weEvil

LOL. You're installing a beta service pack on an empty secondary OS. Very ballsy. Really. From what to what?

Yes you can. Make sure you pug it in correctly, maybe you plugged it in backwards. The wire colors have to match. Since the socket is not the same, it might be loose. Get a glue gun, put it to the lowest temperature (removable later) and put a bead of hot glue to hold the fan connector to the plastic base.

Don't give stupid information. Someone is asking for help. Just because the answer is obvious for you doesn't mean you have to be condescending. Too short to imply condescending, and my post did not include any information.

jkdefrag. 64-bit version too. don't know about system restore files since I have that disabled.

Do it.

There is absolutely no relation in between the graphics card and the processor. Software will run differently depending on your setup. Driver support is as good as nVidia's.

Use a Virtual Machine and install Win95 inside. VirtualPC or VirtualBox. Both freeware.

You get little performance boost with a huge risk. I did this on my external HD. With cache: ~35mb/s without cache 32-33mb/s transfer speed.

Not so. If you prepare ahead of time it can take a few hours. 1. Get the all the latest drivers then organize them and put them in a folder. 2. Take your applications you want to install, organize them in a folder. 3. It helps to have your documents organized in as few folders as possible. 4. Unattenuated install. Use vLite or nLite. 5. Copy & paste all the folders in steps 1-3 to a backup location, and then back on the main drive after windows reinstallation. Staying organized and prepared is the key to doing an easy & painless reinstall.

Is there enough air flow through the case? Air needs to be sucked in at the front, and pushed out through the back. Make sure the fans are positioned in the right direction and working. How is the dust situation?

This is what I'm running. I've combined it with a Noctua fan for heatsinks. The P version, its very quiet, its very cool, even when my dual is overclocked. If you do plan to overclock your machine, get this heatsink and a beefier fan. Something that pushes more air.

Depending on how much junk there is, formatting may take less time than scrubbing the system piece by piece.

Sounds normal for a restricted account. If it does it in power user or admin account then it is an issue.

Again, if you don't like the behavior change the security settings. I recommend changing account type. Here is a guide: http://help.expedient.com/general/winxp_profiles.shtml

There's a difference between you and the OP. Who knows how much junk his system is littered with. It hasn't been maintained in years.