Installing windows over current installation

[DManzaluni]

Is there any way of installing Windows over a current working installation?
I have a computer with a Conexant sound driver. For many years it didnt
work because numerous windowsupdates werent compatible with the AC97 driver
and Conexant werent capable of producing a driver for my on-board sound
card, however new their driver was.

Suddenly two things happened. Despite Microsoft's inability to comeup with
any solution to their updates disabling sound on my computer and suggest any
cure, firstly the sound mysteriously started working. Then I got a
mysterious message telling me that I am using a now blocked volume license
and a consequently an invalid key.

I have spent years doing sfc /scannows, restores, repair installs etc
whenever the OS became a bit slow, some of which may have requested the
product key again and I am never particularly careful which CD I use to do
this.

I now have the original restore CD for this manufacturer and want to install
the legitimate XP Home key over my present XP Home VLK installation in the
hope that sound will stay working. Is there a way of doing this or should I
just stay happy with the nag pretending to me that I am using a possibly
counterfeit copy of Windows XP

I have tried all known methods of changing the product key and none of them
have accepted the changed key on the underside of my computer as valid.

 

[smlunatick]

Is there any way of installing Windows over a current working installation?
I have a computer with a Conexant sound driver.  For many years it didnt
work because numerous windowsupdates werent compatible with the AC97 driver
and Conexant werent capable of producing a driver for my on-board sound
card, however new their driver was.

Suddenly two things happened. Despite Microsoft's inability to comeup with
any solution to their updates disabling sound on my computer and suggest any
cure, firstly the sound mysteriously started working. Then I got a
mysterious message telling me that I am using a now blocked volume license
and a consequently an invalid key.

I have spent years doing sfc /scannows, restores, repair installs etc
whenever the OS became a bit slow,  some of which may have requested the
product key again and I am never particularly careful which CD I use to do
this.

I now have the original restore CD for this manufacturer and want to install
the legitimate XP Home key over my present XP Home VLK installation in the
hope that sound will stay working.  Is there a way of doing this or should I
just stay happy with the nag pretending to me that I am using a possibly
counterfeit copy of Windows XP

I have tried all known methods of changing the product key and none of them
have accepted the changed key on the underside of my computer as valid.

I believe that there was never a VLK version of XP Home. VLK is
Volume License Key and was geared to businesses. Therefore the
version is more than likely Windows XP Pro. No, you can not install
XP Home on top of XP Pro. Nor can you consider doing an upgrade from
Windows XP Pro to XP Home.

 

[DManzaluni]

..

I believe that there was never a VLK version of XP Home. VLK is
Volume License Key and was geared to businesses. Therefore the
version is more than likely Windows XP Pro. No, you can not install
XP Home on top of XP Pro. Nor can you consider doing an upgrade from
Windows XP Pro to XP Home.

Checking my PROPERTIES I now discover I made a mistake and you are right:
This IS XP Pro. Is there no way of doing an install of Home from the
restore cd over the Pro install, leaving the directory structure intact?

 

[Peter Foldes]

XP Home VLK ??? I know what VLK is but there is no VLK for XP Home. What this
suggests to me is that you are using a pirated version of XP

 

[Peter Foldes]

No

 

[DManzaluni]

Yes, you appear to be right and what I am trying to do is to rectify that
with the genuine key on the unit by installing Home over the Professional
which has somehow got onto the unit: I gather there is no way of doing that.
I wonder whether the fact that this unit carries Pro is the reason why the
sound drivers never worked after that update?

 

[Jim]

Yes, you appear to be right and what I am trying to do is to rectify that
with the genuine key on the unit by installing Home over the Professional
which has somehow got onto the unit: I gather there is no way of doing
that. I wonder whether the fact that this unit carries Pro is the reason
why the sound drivers never worked after that update?

The sound drivers work fine on my PRO system. It is much more likely that
the drivers on your system are broken or not installed correctly.

Jim

 

[DManzaluni]

The sound drivers work fine on my PRO system. It is much more likely that
the drivers on your system are broken or not installed correctly.

Jim

That is very curious indeed if we are both using the same computer, sound
card and OS??

It isnt the drivers which I have reinstalled about a dozen times
automatically, manually, by updating, by reinstalling, by deleting and
reinstalling re-updating automatically and manually etc etc

I am beginning to wonder whether the only reason sound is working at the
moment is because I am using an iMic and NOT the internal sound card? If so,
I really should try installing the genuine XP Home which I have for this
computer as opposed to non-genuine VLK XP Pro.
Still, I cant help but think that as no one can get sound to work on this
computer, it might be something to do with the repeated MS warnings on lots
of WindowsUpdates that "This Update will not support your Conexant sound
card/drivers"

 

[Jim]

That is very curious indeed if we are both using the same computer, sound
card and OS??

It isnt the drivers which I have reinstalled about a dozen times
automatically, manually, by updating, by reinstalling, by deleting and
reinstalling re-updating automatically and manually etc etc

I am beginning to wonder whether the only reason sound is working at the
moment is because I am using an iMic and NOT the internal sound card? If
so, I really should try installing the genuine XP Home which I have for
this computer as opposed to non-genuine VLK XP Pro.
Still, I cant help but think that as no one can get sound to work on this
computer, it might be something to do with the repeated MS warnings on
lots of WindowsUpdates that "This Update will not support your Conexant
sound card/drivers"

This desktop is using an integrated SoundMax interface. My laptop uses, if
I remember correctly, and integrated Intel interface. They don't work well
after a rebuild until the chipset drivers get installed.

Perhaps the service pack did something to the Conexant card, but I would not
know.
Jim