uninstalling windows xp professional

[Tired of Setbacks]

i have tried everything to uninstall windows xp from another computer and
nothing works. i tried dos and i was unsuccessful. a copycat was installed
on this computer and i can't uninstall it. i want to put a genuine copy on
it and it seems nearly impossible.

 

[Malke]

i have tried everything to uninstall windows xp from another computer and
nothing works. i tried dos and i was unsuccessful. a copycat was installed
on this computer and i can't uninstall it. i want to put a genuine copy on
it and it seems nearly impossible.

I don't really understand your post. You don't normally uninstall an
operating system. You just format the hard drive and, if you want to
replace the first operating system, install a different one.

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


Malke

 

[Tired of Setbacks]

i don't understand your answer. Yes, you can uninstall windows xp because i
did it on this computer and reinstalled it

 

[philo]

i don't understand your answer. Yes, you can uninstall windows xp because i
did it on this computer and reinstalled it

You need to boot from the cd and format the drive
then install fresh.There is not a way to uninstall XP

 

[Xandros]

Was this an upgrade to XP from a previous operating system? If so you might
be able to uninstall XP by looking in Control Panel->Add and Remove
programs.
see here http://www.petri.co.il/uninstall_windows_xp.htm
or http://support.microsoft.com/kb/312569/

If it isn't an upgrade or you upgraded Windows 2000 then you will likely
have to bite the bullet and do a clean install. DOS is not the way to go
because DOS can't see NTFS formatted partitions. Use your XP CD and access
the Recovery Console. From there you can run DELPART. That will get rid of
the partition that XP resides on. Reboot with the XP CD still in the drive
and you will be prompted to install XP at that point you can create a
partition, format (as NTFS) and setup will take over for you.

If you computer doesn't ant to boot the CD you will need to consult your
computer manual to see how to access the BIOS and set the Boot Order or Boot
Sequence. You need to have the CD device listed to boot before any hard
drives.

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

 

[Bruce Chambers]

i have tried everything to uninstall windows xp from another computer and
nothing works. i tried dos and i was unsuccessful. a copycat was installed
on this computer and i can't uninstall it. i want to put a genuine copy on
it and it seems nearly impossible.

The normal way to "uninstall" any operating system is to format
the hard drive and install a new OS of your choice.

Only if you performed an upgrade from Win98/Me, elected to backup
the old system files, and didn't convert the partition to NTFS, can
you then boot into Safe Mode and click Start > Control Panel

Add/Remove Programs. All of these conditions must be met for the

uninstall option to be available.

After backing up any data you wish to transfer to the new OS
installation,, simply boot from the WinXP 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.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:


They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand Russell

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

i have tried everything to uninstall windows xp from another computer and
nothing works. i tried dos and i was unsuccessful. a copycat was installed
on this computer and i can't uninstall it. i want to put a genuine copy on
it and it seems nearly impossible.

Your message is very confusing, but as a general rule, you can't
uninstall an operating system. You have to reformat the drive and
install another operating system cleanly.

There's an exception to that, however. If you did an upgrade from
Windows 98 or Me, and took the option to save the previous operating
system and also did not convert your drive to NTFS, then you can find
an entry in Add/Remove Programs. Clicking on that will uninstall
Windows XP and revert to the previous operating system.

If there's no entry in Add/Remove Programs, then one or more of those
conditions wasn't met, and your only choice is to reformat and install
whatever operating system you want cleanly.

To install a new copy of Windows, 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://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org/how_do_i_install_windows_xp.htm

or here http://windowsxp.mvps.org/XPClean.htm

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

 

[Tired of Setbacks]

This is what happened. There is a copycat windows xp pro on the computer.
This computer was built with the copycat in it. I want to take the copycat
out and install the genuine version.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

This is what happened. There is a copycat windows xp pro on the computer.
This computer was built with the copycat in it. I want to take the copycat
out and install the genuine version.

