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How to Obtain a Boot Disk for Windows XP on the Internet

by Joshua Benjamin

While it may sound complicated, obtaining a Windows XP boot disc is actually pretty easy if you know what you're looking for. You can use the Ultimate Boot CD for Windows, which is a collection of programs, utilities and tools that can be used to repair and troubleshoot an existing Windows XP installation or to install a fresh copy.

Step 1

Turn on your computer. Open your preferred Internet browser and navigate tothe UBCD4WIN website (see Resources).

Step 2

Click "Downloads." Select your preferred mirror and download UBCD4WIN. Run UBCD4WIN.exe.

Step 3

Follow the on-screen instructions. Do not install to a directory with spaces in its name, as this will cause an error. Right: c:\stuff\UBCD42WIN. Wrong: c:\my stuff\UBCD4WIN.

Step 4

Insert your Windows XP CD with Service Pack 1 into your CD drive.

Step 5

In the directory you installed UBCD, select and run "UBCD4WinBuilder.exe." By default, this file is located in C:\ubcd4win.

Step 6

Click "I agree" when the screen comes up. You will be asked if you want to search for Windows installation files. Click "No." A new screen will pop up.

Step 7

In the "source" section, specify the location of your Windows setup files (the letter of your CD drive). Ensure that the "Create ISO Image" option is checked. If you wish to burn the ISO file that will be created to a CD immediately afterward, make sure that the "Burn to CD/DVD" option is checked as well.

Step 8

Once all your options have been set to your satisfaction, select "Build." Press the "I Agree" button when it comes up, and allow the ISO image to build, ready for burning to a CD.

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Warnings

  • Your antivirus program may detect certain portions of UBCD4WIN as viruses. This is not the case, unless you downloaded UBCD4WIN from somewhere other than the official mirrors. The official downloads are clean of all malware.

Tips

  • If your Windows XP CD does not have SP1 or greater installed, view the resources section for guides on how to slipstream your CD so that it will be compatible with UBCD4WIN.

Resources

About the Author

Joshua Benjamin began as a professional freelance writer in 2009. He has successfully published numerous articles spanning a broad range of topics. Benjamin's areas of expertise include auto repair, computer hardware and software, firearms operation and maintenance, and home repair and maintenance. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration from California State University, Fresno.

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How do I Back Up a Hard Drive to an External on a Mac

by Ashley Donohoe

Disk Utility is a disk management tool included with Mac OS X that allows you to create backups, restore data, repair disk errors and format drives. If you want to back up your Mac's system hard drive, you can use Disk Utility to copy your data to an external hard drive. If you lose data on your Mac in the future, you can restore the entire drive image or select specific items from the external hard drive.

Step 1

Connect your external hard drive's cable to the appropriate port on your Mac. Insert the Mac OS X installation DVD into your computer's optical drive and restart your computer. Press and hold the "C" key while your computer is starting to boot from the DVD.

Step 2

Select your preferred language when the installation program starts. Click "Utilities" on the toolbar and select "Disk Utility." Select the hard drive you want to back up on the left-hand pane of the window. Click "Verify Disk" if you want to look for problems with the drive. Click "Repair Disk" to fix any drive errors.

Step 3

Click "New Image" in the Disk Utility toolbar and type a name for your backup image. Select your external hard drive as the destination for saving the image and click "Save." Type your administrator login information if the utility requests it. Disk Utility will begin backing up the hard drive to the external disk.

Step 4

Select your backup disk's name on the left-hand pane. Click "Images" and select "Scan for Restore" if you want to verify the data. Press the "Command" and "Q" keys simultaneously to exit Disk Utility and again to exit the Mac OS X installer. Restart your Mac when prompted.

References

Photo Credits

  • Justin Sullivan/Getty Images News/Getty Images

About the Author

Ashley Donohoe has written business, technology and education articles professionally since 2010. Having a background in business and technology, she has completed undergraduate studies in business and computer science along with a Master of Business Administration.

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