reinstalling windows xp

  • Thread starter Thread starter Guest
  • Start date Start date
G

Guest

I purchased windows xp about a year ago,and when i installed it it asked me
if i wanted a clean install or if i wanted to save my old files.Anyway i
chose that instead of a clean install,well now i wish i wouldnt have,my
computer dont have much memory and i cant get any more for it,so my question
is can i reinstall it changing that part of the install?or will i have to
purchase the program again?
 
To do a clean install, boot the Windows XP install CD-Rom. Setup inspects
your computer's hardware configuration and then begins to install the setup
and driver files. When the Windows XP Professional screen appears, press
ENTER to set up Windows XP Professional.

(Note: If your drive controller is not natively supported then you'll want
to boot the Windows XP CD-Rom. Then *F6* very early and very important (at
setup is inspecting your system) in the setup to prevent drive controller
detection, and select S to specify additional drivers. Then later you'll be
prompted to insert the manufacturer supplied Windows XP driver for your
drive controller in drive "A")

Read the license agreement, and then press the F8 key to accept the terms of
the license agreement and continue the installation.

When the Windows XP Professional Setup screen appears, all the existing
partitions and the unpartitioned spaces are listed for each physical hard
disk. Use the ARROW keys to select the partitions Press D to delete an
existing partition, If you press D to delete an existing partition, you must
then press L (or press ENTER, and then press L if it is the System
partition) to confirm that you want to delete the partition. Repeat this
step for each of the existing partitions When all the partitions are deleted
press F3 to exit setup, (to avoid unexpected drive letter assignments with
your new install) then restart the pc then when you get to this point in
setup again select the unpartitioned space, and then press C to create a new
partition and specify the size (if required). Windows will by default use
all available space.

Be sure to apply SP2 or at least these two below to your new install before
connecting to any network. Internet included. (sasser, msblast)
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...be-3b8e-4f30-8245-9e368d3cdb5a&displaylang=en

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS03-043.mspx
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS03-049.mspx




--

Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect
 
I purchased windows xp about a year ago,and when i installed it it asked me
if i wanted a clean install or if i wanted to save my old files.Anyway i
chose that instead of a clean install,well now i wish i wouldnt have,my
computer dont have much memory and i cant get any more for it,so my
question
is can i reinstall it changing that part of the install?or will i have to
purchase the program again?
Click to expand...

No, you don't have to purchase a new copy of the OS. XP can be installed as
many times as you want on the same computer. If it's an OEM copy it can't
be moved to another computer, where a retail version can be moved to another
computer.

Backup the data files you want to keep and do a clean install. Here is a
link with detailed information on how to do that.

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html
 
belcourt_44 said:
I purchased windows xp about a year ago,and when i installed it it
asked me
if i wanted a clean install or if i wanted to save my old files.Anyway
i
chose that instead of a clean install,well now i wish i wouldnt
have,my
computer dont have much memory and i cant get any more for it,so my
question
is can i reinstall it changing that part of the install?or will i have
to
purchase the program again?
Click to expand...


You chose to migrate (i.e., install Windows XP over an existing install
of some UNNAMED other version of Windows). That does not let you pick
how much memory you get to allocate to Windows. Windows will use all of
your memory. You will have to add more physical memory if you want
Windows to have more physical memory available.

If you mean that you want to start over with a clean install rather than
migrating as you did which ends up with a polluted upgrade, just insert
the bootable Windows XP CD-ROM and do the install again. During the
install, you can opt to wipe (format) the partition so the following
install is fresh. If it is a full version (OEM or retail) then you can
reinstall as many times as you want. As I recall, OEM versions only do
a full install plus they wipe the partition (i.e., they don't allow
migrate or upgrades since it is an *OEM* version which meant there was
nothing on the drive before).

If you mean that you used an *upgrade* of Windows XP and used the
instance of Windows that was on your hard drive but you don't actually
have its install media, the question becomes whether you have a legal
upgrade copy. Upgrading a polluted drive that the prior owner simply
left behind as dirty with some version of Windows does not necessarily
give you a license to that instance of Windows. The owner simply was
too lazy to wipe the hard drive or lied that they included a legal copy
of Windows. If was pre-installed with the purchase of the computer, the
OEM should have provided restore or installation media, or a means of
making CDs from a copy on a hidden partition on the hard drive. If you
didn't create those backup CDs or they didn't provide install/restore
media then contact the OEM from whom you purchased the computer to get
that CD.

It may be possible to upgrade from and to the same version. That is, if
Windows XP is installed then you could insert the bootable install CD
for Windows XP and have it find Windows XP on the hard drive and
"upgrade" from that. I believe it looks for a qualifying prior version
before it gets to the point of letting you wipe the drive. However, in
that case where your only prior instance of Windows from which you
upgrade is found only on the hard drive, any interruption in the
installation could result in a corrupted or partial install on the hard
drive that a subsequent retry of the install would refuse to accept as a
qualifying "prior" version from which you can use the upgrade CD.
Upgrades from a hard drive only copy of Windows can mean that you may
not have an upgrade path in the future (hard drive dies, aborted
"upgrade" install makes what is left on the hard drive unusable for
another upgrade).
 
Back
Top