Installing WinXP Home over WinXP Pro
 

As mentioned in my previous thread, I'm in the process of backing up a computer to prepare to remove a pirate copy of WinXP Pro and install a legal copy of WinXP home.

Is this even possible? To me, it's a step backwards in the software and will leave unregistered components on the machine (which is going to be a bigger headache than I can even fathom wanting to deal with). I've thought about dropping the install disk in the (working) CD drive and letting it auto run and doing an 'upgrade' when prompted, rather than doing a clean wipe and reinstall. However, I'm not quite sure how well that will work.

Has anyone had any experience or heard any thing at all about how this works, if it works, or if I'm just too insane to even bother trying?

(No comments on the insanity, I know I'm crazy, but hey, at least I'm medicated *G*)

Danke!

In general, speaking from Windows 3.x on up, I have had very poor results with upgrading Windows. I always recommend starting with a blank slate. In your situation, which is a somewhat unusual "upgrade" (which the Windows installer may even possibly refuse to do) I think that advice goes double.

If you can afford it a great option is to just get a new hard drive, install, and then have the old drive around as a slave. You can move your files over at your leisure and you get the extra space. 40GB drives are going for about $50 at Newegg.

Dagney,

Please, wipe and reinstall. Save yourself the trouble. Every version of Windows I have dealt with (from 3.x up myself as well), I have always reinstalled from a blank slate. Upgrading has issues. Seriously. Downgrading, as in this case, would have those same errors.

Mitch

Thirded, the motion passes. Backup your data and don't even try going from Pro to Home. Seriously. Way more headache than you want to deal with.

First, when the software developers were testing these upgrade functions, they might have said, "But no one would want to do that." IOW your risk of failure is high.

Second, copy the current disk to a new disk. Then upgrade the new disk. You always have a master copy to start over. Start over, you so often must. (Yoda, stop talking in my brain.)

Done so many upgrades even back with Windows 3.x and Windows NT 3.x and 4.x. Even used well regarded utilities such as Partition Magic. The lesson at one point most every time has been: its good I didn't do this to the master.

I think the first thing that'll happen when you put the cd in, is it will tell you that your trying to install an older version of windows. So beware. IMHO.

Fourth-ed. I have done just this (to you-know-who's computer) and it didn't go so well.

I strongly recommend you install from a blank slate. Transfer the data files of importance to another hard drive or a file server via FTP if you must, but don't try to put home over pro. Ever. Headaches like you wouldn't believe happen.