Clean install

[Guest]

I bought an hp notebook. Of course, it only comes with an OEM version of
windows xp w/SP2 on a recovery partition with the option of creating your own
recovery cd's. I want to do a clean install of windows WITHOUT all the
bundled software, etc.

I was told by hp that I would have to buy a retail version in order to do a
clean install.

Can I buy the UPGRADE version to do this? Hp said I would have to buy the
FULL retail version because you cannot upgrade an OEM. I know it's strange
that I want to go from an OEM windows xp/SP2 to a retail windows xp/SP2, but
that is what I would like.

Please help.

Thanks a lot!

 

[Shenan Stanley]

I bought an hp notebook. Of course, it only comes with an OEM
version of windows xp w/SP2 on a recovery partition with the option
of creating your own recovery cd's. I want to do a clean install of
windows WITHOUT all the bundled software, etc.

I was told by hp that I would have to buy a retail version in order
to do a clean install.

Can I buy the UPGRADE version to do this? Hp said I would have to
buy the FULL retail version because you cannot upgrade an OEM. I
know it's strange that I want to go from an OEM windows xp/SP2 to a
retail windows xp/SP2, but that is what I would like.

You could purchase a Retail or OEM version (generic OEM) to do a clean
install.

Since you chose not to get a full install CD with your HP notebook (I know
with Dell - you can request one - for a small additional charge - I would
assume HP does the same..?) an "upgrade version" will not actually work in
your case to do a clean install because you would need a valid qualifying
media copy of the OS you are upgrading - and it sounds like they did not
give you one.

 

[Bob I]

You MAY upgrade an OEM XP Home edition TO a XP Pro Edition. You may not
upgrade OEM XP Pro to XP Home. Of course if you don't have a
non-recovery CD it will be hard to do a clean install, anyway. If all
you have is a "HP recovery CD" and not an XP installation CD, you would
need to "Upgrade" the current installation. (Home->Pro) If you have Pro
you can't "Upgrade" to anything XP.

 

[Guest]

I just want to go from Home/SP2 to Home/SP2. So I cannot use an UPGRADE
version of Home? That is what I'm understanding from the other posting, that
I would have to buy the full version to do a clean install.

 

[ANONYMOUS]

You could buy a second hand copy of Win98/Win98SE or Win2k and a upgrade
version of any XP OS. The purpose of buying old OS is to qualify you
for an upgrade version. You don't have to intall these except just
FDISK the HD using Win 98 CD/startup/Floppy disk so that XP doesn't see
the old settings.

hth

 

[Bob I]

Same version to same version isn't an upgrade and isn't supported. To
use an Upgrade copy, you must have qualifying operating system installed
OR the installation media. At this point if you want to USE an Upgrade
version of XP Home, you will need the qualifying operating system Win95,
Win98 or WinME. That is only stuff that will work. None of the NT ones
will qualify for installing XP Home Upgrade. If you are trying to do it