and how would I, go about reformatting and reinstalling Windows XP. I have all of the disks, but it does not work like my old desktop. I need easy to understand and precise steps to do this. I would greatly appreciate any assistance that would help me.

Christine K, August 2008

Quick answer: phone DELL customer support. I wanted to dual boot with Linux and Windows Vista, and they talked me through the installation process for Windows. The only complexity is the drivers for your particular hardware may need installing in a certain order.

Longer answer: Its really beyond the scope of a message to give you all the precise steps. I could summarize them but I'm wondering why you think re-installing from new will make your laptop work like your old desktop? I too don't like all the stupid add-ons that DELL bundle (McAfee, Roxio, etc.) They can be deleted from the control panel (but get a free anti-virus if you delete McAfee). It is possible to delete the recovery partition to free up disk space, but only if you're comfortable re-installing from the installation disks.

Phil, September 2008