How do I de-register Win XP to downgrade to Win Me?

[Guest]

I bought a computer a few years ago that had WIn Me on it. Later I upgraded
to XP. I now want to sell the computer. Can I de-register Win XP on it,
reformat and re-install Win Me and then use the Win XP licence on another
computer? If so, how?

 

[Uncle John]

Sean

Provided your XP CD is a Microsoft retail version you can simply reinstall
ME on your machine from the CD and then use the XP CD to install on to
another machine. If the XP CD is an upgrade and not a full version keep the
ME CD as you will need to insert it during the XP installation.

However taking into account the large number of service upgrades Microsoft
has made since you bought your copy of Windows XP you could find it more
advantageous to buy and upgrade to XP Pro + SP 2 which would be available
around $50. This would save you lots of work in getting the old XP version
up-to-date

 

[Guest]

Thank you for your advice. In the UK, where I live, an XP upgrade inc SP2
costs over $250: see for example

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/search-handle-form/026-0149413-4846830

This is for my son, who has Win2K installed on his other system. If I
understand you correctly, he could install the Upgrade to XP on his system
but may need to have the Win2K CDs available. And we can just format and
reinstall Win Me on the other system?

Thanks again for the help

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Hi Sean,

This is for my son, who has Win2K installed on his other system. If I
understand you correctly, he could install the Upgrade to XP on his system
but may need to have the Win2K CDs available. And we can just format and
reinstall Win Me on the other system?

You understand correctly. There is no "de-registering" process, you simply
install it to a different system and activate, and remove it from the old
one. At worse, you will need to phone in activation, but it is highly likely
that you will just be allowed to reactivate over the internet, especially if
it has been more than 120 days since the original activation. As it is an
upgrade disk, setup will need to "see" an existing installation of a
qualifying product (like Win2K) or the media disks for such in order to
proceed. You can then either upgrade or create a clean installation (I
always elect upgrades unless specifically directed not to).

One note, when you sell the other machine, make sure to include the WinME
media disks in case the buyer should ever need to reinstall it. The license
transfer states that if you include the OS on the system, you need to
include the recovery media and product key as well.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I bought a computer a few years ago that had WIn Me on it. Later I
upgraded to XP. I now want to sell the computer. Can I de-register
Win XP on it, reformat and re-install Win Me and then use the Win XP
licence on another computer? If so, how?

Assuming that yours is a retail version, not an OEM one, yes, you can move
it toanother machine. There is no such thing as de-registration (or
de-activation), nor is it necessary. Just reformat and install Windows Me,
install your XP CD on the other computer, and activate it there.

 

[Uncle John]

Sean

Provided your XP CD is a Microsoft retail version you can simply reinstall
ME on your machine from the CD and then use the XP CD to install on to
another machine. If the XP CD is an upgrade and not a full version keep the
ME CD as you will need to insert it during the XP installation.

 

[Michael Stevens]

In

I bought a computer a few years ago that had WIn Me on it. Later I
upgraded to XP. I now want to sell the computer. Can I de-register
Win XP on it, reformat and re-install Win Me and then use the Win XP
licence on another computer? If so, how?

Remove XP install XP/Me #03
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/xpfaq.html
Sell or transfer XP to new computer.
#08 on the FAQ list.
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/xpfaq.html
--
Michael Stevens MS-MVP XP
(e-mail address removed)
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com
For a better newsgroup experience. Setup a newsreader.
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/outlookexpressnewreader.htm

 

[ANONYMOUS]

If you buy any new computer these days, you will get XP SP2 (either home
or professional). If the PC comes with home edition then upgrade CD
will help you to convert it to Pro version.

To install ME you just need to reformat your HD using the startup disk
that came with your ME CD. This is normally a floppy disk.

when you install the upgrade CD in your new PC, you will need to
activate it using phone method.

hth