XP reinstall help

[Bill]

Trying to help a friend that has an out of warranty PC with an OEM XP CD to
reinstall windows. Over the time he has had it he has done all the updates
through SP2..Now we need to do a clean reinstall and the set up wizard says
"Windows has detected a newer version of XP than on the CD and will not
install, click to cancel. So I try another way to boot from the CD and get
not a valid boot disk.

Question is how is one expected to do a clean reinstall under these
circumstances..

Any help appreciated

Wm

 

[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

Bill;
Go to BIOS and set CD drive as a boot device before hard drive.
This is different for each computer manufacturer so check your manual and/or
contact the manufacturer for details.

 

[Bill]

Yes I also did that...CD first, but get a message invalid boot disk
Thanks

 

[Desk]

Bill wrote:
| Trying to help a friend that has an out of warranty PC with an OEM XP CD
| to reinstall windows. Over the time he has had it he has done all the
| updates through SP2..Now we need to do a clean reinstall and the set up
| wizard says "Windows has detected a newer version of XP than on the CD
| and will not install, click to cancel. So I try another way to boot from
| the CD and get not a valid boot disk.
|
| Question is how is one expected to do a clean reinstall under these
| circumstances..
|
| Any help appreciated
|
| Wm

You should uninstall the service pack before doing the over-install OR do an
altogether "clean install". When the service pack was installed, Windows was
"re-versioned" so that now you have to use files at the level of a Windows
XP with SP2 CD-ROM disc rather than an original or SP1 level Windows XP disc
... it could be considered a safety feature.

If you are using an original or SP1 level disc, make sure to apply SP2
before connecting to the Internet. Once connected to the Internet, then make
sure to patch with the post-SP2 patches off the Windows Update website
before surfing (to avoid the WMF exploit). SP2 is available by download and
as a CD-ROM from Microsoft at no charge. Have it ready. If you decide to
download and burn to CD-R, make sure to grab the "Network" version of SP2.

 

[Malke]

Trying to help a friend that has an out of warranty PC with an OEM XP
CD to reinstall windows. Over the time he has had it he has done all
the updates through SP2..Now we need to do a clean reinstall and the
set up wizard says "Windows has detected a newer version of XP than on
the CD and will not install, click to cancel. So I try another way to
boot from the CD and get not a valid boot disk.

Question is how is one expected to do a clean reinstall under these
circumstances..

Just create a slipstreamed install disk with Service Pack 2. I like
AutoStreamer, but there are other methods:

How to slipstream sp2 into XP
http://www.simplyguides.net/guides/using_autostreamer/using_autostreamer.html
- AutoStreamer
http://www.msfn.org/articles.php?action=show&showarticle=49
http://www.windows-help.net/windowsxp/winxp-sp2-bootcd.html
http://www.theeldergeek.com/slipstreamed_xpsp2_cd.htm
http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/slipstream.htm

Malke

 

[Bob Gruett]

As an alternative, take a look at the recovery disc through Windows Explorer
and determine what the name of the executable file to launch the recovery
process is (you may have to poke through AUTOEXEC.BAT to find out). It's
quite possible that it can be executive from within DOS.

So get yourself a DOS boot disk with generic CD-Rom drivers, pop it into the
PC, boot up, and find and run the executable file.

Or, if the PC just came with an OEM XP install CD (and not a recovery CD),
this will definitely work. Get the disk I mentioned above, boot into DOS,
locate the CD-Rom in DOS, and launch WINNT.EXE. This will kick off the XP
installer.

-Bob

 

[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

There is no need to remove the Service Pack or anything else for a Clean
Installation.

 

[Bill]

Thanks for all the quick help and advice...have some home work for the week
end

Bill

 

[beb]

There probably something wrong with either the XP CD or drive or there is a
disk in your floppy drive. The CD is suppose to be able to boot from CD
drive. Check the drive with another bootable CD and the CD in another
computer.

 

[Desk]

Jupiter Jones [MVP] wrote:
| There is no need to remove the Service Pack or anything else for a Clean
| Installation.
|
|
| || Bill wrote:
||| Trying to help a friend that has an out of warranty PC with an OEM XP CD
||| to reinstall windows. Over the time he has had it he has done all the
||| updates through SP2..Now we need to do a clean reinstall and the set up
||| wizard says "Windows has detected a newer version of XP than on the CD
||| and will not install, click to cancel. So I try another way to boot from
||| the CD and get not a valid boot disk.
|||
||| Question is how is one expected to do a clean reinstall under these
||| circumstances..
|||
||| Any help appreciated
|||
||| Wm
||
|| You should uninstall the service pack before doing the over-install OR do
|| an
|| altogether "clean install". When the service pack was installed, Windows
|| was
|| "re-versioned" so that now you have to use files at the level of a
|| Windows XP with SP2 CD-ROM disc rather than an original or SP1 level
|| Windows XP disc
|| .. it could be considered a safety feature.
||
|| If you are using an original or SP1 level disc, make sure to apply SP2
|| before connecting to the Internet. Once connected to the Internet, then
|| make
|| sure to patch with the post-SP2 patches off the Windows Update website
|| before surfing (to avoid the WMF exploit). SP2 is available by download
|| and
|| as a CD-ROM from Microsoft at no charge. Have it ready. If you decide to
|| download and burn to CD-R, make sure to grab the "Network" version of
|| SP2.

