windows

[Guest]

help please i have loaded windows xp proffessional and now i want to go back
to windows xp basic but i dont have the disk as it was pre loaded onto my
laptop can anyone help with this problem

 

[DL]

There is no return, unless you have a valid winxp home installation cd

 

[Ron Badour]

Why? The differences between Home and Pro are not significant for most
users. What kind of laptop? Have you tried getting a Home edition CD from
the laptop maker?

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

help please i have loaded windows xp proffessional and now i want to go back
to windows xp basic

XP "Basic"? Do you mean XP Home?

Why do you want to do this? Are you aware that XP Home and
Professional are identical except that Professional includes a few
features (mostly related to security and networking) missing from
Home? There is *nothing* in Home that's not also in Professional.

but i dont have the disk as it was pre loaded onto my
laptop can anyone help with this problem

OEM vendors are required by their agreement with Microsoft to give you
a means of reinstalling, should it be necessary. They can do this in
one of three ways:

1. An OEM copy of Windows
2. A restore CD
3. A hidden partition on your drive, with restore information.

If you don't have 1 or 2, you should have 3, but you should contact
your vendor to find out.

Personally, I find both 2 and 3 unacceptable (especially 3; a hard
drive crash can leave you with nothing), and would never choose to buy
a computer that came with an operating system unless I got a complete
generic installation CD for that operating system.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

help please i have loaded windows xp proffessional and now i want to go back
to windows xp basic but .....

There is no such thing as "windows xp basic." Did you mean WinXP Home?

Is so, I'm afraid that the only way to change from WinXP Pro to WinXP
Home is to format the drive and start over. There is no supported
downgrade path or technique.

After backing up any data you wish to transfer to the new OS
installation,, simply boot from the WinXP Home installation CD. You'll
be offered the opportunity to delete, create, and format partitions as
part of the installation process. (You may need to re-arrange the order
of boot devices in the PC's BIOS to boot from the CD.)

HOW TO Install Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;en-us;316941

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

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

Then the backed up data can be restored and applications re-installed.

.....i dont have the disk as it was pre loaded onto my
laptop can anyone help with this problem

The computer's manufacturer will have provided you some means of
returning the computer to it's original, ex-factory state. Read the
documentation that came with the computer, or check the manufacturer's
support web site, and follow the instructions/procedures provided.


--

Bruce Chambers

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