Necessary Software
An Original Windows XP CD
Service Pack 2
CD Burning Software. We recommend Nero.
Why would you want to do this?
There is talk that if you bring your computer online without any patches or services packs, it will be infected with spyware and viruses within minutes. Installing Service Pack 2 while installing Windows may remove this possibility.
Step 1 - Copy Windows XP Install CD To Your Hard Drive
First we have to copy the contents of your Windows XP install cd to your hard drive.
Hidden files need to be shown so that they are all copied, open Windows Explorer and then Tools -> Folder Options. You will then want to click the "View" tab and then check the "Show Hidden Files and Folders" radio button. Uncheck "Hide Protected Operating System Files".
Now you can copy all of the contents to your hard drive, create a directory called "awin" or whatever you please.
Move the Windows XP Service Pack 2 file that you just downloaded to the directory "awin-sp".
Step 2 - Set up the CD for Installation
Now we have to set up the CD itself. The CD needs to be bootable and needs to have the proper files on it.
Now go to your Start Menu and choose "Run".
Type in C:\awin-sp\XPSP2.exe -s:c:\awin\
This will put all of the files from the Service Pack 2 into your Windows XP Install Disc directory.
Now we want to create a CD that is bootable and contains all of the files we need.
Open up Nero or whatever program you want to use and you should use the following settings for your CD Project.
First go to the File menu and choose "Boot Cd".
For "Source Image File" choose "Image File" and then find the file "C:\winxp boot\Microsoft Corporation.img"
For "Kind of Emulation" choose "None".
For "Load segments" set that to "07C0"
For "Number of Load Sectors" set that to "4".
Choose the ISO tab and set the volume label.
Choose the one that matches your distribution of Windows XP
Windows XP Home: WXHCCP_EN
Windows XP Home OEM: WXHOEM_EN
Windows XP Professional: WXPCCP_EN
Windows XP Professional OEM: WXPOEM_EN
Now you can burn the cd and have a Windows Install disc that installs Windows XP with Service Pack 2. Now you can stay ahead of the viruses and spyware and have a totally clean slate when your reinstall Windows.