Obviously not. I wasn't referring to the clean installation.

 

[administer of god]

what i would do is get a 98 disk start up and go to boot without cd
support at the command prompt type in (fdisk) that will wipe the hard
drive out. Then boot with the cd and it should run set up is normal.
How can it detect a newer version it one isn't there.

thanks administer of god

 

[- Bobb -]

Just create a slipstreamed install disk with Service Pack 2. I like
AutoStreamer, but there are other methods:

How to slipstream sp2 into XP
http://www.simplyguides.net/guides/using_autostreamer/using_autostreamer.html
- AutoStreamer
http://www.msfn.org/articles.php?action=show&showarticle=49
http://www.windows-help.net/windowsxp/winxp-sp2-bootcd.html
http://www.theeldergeek.com/slipstreamed_xpsp2_cd.htm
http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/slipstream.htm

Malke

Malke ( and/or others) ,

I originally installed Win XP as an Upgrade - not the full blown version. A few questions , please :
Can I create this slipstream CD using an upgrade CD ?
Currently XP is on E and I'd like to blow away drive and install XP Pro to C .
I haven't done so since I didn't want to deal with Microsoft / reinstall all of the updates, but if I can get it all on a cd -
great. Can then install and apply updates even before going back online. AND after install I'll need to re-register. I'm sure
I'll get a message stating " license already in use" or some such error. How to avoid that ? Or will I need to call Microsoft ?
How would they know that I'm not using a second Pc ??
Thanks for any input or advice on easy ways of reinstalling to another partition.
Bobb

PS In case anyone is tracking it, put me down as NOT liking this registration process. I paid $200 for it and THEN I need their
permission to use it whenever I change my hardware ?? I understand their point of view but I don't like it: give me a fob or some
simple way of registering - issue 1 per license.

 

[Malke]

Malke ( and/or others) ,

I originally installed Win XP as an Upgrade - not the full blown
version. A few questions , please : Can I create this slipstream CD
using an upgrade CD ? Currently XP is on E and I'd like to blow away
drive and install XP Pro to C . I haven't done so since I didn't want
to deal with Microsoft / reinstall all of the updates, but if I can
get it all on a cd -
great. Can then install and apply updates even before going back
online. AND after install I'll need to re-register. I'm sure I'll get
a message stating " license already in use" or some such error. How to
avoid that ? Or will I need to call Microsoft ? How would they know
that I'm not using a second Pc ?? Thanks for any input or advice on
easy ways of reinstalling to another partition. Bobb

(snip activation rant)

The only difference between the Upgrade and the Full Versions is that
the Upgrade will ask you for proof that you have the right to upgrade.
During a clean install, this means you stick your Win98/ME disk in when
asked to at the beginning of the installation. So yes, you can do a
clean install with an Upgrade that you've slipstreamed.

You don't ever need to register. It is *activation* that is mandatory.
In all probability, you'll be able to activate easily over the Internet
after the installation. In the unlikely event there is a problem, then
you'll get a telephone number to call. In around 5 minutes you'll be
activated and finished. This is no big deal. I never discuss the pros
and cons of activation since AFAIK they are moot. If you don't like the
MS rules (and many people don't) - don't use Windows. Sorry if that
sounds harsh, but there really isn't any other way to look at it. It is
Microsoft's product and they have the right to sell it any way they
want. As consumers, we have the right not to buy it.

Malke

 

[- Bobb -]

Excellent , I just downloaded autostreamer - and made the XP w/SP2 CD fine. (631mb)

Thanks very much.

One other thing ... I have not done the reinstall yet.
I do have a folder called c:\windows\$hf_mig$ - full of KB folders
Anyway to automatically reuse the XP updates ( KBs) that I already have received since SP2 so not to have to do so again ? Maybe
include them on the Cd too ?
If not - that's fine too - I just wanted to learn.

Thanks again.

 

[Malke]

Excellent , I just downloaded autostreamer - and made the XP w/SP2 CD
fine. (631mb)

Thanks very much.

One other thing ... I have not done the reinstall yet.
I do have a folder called c:\windows\$hf_mig$ - full of KB folders
Anyway to automatically reuse the XP updates ( KBs) that I already
have received since SP2 so not to have to do so again ? Maybe
include them on the Cd too ?
If not - that's fine too - I just wanted to learn.

You can't reuse the updates that are on your computer. For the future,
see:

How to download updates and drivers from the Windows Update Catalog or
from the Microsoft Update Catalog:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;323166

Malke

 

[- Bobb -]

Malke,

Thanks very much for all of your help.
Bobb