Re-installation of old version error

[Raden]

My younger brother did something stupid with our PC and now it is a complete
mess... We have a service pack 2 CD and XP cd as well (older version)...
Originally, the PC has winxp but my brother installed the service pack... Now
the PC has 2 OS..when you try to restart, you must select which one you want
to run.(.the original XP or the service pack.)

Because the PC is becoming so slow, I want to delete all of it's contents
and re-install my original win XP CD..but the thing is, I am getting an error
that says.

"Setup cannot continue because the version of windows in your computer is
newer than the version on the CD"..

I want the older version in the CD so please help me how do I continue the
installation and delete all files/contents on my PC..

Thanks

 

[John John]

Start the installation again and when you get to the screen were you are
shown a list of hard disks and partitions select (highlight) the
partition on which you want to install XP and format it. You probably
want to install XP on the C: drive. Do a full NTFS format, NTFS is the
preferred file system for Windows XP and doing a "full" format will also
check the drive for errors, doing the error check before installing is a
good idea.

John

 

[Raden]

Hi John,

Please take a look at the screenshot to better figure out the error I am
getting... I an screwed on the first part after clicking Install..
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v141/silveraden/install.jpg


Thanks,

 

[Nepatsfan]

My younger brother did something stupid with our PC and now it is a complete
mess... We have a service pack 2 CD and XP cd as well (older version)...
Originally, the PC has winxp but my brother installed the service pack... Now
the PC has 2 OS..when you try to restart, you must select which one you want
to run.(.the original XP or the service pack.)

Because the PC is becoming so slow, I want to delete all of it's contents
and re-install my original win XP CD..but the thing is, I am getting an error
that says.

"Setup cannot continue because the version of windows in your computer is
newer than the version on the CD"..

I want the older version in the CD so please help me how do I continue the
installation and delete all files/contents on my PC..

Thanks

You're getting that error message because you're trying to start the XP
installation while Windows is running. That's not going to work. You need to
boot from the CD. That will allow you to format your C drive and install a fresh
copy of XP.

Consult the manual for your computer on the procedure to configure your system
to boot from the XP installation CD. You might also want to pay attention when
your computer first starts for an entry on the screen that mentions how to enter
Setup. It usually involves hitting a key such as Del or F2. Once in the Setup
program you will need to locate the section that deals with configuring boot
devices.

Here are a couple of article with info on performing a clean installation of
Windows XP.

Courtesy of Michael Stevens, MS-MVP
Clean Install Windows XP
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

Clean Install Procedure with Illustrative Screen Captures
http://www.theeldergeek.com/xp_home_install_-_graphic.htm

Good luck

Nepatsfan

 

[John John]

Don't try to do this from withing your current Windows installation.
Instead, reboot the computer with your Windows XP cd in the drive and
boot to the Windows setup program then follow the on screen
instructions. To boot with the XP CD you may have to go in the BIOS and
set the boot order so that it boots to the CD before the hard drive. To
access the BIOS you have to press a key when the computer is booting,
before it starts to load Windows. On many machines you will see a
message telling you to press a certain key to access the BIOS or Setup.
Common keys are DEL, F2 or Esc.

When you install Windows XP by booting to the CD it will look like this:

http://www.windowsxpprofessional.windowsreinstall.com/installxpcdoldhdd/indexfullpage.htm

After you press F8 to accept the End User License Agreement (EULA) you
will see the disk/partition selection screen where you will be able to
format the drive and install Windows.

*IMPORTANT* MAKE SURE that you have the product key *before* you format
the drive and begin the installation! Without the key you will not be
able to install Windows!

John

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Because the PC is becoming so slow, I want to delete all of it's contents
and re-install my original win XP CD..but the thing is, I am getting an error
that says.

"Setup cannot continue because the version of windows in your computer is
newer than the version on the CD"..

That's because you have SP2 (or SP1) installed and the CD is without
it.

However, it doesn't matter, because the reason you are getting the
message is that you doing the reinstallation incorrectly. When you do
it correctly, it begins by formatting the drive, causing the loss of
*everything* there, so it doesn't matter that the CD is older (than
the *nothing* that will be there).

To reinstall Windows just boot from the Windows XP CD (change the BIOS
boot order if necessary to accomplish this) and follow the prompts for
a clean installation (delete the existing partition by pressing "D"
when prompted, then create a new one).

You can find detailed instructions here:
http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

or here
http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org/how_do_i_install_windows_xp.htm

or here http://windowsxp.mvps.org/XPClean.htm

or here http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/clean_install.htm

 

[Raden]

Well all of your suggestions guys are very usefull but since I'm a little
ignorant about this thing I need to ask from time to time..

here we go,
I tried rebooting with my cd inside drive and able to access BIO... I have
the following and dont know what to open..

Standard CMOS Features
Advance BIOS features
Advanced chipdet
Integrated peripherals
Power management
PUP/PCIconfigurations
PC healt status

and some options on the right half of screen...

 

[John John]

It's a bit difficult for us to say exactly as we don't know the make or
model of your computer or the BIOS being used.

I would think that it would be in the "Advanced BIOS Features". Look
for "Boot Device Priorities", or something like that. You should see
something along the line of "First Boot Device, Second Boot Device, and
so on. Make sure that the "First Device" is the CD drive.

John

 

[Jim]

Well all of your suggestions guys are very usefull but since I'm a little
ignorant about this thing I need to ask from time to time..

here we go,
I tried rebooting with my cd inside drive and able to access BIO... I have
the following and dont know what to open..

Standard CMOS Features
Advance BIOS features
Advanced chipdet
Integrated peripherals
Power management
PUP/PCIconfigurations
PC healt status

and some options on the right half of screen...

Look for an option that says Boot Sequence. Since my computer is a 4600
(and thus may not have the same BIOS) this is the best advice I can give.

You really really need the computer manual because it specifies how to do
things like this.

Jim

 

[Nepatsfan]

Well all of your suggestions guys are very usefull but since I'm a little
ignorant about this thing I need to ask from time to time..

here we go,
I tried rebooting with my cd inside drive and able to access BIO... I have
the following and dont know what to open..

Standard CMOS Features
Advance BIOS features
Advanced chipdet
Integrated peripherals
Power management
PUP/PCIconfigurations
PC healt status

and some options on the right half of screen...

First off, did you let the startup process attempt to boot from the CD or did
you enter the Setup program right away? If so, you might want to restart your
computer to see if it's already configured to look to the CD-ROM first when
booting. If it is, you'll see a notice at the top of the screen to hit any key
to boot from the CD.

Moving on, the version of your BIOS should be listed at the top of the screen.
You might want to do a Google search on how to configure that particular BIOS to
boot from the CD-ROM. It doesn't hurt to research a procedure before actually
attempting it.

That said, look on the screen for instructions on how to navigate within the
Setup program. It's probably a matter of using the arrow keys to get around.
Note what keys are used to make changes to the settings.

You want to get into the Advanced BIOS features section and look for an entry to
set the first boot device to the CD ROM.

If you get stuck and feel you've made incorrect changes, don't panic. Just make
sure you elect to discard any changes when exiting the program. If at any time
you're not sure exactly what to do, exit the program and find someone who's more
familiar with the procedure to help you.

Good luck

Nepatsfan