Reinstall w/ borrowed XP cd?

[Coltsdp]

I had my computer fixed at a shop (virus issues) and things are running okay
but the shop suggested that I reinstall XP since some .exe files and Windows
commands were not working properly. I cannot find my disc. My computer was
built by a tech friend of mine so Windows was not store bought/installed. I
have a borrowed XP disc and when I opened it, I received the message:
Windows Setup Setup cannot continue because the version of windows on your
computer is newer than the version on the CD. Warning: If you decide to
delete the newer version of Windows that is currently installed on your
computer, the files & settings cannot be recovered.

How can I reinstall XP without losing anything?

 

[Shenan Stanley]

I had my computer fixed at a shop (virus issues) and things are
running okay but the shop suggested that I reinstall XP since some
.exe files and Windows commands were not working properly. I
cannot find my disc. My computer was built by a tech friend of mine
so Windows was not store bought/installed. I have a borrowed XP
disc and when I opened it, I received the message: Windows Setup
Setup cannot continue because the version of windows on your
computer is newer than the version on the CD. Warning: If you
decide to delete the newer version of Windows that is currently
installed on your computer, the files & settings cannot be
recovered.

How can I reinstall XP without losing anything?

Google for "How to perform a Repair Install of Windows XP"

Is the type/version of Windows XP you have installed the same as the CD you
borrowed?
(OEM/Retail and Home/Professional?)

 

[Malke]

I had my computer fixed at a shop (virus issues) and things are running
okay but the shop suggested that I reinstall XP since some .exe files and
Windows
commands were not working properly. I cannot find my disc. My computer
was built by a tech friend of mine so Windows was not store
bought/installed. I have a borrowed XP disc and when I opened it, I
received the message:
Windows Setup Setup cannot continue because the version of windows on
your
computer is newer than the version on the CD. Warning: If you decide to
delete the newer version of Windows that is currently installed on your
computer, the files & settings cannot be recovered.

How can I reinstall XP without losing anything?

The shop is suggesting you do a Repair Install. You need:

1. The same version of XP that is installed on your computer; i.e., XP
Home/Pro/Media Center, retail or OEM. It needs to be the same Service Pack
level as what you have installed. Start>Run>type: winver [OK] and see what
Service Pack you have (probably SP3).

2. If your friend has the correct version of XP but without Service Pack 3,
you can slipstream the SP and create an updated install CD. You can then
make your friend an extra one!

How to slipstream SP2/SP3 into XP
http://www.nliteos.com/ - nLite
http://www.theeldergeek.com/slipstreamed_xpsp2_cd.htm
http://theeldergeek.com/slipstreamed_xpsp3_cd.htm

3. You should make sure you have your Product Key written down somewhere
safe. You can get the Product Key from a running system with a free key
finder program like Magical Jellybean or Nirsoft's Keyviewer.

http://www.magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder.shtml - Key Finder
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html - Nirsoft Key Finder

4. Back up your data before you do the Repair Install because Stuff Happens.
If the Repair Install doesn't work, a Clean Install will.

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm - Repair Install
How-To
http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html - Clean Install How-To
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Reinstalling_Windows - What
you will need on-hand

Malke

 

[philo]

I had my computer fixed at a shop (virus issues) and things are running
okay
but the shop suggested that I reinstall XP since some .exe files and
Windows
commands were not working properly. I cannot find my disc. My computer
was
built by a tech friend of mine so Windows was not store bought/installed.
I
have a borrowed XP disc and when I opened it, I received the message:
Windows Setup Setup cannot continue because the version of windows on
your
computer is newer than the version on the CD. Warning: If you decide to
delete the newer version of Windows that is currently installed on your
computer, the files & settings cannot be recovered.

How can I reinstall XP without losing anything?

What you will need to do is perform a repair installation...
do NOT format the drive.

You will need to create a slipstreamed CD with at least the service pack
level currently on your machine...
probably sp3

 

[Guest]

I hope you didn't pay the bill to that "computer shop"

That was my initial reaction...but...
Do you really want to pay shop rates for the time it takes to reinstall
windows...and drivers...and programs?
It's not the shop's fault that the system had a virus.

One question to ask is, "what's the cost-risk to reward ratio?"
Stated another way, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

If something is broke, fix that.

Do you really want to reinstall all the programs you've accumulated
over the years?
Do you have the disks and license keys for all that stuff.
What about drivers? There are key extractors. There are
driver backup utilities that can fix SOME of the issues
IF you sort it all out BEFORE you do the reinstall.

The fact that you took the machine to a shop for a virus problem
suggests that you may not have the skills and tools to recover
from issues that are sure to arise along the way.
At the very least take an image of your drive so you can get
back where you started if things go horribly wrong.
I've been rebuilding computers for almost two decades.
Things that should be trivial go horribly wrong for me all the
time. And the final text on the screen is usually the
second most used M$ phrase...
"sorry for any inconvenience."

If the reinstall method creates a new registry, programs are
gonna quit working. If the reinstall process preserves the
registry, programs will still work, including trojans, keyloggers,
spyware etc. There is no WIN. You get to chose how you lose.

What I'm saying is that finding a windows version that installs
is just the tip of your iceberg. If you discover something
missing in the middle of the process, you're hozed.