Re: Installing XP Home on XP Pro system

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From: Ken Blake (kblake_at_this.is.an.invalid.domain)
Date: 01/17/05 

Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2005 13:14:15 -0700

In news:NdSGd.1557$0C6.543@newsfe3-win.ntli.net,
Falcon <the load of serene bastards@usenet.net> typed:

> I have a second-hand PC with XP Professional installed by the
> previous
> owner, but some windows components are either missing or
> corrupted. I
> don't have the XP Pro OS disk available, and I'm considering
> installing a new XP Home OS in its place.

Whenever you get a used computer, I think it's always a good idea
to reinstall the operating system cleanly. Even best case, you
have no idea how the computer has been maintained, what has been
installed incorrectly, what is missing, what viruses and spyware
there may be, etc. I wouldn't want to live with somebody else's
mistakes and problems, possibility of kiddie porn, etc., and I
wouldn't recommend that anyone else do either.

Also note that if you didn't get the XP CD with the computer, you
don't have a legitimate copy of Windows anyway.

> Are there any problems I
> might encounter if I simply slot in the disk and install, or
> are
> there any precautions I should take before doing so?

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 

-- 
Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
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