ME->XP(OEM)

[nevinenigma]

I have a full copy of XP home(OEM version) and I want to upgrade my
windows ME machine, however when I insert the XP installation CD it
says that it doesn’t support upgrading from Windows ME to windows XP
home edition. Is it possible to just format the drive and wipe out the
whole ME OS then just load the full XP OS?

 

[Opinicus]

I have a full copy of XP home(OEM version) and I want to
upgrade my
windows ME machine, however when I insert the XP
installation CD it
says that it doesn't support upgrading from Windows ME to
windows XP
home edition. Is it possible to just format the drive and
wipe out the
whole ME OS then just load the full XP OS?

That's the ONLY way you can install an OEM version.

And hopefully the version hasn't been installed on another
machine already...

 

[Zboing Mouflon]

....because if it has you won't be able to legally activate it. XP has to
be
activated within 30 days.

An OEM version is licensed ONLY for the machine it is sold with.

If you try to put it on another machine even if you have removed it from
the
machine you bought it with, Microsoft still won't activate it.

I have had exactly this experience this week. I bought a new laptop with
an
OEM version of XP Home. My work IT guys put XP Pro on it for me as part
of
the work networking. I decided to load XP on my old laptop as much as
anything as an exercise to see how to do it.

What I did was load XP on a separate partition, leaving the ME
installation
fully functional.

If you want to activate it legally you have to buy another licence
(effectively another OEM copy).

I guess it's fair enough; Microsoft can't know whether I'm telling the
truth
or not and that's the rules under which the OEM licence is issued.

Andrew Bowie
(e-mail address removed)
www.users.on.net/abowie

 

[Michael Stevens]

In

I have a full copy of XP home(OEM version) and I want to upgrade my
windows ME machine, however when I insert the XP installation CD it
says that it doesn't support upgrading from Windows ME to windows XP
home edition. Is it possible to just format the drive and wipe out the
whole ME OS then just load the full XP OS?

You boot from the CD and do a clean install.
Click on or copy and paste the link below into your web browser address bar.
How to clean install XP.
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.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

 

[T. Waters]

Just to clarify:
Microsoft forbids using an OEM copy of XP on a computer other than the first
one it was installed on.
If it has been 120 days since the last activation of XP, the record has been
wiped clean, and the software *can* be installed and activated on a new
machine.

I have a full copy of XP home(OEM version) and I want to upgrade my
windows ME machine, however when I insert the XP installation CD it
says that it doesn't support upgrading from Windows ME to windows XP
home edition. Is it possible to just format the drive and wipe out the
whole ME OS then just load the full XP OS?

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[Ken Blake]

In

I have a full copy of XP home(OEM version) and I want to
upgrade my
windows ME machine, however when I insert the XP installation
CD it
says that it doesn’t support upgrading from Windows ME to
windows XP
home edition.

It's not that it doesn't support upgrading from Windows Me, it's
that it doesn't support upgrading at *all*. Unlike retail
versions, OEM versions can not do upgrades.

Is it possible to just format the drive and wipe out the
whole ME OS then just load the full XP OS?

Sure. That's the way it's designed to be used. You don't have to
format first, though; you do it as part of the installation.
Just boot from the Windows XP CD (change the BIOS boot order if
necessary to accomplish this) and follow the prompts for a clean
installation (delete the existing partition by pressing "D" when
prompted, then create a new one).

You can find detailed instructions here:
http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

or here http://windowsxp.mvps.org/XPClean.htm

or here http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/clean_install.htm

 

[Ron Martell]

Just to clarify:
Microsoft forbids using an OEM copy of XP on a computer other than the first
one it was installed on.
If it has been 120 days since the last activation of XP, the record has been
wiped clean, and the software *can* be installed and activated on a new
machine.

Unless it is a "BIOS locked" OEM version - as of 1 March 2005 these
will not activate online and telephone activations will not be done if
it cannot be substantiated that the hardware is in fact from the
original OEM that provided that particular OEM version.


Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

In memory of a dear friend Alex Nichol MVP
http://aumha.org/alex.htm