Uninstall XP Pro and replace with XP Home Edition

[NFL]

Hey all. I have a Dell that originally had XP Home Edition on it. I upgraded to XP Pro. I want to know how I can go back to XP Home Edition on this PC.

From the following website I read that if I uninstall XP Pro it will automatically go back to the previous edition.

http://www.windowsreinstall.com/wind...uninstalls.htm

Any suggestion or thoughts?

Thanks.

[Renaissance Man]

Originally Posted by NFL

Hey all. I have a Dell that originally had XP Home Edition on it. I upgraded to XP Pro. I want to know how I can go back to XP Home Edition on this PC.

From the following website I read that if I uninstall XP Pro it will automatically go back to the previous edition.

http://www.windowsreinstall.com/wind...uninstalls.htm

Any suggestion or thoughts?

Thanks.

Be sure to backup your data. Best of luck.

[NFL]

I have backed up my data. I'm still not even sure how to uninstall my windows XP Pro, becuase when I go to Add/Remove programs, I don't have that option available. Where can I go to do that?

[usherMocha]

That link may show up only if you've upgraded from a non-XP OS but that's just a guess.

You might try reinstalling XP Home Edition over XP Pro. Or restoring your system with the CDs that came with the computer.

Out of curiosity, why are you going back?

[NFL]

It's a matter of having XP Pro on a different computer.

What I've found out is that the above won't work for going from XP Pro to XP Home. You can't just install XP Home over XP Pro either.

I guess it's kind of a nasty situation. I'd have to completely remove the old XP Pro system, reformat my harddrive and reinstall the XP Home system. I'm not very familiar with any of that stuff, so I'm not sure whether I'll do it or not.

If anybody has advice, that'd be great. Thanks.

[NFL]

By the way, I have the CDs that came with the computer originally. How do I restore the system?

[Renaissance Man]

Originally Posted by NFL

I have backed up my data. I'm still not even sure how to uninstall my windows XP Pro, becuase when I go to Add/Remove programs, I don't have that option available. Where can I go to do that?

Important bit that you omitted.

Basically, put a fresh install of XP Home into a different directory by booting from the install CD. Simply choose a different directory than the default of "Windows".

You can then torpedo the XP Pro directory.

Since XP Home refuses to upgrade over XP Pro, this is pretty much it. You will have to go through the pain of reinstalling applications. However, reformatting the drive is generally unnecessary for these tasks, unless you really want to start with a clean slate.

[NFL]

Sorry for asking dumb questions, but how do I install XP Home on a different directory. When I put in the XP Home CD and start going through it I get to the point where I have to choose which partition to put it on. It only shows 2 options, one where the XP Pro is and one that is too small to use. How do I create a new one and is that what I need to do?

Thanks!

[Renaissance Man]

Originally Posted by NFL

Sorry for asking dumb questions, but how do I install XP Home on a different directory. When I put in the XP Home CD and start going through it I get to the point where I have to choose which partition to put it on. It only shows 2 options, one where the XP Pro is and one that is too small to use. How do I create a new one and is that what I need to do?

Thanks!

Place it on the partition that has XP Pro, and when prompted, specify a different directory.

The tiny partition, IIRC, is set aside for some file system information. Just let it be.