manual installation please visit the following website: support. For any further queries feel free to contact us back. SYS and smartdrv. Post Reply. Top Contributor. Are you looking for the solution to your computer problem? Join our site today to ask your question.

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Watch our Welcome Guide to learn how to use this site. GillBates54 David. Thread Starter. Joined Jan 8, Messages I wonder if someone can help me with this problem Several months ago I bought a Dell Inspiron Mini 10 through an online auction site because the seller had listed it as having Windows XP Home Edition, which was one of the main reasons I'd bidded on it in the first place.

However, when I received the netbook I found it had actually been upgraded to Windows 7 Home Premium and apparently an illegal copy at that. Incidentally, the only reason I didn't return it to the seller and ask for a refund is because I got the netbook for a fraction of what I'd expected to pay for it and to be fair, even though it doesn't have the OS I want, it's still in immaculate condition.

Obviously, with it being a netbook i. It does, however, still have the 25 digit Product Code on the sticker on the base of the netbook. I was hoping it would be a simple case of me going to the Dell Support website and using the Service Tag to download and install Windows XP Home edition, but it seems it isn't as straightforward as that.

Just to give you a list of the things I've tried so far. A screen with 4 options comes up but the first one "Install Windows XP Home Edition" is greyed out and not accessible. It has now got me wondering if I need to completely wipe Windows 7 from the netbook's hard drive before it will allow me to install Windows XP. I was hoping it would just overwrite it during the installation process but I'm clearly having no joy in that department. Tools: Windows Memory Diagnostic If I select Earlier Version of Windows, the following message comes up:- Windows could not start because of a computer disk hardware configuration problem.

Could not read from the selected boot disk. Check boot path and disk hardware. Please check the Windows documentation about hardware disk configuration and your hardware reference manuals for additional information. Incidentally, in Local Disk C there is a folder called Windows. I hope I've given sufficient information here and hopefully one of you guys will be able to point out anything I'm doing wrong and perhaps lead me in the right direction.

I'd appreciate any help with this. Joined Oct 7, Messages 4, Joined May 24, Messages 15, Trusted Advisor. Joined May 12, Messages 84, If you ever get to where you can install Windows XP in that Dell Inspiron Mini 10 netbook, this install and update guide should be helpful to you.

Cheers for your quick responses guys. I will try the methods you've suggested and let you know how things go. Just want to ask this question again:- Do I need to delete Windows 7 from the netbook before I attempt to install Windows XP or will it just overwrite it anyway?