What, precisely, is a "copycat windows xp?" I've never heard of the
term before, regarding software. A "copycat" is an individual of mimics
or apes the actions of another person, but the word is utterly
meaningless when applied to an OS.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:


They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand Russell

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot

 

[Tired of Setbacks]

you are really funny. okay, what i mean by copycat is that the builder put
the windows xp program in the computer with one of his copies. My husband
wasn't able to update his windows version nor was he given a windows xp cd

 

[Tired of Setbacks]

okay, now i need to know why a partition needs to be formatted. im new at this

 

[Tired of Setbacks]

this is what i am showing at present: C: Partition1 [New (Raw) ] 190772 MB
(190771 MB free). I don't know whether to use the FAT file system or the
NTFS file system

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

Since the computer came with the copycat installed instead of genuine
Windows, there is no previous Windows to uninstall back to. What folks are
trying to tell you is that once you have a genuine copy of Windows you boot
with the XP cd, delete the system partition (C: drive if you like), recreate
a new partition in its place, do a quick format, and then proceed with a
fresh installation of XP.

There is a website called Windowreinstall devoted to this at
http://www.windowsreinstall.com/

The XP Pro link is at
http://www.windowsreinstall.com/winxppro/sp2installxpcdoldhdd/indexfullpage.htm

That is not your only choice, however. If you want to keep the programs and
files already on the computer you can use the genuine XP cd to do an
in-place UPGRADE. In that case you simply start the copycat XP and at the
desktop insert the genuine XP cd in the drive and select Install Now and
"upgrade". The installation proceeds much like an original installation
except that only the operating system files are replaced and you will have
entered the genuine Windows product key along the way. I suspect that all
you really need to do is just the in-place upgrade with a genuine XP cd.
Remember that every edition of Windows is upgradeable to itself.

When you get your own copy of XP Pro just make sure to buy a full edition
and not an upgrade edition. I know that sounds contradictory, but you do
not have a cd for a previous genuine version of Windows to use with the
upgrade edition installer. You will, however, use the upgrade functionality
(full editions give you a choice of how to install Windows) of the full
edition in order to avoid having to reinstall your programs.

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

A Repair Install using the genuine Windows cd would also keep your files and
programs intact.

 

[Xandros]

First you need a genuine copy of XP. Start the computer and have it go to
the Desktop. Put the XP CD in the drive and let it go to the setup screen.
Exit. Shutdown and reboot. You should see a message shortly after the
computer restarts that says "press any key to boot cd..." You have 5 seconds
to press a key so just press the space bar or the Enter key. If you've done
it right the CD will boot and you will see a blue screen that tells you some
files are being installed. It takes a few minutes and then you see a screen
that asks if you want to setup Windows or Repair using the Recovery Console.
Press the Enter key. You will see the License Agreement. Press F8 to accept
this agreement. If you have the same version of XP as the copycat you will
be advised that a previous version of Windows has been found. Press the R
key and let the CD install XP overtop of itself. This will make it genuine.
If you don't get the option to Attempt to repair Windows you will see a
screen that asks where you want to install. Follow the instructions to
Delete the partition. Next use the option to Create a partition and finally
format as NTFS (Quick). XP will then begin copying files to the hard drive.
This will take several minutes. When finished it will reboot. Leave the XP
CD in the drive but DO NOT touch any keys. Just let the computer keep
booting. You will see the install screen. Shortly you will have an
opportunity to insert the new Product Key. Install should take about 45
minutes.

See the instructions here
http://www.blackviper.com/Articles/OS/InstallXPPro/installxppro1.htm

One of the problems with seeking help here is that most of the techie types
are incapable of thinking that the word "uninstall" might mean remove. They
think that "uninstall" means one thing and then make you feel small because
you aren't using the "proper" techie terms.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

this is what i am showing at present: C: Partition1 [New (Raw) ] 190772 MB
(190771 MB free). I don't know whether to use the FAT file system or the
NTFS file system

Almost certainly you should use NTFS. The only good reason for using
the older FAT32 is if you are dual booting to an operating system that
isn't NTFS-aware.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

you are really funny. okay, what i mean by copycat is that the builder put
the windows xp program in the computer with one of his copies. My husband
wasn't able to update his windows version nor was he given a windows xp cd

Ah! So you mean that you have an illicit pirated copy of the OS
installed. Why didn't you so say so the first time?

You need to purchase a _legitimate_ retail *full* (not upgrade) license
of WinXP (the same version that you have) to perform a repair (a.k.a.
in-place upgrade) installation, using the new CDs and Product Keys.

How to Perform an In-Place Upgrade of Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/directory/article.asp?ID=KB;EN-US;Q315341



--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:


They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand Russell

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot