Adding a New Hard Drive - WinXP Upgrade

[Max]

I'm adding a new hard drive. My old one has become
tempermental and unreliable, plus I've messed things up
with some bad programs so I'm going to replace it. I used
to run Win2000 Pro but I bought the Windows XP *Upgrade*
to change operating systems. I plan to use the new hard-
drive and remove the old one. The question, then, is
this:
When I add my new hard drive, I want to start from a clean
slate - so can I install WinXP on the new hard drive
cleanly with the Upgrade disk?

 

[McGrandpa]

I'm adding a new hard drive. My old one has become
tempermental and unreliable, plus I've messed things up
with some bad programs so I'm going to replace it. I used
to run Win2000 Pro but I bought the Windows XP *Upgrade*
to change operating systems. I plan to use the new hard-
drive and remove the old one. The question, then, is
this:
When I add my new hard drive, I want to start from a clean
slate - so can I install WinXP on the new hard drive
cleanly with the Upgrade disk?

Sure you can, it will ask you for the setup disk from your 'upgrade
path'
though. Like the W2000 cd.
McG.

 

[Mike Brearley]

If your XP version is XP Professional, yes; if it's XP home, you
can't use it at all as an upgrade to 2000.

The requirement to use an upgrade version is to *own* a previous
qualifying version, not to have it installed. When setup doesn't

Not true. An OEM version of Windows doesn't always meet the requirements
unless it is actually installed. Besides that small point, you are correct.

find a previous qualifying version installed, it will prompt you
to insert its CD as proof of ownership. Assuming yours is XP
Professional, just insert the the Windows 2000 CD, and follow the
prompts. Everything proceeds quite normally and quite
legitimately.

--
Posted 'as is'. If there are any spelling and/or grammar mistakes, they
were a direct result of my fingers and brain not being synchronized or my
lack of caffeine.

Mike

 

[Ken Blake]

doesn't


Not true. An OEM version of Windows doesn't always meet the requirements
unless it is actually installed. Besides that small point, you

are correct.


I can't remember whether I've ever used an OEM CD as a previous
qualifying version when doing a clean installation of XP, so I'll
stop short of disagreeing with you. But I'm sure I've done
exactly this with clean installations of earlier Windows
versions.

Anybody else here with experience trying this?

 

[Ken Blake]

message you
are correct.


I can't remember whether I've ever used an OEM CD as a previous
qualifying version when doing a clean installation of XP, so I'll
stop short of disagreeing with you. But I'm sure I've done
exactly this with clean installations of earlier Windows
versions.

Thinking about this further, if you mean that an OEM *restore* CD
won't work as proof of ownership unless it's already installed, I
assume that you're right. I was talking about a regular OEM
installation CD.

 

[GSV Three Minds in a Can]

Bitstring <[email protected]>, from the wonderful person

Thinking about this further, if you mean that an OEM *restore* CD
won't work as proof of ownership unless it's already installed, I
assume that you're right. I was talking about a regular OEM
installation CD.

I'm 95% confident I used an OEM Win2k Pro CD as qualifying product for
WinXP pro installation, at some point. I don't =think= there was a
detectable system on a detectable HDD at the time.

 

[Alex Nichol]

I'm adding a new hard drive. My old one has become
tempermental and unreliable, plus I've messed things up
with some bad programs so I'm going to replace it. I used
to run Win2000 Pro but I bought the Windows XP *Upgrade*
to change operating systems. I plan to use the new hard-
drive and remove the old one. The question, then, is
this:
When I add my new hard drive, I want to start from a clean
slate - so can I install WinXP on the new hard drive
cleanly with the Upgrade disk?

Provided you have bought an XP Pro Upgrade, you boot it and when it asks
where Windows is, show it the 2000 CD in the drive for a moment.

You can't upgrade 2000 to XP home edition, though, so for that you would
need a 'full' CD (and might just as well use the Pro upgrade, which is
about the same price)

 

[Alex Nichol]

I'm 95% confident I used an OEM Win2k Pro CD as qualifying product for
WinXP pro installation, at some point. I don't =think= there was a
detectable system on a detectable HDD at the time.

The crux is not whether or not it is an OEM disk, but whether it is a
restore or recovery one (As many OEM ones are). That is, one that does
not have the regular folders of files for setup, but instead an image of
an installation and a bit of software to format the disk and expand the
image: this is something that setup will not recognise