Hello! I have a HP Pavilion XE748, 320MB RAM, and 700 MHz processor. Tonight I am going to install a new Western Digital 80gb hdd and install Win XP Home ed. (OEM). I’m doing this b/c the original hdd died, crashed, whatever…

Is there anything special I need to know or do, to ensure I do not screw anything up during the installation of the hdd or software? I’ve seen comments referring to partitioning a new hdd. Do I need to do anything like this if I’m only using the PC for surfing the web, email, word processing, spreadsheets, PowerPoint, digital photos, etc.?

It is my understanding that I need to completely unplug everything from the tower, open the case, detach the cables to the current hdd, remove the hdd and the install the new hdd matching sure the switches and cables are plugged in properly.

Thanks in advance!!!

You've pretty much got it right there. After doing that, configure your system to boot from CD, and it should start from the XP disc, and allow you to walk through the Windows XP installation.