Win XP Home help

The installation disk I have for win xp home has sp 1a on it, not sp 2. The computer is old, so the reinstallation disk that came with it is just old. So, every time I reformat I have to go through microsoft's home page to get sp2. Is there any where that I can get a free version of win XP home by proving that I already have an older version of the OS?

or am I just screwed?

 

My question is: Why are you reformatting so often that using the disc is a problem?

 

well, not so often. This is maybe the third or fourth time in the nearly 4 years I've had the computer. Just got particularly annoying this last time going through microsoft's website.

 

You could download SP2 and burn it to a disk. That way, you would not need to download it again if you need to format and reinstall Windows.

You might also use the "slipstreaming" technique to create a CD with Windows XP Home Edition SP2. Then, you would use it for a future reinstall and you would have SP2 already installed and not have to install it as a subsequent step. Here's one reference:
Slipstreaming Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (SP2)