Installing XP Pro

  • Thread starter Thread starter David
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David

A close friend has an unlicensed copy of XP Pro on his PC. Because of
that he is unable to download & install Microsoft Security Essentials.

He wants to get a licensed, legal copy of XP Pro on his PC. I know
where to buy a sealed copy of XP Pro. I need to know how (if
possible) how to install the legal, licensed copy of XP without losing
all his data - that is without reformatting his hard drive. Is this
possible?

David
 
A close friend has an unlicensed copy of XP Pro on his PC. Because of
that he is unable to download & install Microsoft Security Essentials.

He wants to get a licensed, legal copy of XP Pro on his PC. I know
where to buy a sealed copy of XP Pro. I need to know how (if
possible) how to install the legal, licensed copy of XP without losing
all his data - that is without reformatting his hard drive. Is this
possible?
Click to expand...

Might be; but I'd be inclined to just back up the data (should be backed up
anyway), and do a clean install of the licensed copy of Windows.
 
David wrote:
Click to expand...
<omitted the unprovable claim that it's a "close friend's" host>
Click to expand...
Just update the product key to a legal one.
Click to expand...

Assumes that the unlicensed clone is sufficiently "clean" of malicious code
that a legitimate license will fix it. Question I have is: Should one trust
an illegal copy to be sufficiently clean that merely licensing it will
suffice?
 
A close friend has an unlicensed copy of XP Pro on his PC. Because of
that he is unable to download & install Microsoft Security Essentials.

He wants to get a licensed, legal copy of XP Pro on his PC. I know
where to buy a sealed copy of XP Pro. I need to know how (if
possible) how to install the legal, licensed copy of XP without losing
all his data - that is without reformatting his hard drive. Is this
possible?

David
Click to expand...

And be careful of the "sealed copy" of XP Pro. If it indicates anywhere
that it is a volume licensed version then it is NOT legal. If it is System
builder OEM then it should be at SP3 level (unless the seller had a supply
of SP2 versions. You may want to let us know the source of this XP and we
may be able to give an educated guess on if it is legal.
 
Look he need to go to Best Buy and get a Note Book for $350 the playmates by
$25 a month!
and start moving keep files to it!
you can sate up The old PC to share it CD/DVD-ROMs with Note Book if you
need too!
Afterwards it you can put a New XP software now that One PC, who if Win 7
come to be his likening
he buy it DVD software and put it on!

But that Old legal copy of XP, will see the Blue Screen of Death, Soon and
he will lose all his files.
time to move is now, for time is not on your side!
 
Since everyone has "jumped" on the licensing issue, and ignored your
original question of how to install a new XP installation without
destroying the original data, I will try to answer it.

The fact is there are "levels" of userdata stored within the original
installation.

Firstly, there's all the user's data-files - stored in :

C:\Documents and Settings\%USERNAME%

....and then, there's other data-files like Outlook (and / or Outlook
Express) folder-files. Plus, a myriad of other preferences, too many to
describe.

The contents of the "My Documents" folder and many of these other settings
can be exported using XP's "Files and Settings Transfer Wizard" (Accessed
from the Start Menu\Programs\Accessories\System Tools) and placed on a
connected USB memory-stick or other external drive. - That IF, however, you
HAVE got access to the current XP installation that you're trying to export
FROM!

If the current installation is well and truly dead, your options are pretty
limited to copying the user's data-files from his "My Documents" folder.
You can do this either using the XP Installation Disk and starting the
Recovery Console from it, or better still, constructing a Bart's Windows PE
Boot Disk (search google for more info) and boot into the PC from that in
order to access the same files.

If using the Recovery Console, this can only be done in XP Pro because you
will first need to set two of the four "set" variables in RC by typing the
following :

set AllowAllPaths = TRUE
set AllowRemovableMedia = TRUE

....before you can change directory to the user's "My Documents" folder, and
then also copy to removable media such as USB or floppy drives.

More Info;

How to Use the Recovery Console:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307654#howtouserc

Download Bart's PE BootCD Builder:
http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/#download

==

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)
 
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