"downgrading" from Windows 2000 Professional before upgrading to Windows XP Home

[Guest]

I have a Gateway 600 laptop. It is a dualboot machine running Windows 2000 Professional and Windows 2000 Professional Server on a partitioned 40Gb hd with 768 Kb of RAM. (I bought it from my son who used it in his work!).

I would like to install Windows XP Home. I have an upgrade CD.

Since I can't go directly from Windows 2000 Professional to Windows XP Home, can I "downgrade" to Windows 98 SE then upgrade to Windows XP Home?

What else can you suggest to get to where I want to go? Thanks a lot.

 

[Mike Kolitz]

Well, you could, but either way you'd end up doing a clean install of some
sort of Windows.

Your best bet is to do a clean install of Windows XP Home using the upgrade
CD that you have. During the installation process, you'll be asked to
provide "proof of license". When asked, insert your Windows 2000 or Windows
98 CD (not all OEM CDs work - make sure you have a CD that you can do a
complete install from, not a recovery CD), and you'll have verified that you
qualify for upgrade licensing.

Hope that helps

 

[Patti MacLeod]

Hi bullbob,

Either way, downgrading from 2000 to 98SE or upgrading from 2000 to XP Home,
are going to involve deleting the 2000 Pro partition, then creating a new
partition, formatting and installing the operating system.


Regards,

--
Patti MacLeod
Microsoft MVP - Windows Shell/User

I have a Gateway 600 laptop. It is a dualboot machine running Windows 2000

Professional and Windows 2000 Professional Server on a partitioned 40Gb hd
with 768 Kb of RAM. (I bought it from my son who used it in his work!).

I would like to install Windows XP Home. I have an upgrade CD.

Since I can't go directly from Windows 2000 Professional to Windows XP

Home, can I "downgrade" to Windows 98 SE then upgrade to Windows XP Home?

 

[Tumbleweed]

ISTR reading here that you cant install XP Home over 2000 you can only
install XP Pro.

If thats correct, then better to delete the partition using something like a
boot disk made with bootitng or partition magic and then do a clean install
of XP Home (I'm assuming the OP has a copy of XP Home already)
If he doesnt, he could pay the extra $ and get XP Pro, personally for the
same money I'd rather have XP Home and partition magic.

 

[Mike Kolitz]

You're correct - you can't upgrade from Windows 2000 Pro to XP Home, since
it's actually a downgrade, but you can use a Windows 2000 Pro CD as
qualifying media to perform a clean install with XP Home upgrade media.

Also, there's no need to use a boot disk or partition magic to remove your
partition (in fact, I typically recommend against using third-party disk
management utilities). Windows XP Setup will allow you to manipulate
partitions before the installation process begins.

 

[Tumbleweed]

OK so just so as I understand that, you can use an XP home CD to wipe out
Win2k, you just cant use it to do an upgrade install?
So the OP had better make sure he has all the reinstall data needed for any
apps on the WIn2k system, plus backups of any data?

Will the install let you create new partitions deleting existing? For
example, say you had a 40Gb disk partioned 20/20, you could tell it to
create a 10Gb C and a 30GB D, wiping everything that was there? Or wipe the
C 20, but keep the D?

 

[Tumbleweed]

Your temp suggestion seems much more likely. is it possible to tell if the
fan is on? Or monitor the CPU temp? I'd try and check tat out first rather
than spend ?$150 unneccessarily.

--
Tumbleweed

Remove my socks for email address

Thanks for your help. I appreciate it. However, the "help" generated a

couple of additional questions. 1: What started all this was a problem with
bootup and freezes in Windows 2000 Pro. I didn't have it when I first got
the machine. I added a couple of programs (AdSubract, Spybot; and critical
upgrades) Now, the bootup is OK on the first trynof the day. Then, after a
period of time, the machine freezes. Even if I have left it just "idling".
I shut it down, then, when I try to REboot, it won't until I let it sit for
a while (10-15 minutes or more). The chances of successfully rebooting seem
to be greater the longer I wait to try it! (Something related to
temperature?)

This kept happening. I asked around a bit for advice. The most common

suggestion was to upgrade to Windows XP. (For what it's worth, I have XP
Home on my Dell desktop. Both it and the laptop are on a wireless network.)
Is there any reason to prefer staying with Windows 2000 Pro rather than
just moving to Windows XP Home? (BTW, most of what I do is simple
word-processing, spreadsheets and internet.)