Re-install windows xp

[Ritter197]

My daughter wants to do a Repair or a Clean Re-install but when she puts in
the original Windows XP CD's the system tells her that the present system is
more up to date than the CD's and stops the installation.

How should she proceed other than a total re-format?

 

[Jim]

My daughter wants to do a Repair or a Clean Re-install but when she puts
in the original Windows XP CD's the system tells her that the present
system is more up to date than the CD's and stops the installation.

How should she proceed other than a total re-format?

She should slipstream SP2 and her original CD to make a CD which
incorporates SP2. Lots of places have instructions on how to create such a
disk.

Short of doing that, it is time for a clean install.

Jim

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

My daughter wants to do a Repair or a Clean Re-install but when she puts in
the original Windows XP CD's the system tells her that the present system is
more up to date than the CD's and stops the installation.

How should she proceed other than a total re-format?

Which do she want to do: a repair or a clean reinstallation? To do a
clean reinstallation (which implies a total re-format), 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).

If she wants to do a repair, she's getting the message because her CD
either has no service pack on it, but her installation is SP1 or SP2,
or the CD is SP1 and the installation is SP2. In either case, the
easiest way to proceed is to create a new CD with SP2 slipstreamed
onto it. See http://forum.aumha.org/viewtopic.php?t=7262 and
http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/slipstream.htm

 

[Anna]

My daughter wants to do a Repair or a Clean Re-install but when she puts
in the original Windows XP CD's the system tells her that the present
system is more up to date than the CD's and stops the installation.

How should she proceed other than a total re-format?

Ritter197:
As you have heard, the likely problem is that the XP OS currently residing
on your daughter's PC contains SP1 and/or SP2, but the XP installation CD
she's using does not contain the Service Pack(s). So again, as you have
heard, the "fix" would be to create an XP installation CD that preferably
contains SP2 a so-called "slipstreamed" CD.

Probably the easiest way to accomplish this is using the (freebie)
Autostreamer program to create a slipstreamed XP that contains the SP. The
Autostreamer program kind of automates the process of incorporating the SP
into the basic XP OS and it's a relatively simple & straightforward program
for its intended purpose. Here are a few links to get you (or your daughter)
started...

Download AutoStreamer from:
http://www.softpedia.com/get/Tweak/System-Tweak/Autostreamer.shtml

Step-by-step instructions for using AutoStreamer can be found at
http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/slipstream.htm
and,
http://www.simplyguides.net/guides/using_autostreamer/using_autostreamer.shtml

And, in case you need the SP2 file...
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...BE-3B8E-4F30-8245-9E368D3CDB5A&displaylang=en

After successfully creating the slipstreamed CD, you or your daughter can
run a Repair install of the OS. I'm assuming you and/or she knows how to do
this, but in case you need some instruction in doing so, here are some links
that contain step-by-step instructions...
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm#RI
http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/repair_xp.htm
http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=138

I trust you're aware that assuming the Repair install is successful in
correcting whatever the problem is with your daughter's PC, she should use
her A-V program to immediately check out her PC for any virus infestation or
other malware . Also, she will need to download/install *all* the MS
critical updates since SP2. That, of course, is one of the downsides re
undertaking a Repair install. It's usually an onerous task to download all
the Critical Updates from MS especially if you have a dialup phone
connection rather than broadband.
Anna