Member Avatar for chrisritson01

My mum has a copy of xp pro on her PC and has bought a copy of home edition to replace it. Is there any way of installing the home edition copy onto her PC without wiping the hard drive. The reason for the her doing this is we have found that copy of proffesional on her PC is not an original :cry: so being the law abiding citizen she has bought an original of home edition :eek: .

Any assistance with this is, as always, greatly appreciated.

  • 3 Contributors
  • 3 Replies
  • 122 Views
  • 4 Days Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by alc6379

Dani AI

Generated

A compact, practical plan for that builds on ’s backup-minded approach and ’s licensing point: focus on making a reliable copy of everything you care about, gather installers/keys, and prepare to reinstall — then restore only user data and settings, not program folders.

Before you touch the XP Home CD, do these backups:

  • Files: copy the entire user profile(s) (C:\Documents and Settings\<username>) to external media, including hidden folders like Application Data and Local Settings. Turn on Show hidden files to see them.
  • Email: export Outlook data to a PST using File > Import and Export (or locate the PST and copy it).
  • Browsers: export IE Favorites and export or copy Firefox/Chrome profile folders.
  • Drivers and installers: save driver installers (network, video, printer) and any program setup files plus serials/keys.
  • Inventory: take screenshots of Add/Remove Programs or make a text list of installed apps.
  • Image (optional): create a full disk image as a safety rollback if you want to avoid repeat work later.

During and after the fresh install:

  • Install XP Home, then device drivers (network first) so you can get updates and downloads.
  • Recreate local user accounts with the same names, then copy backed-up profile files into C:\Documents and Settings\<username> — do not overwrite ntuser.dat or system hive files.
  • Reinstall applications from their original installers (do not copy Program Files), then import email PSTs and browser bookmarks.
  • Run Windows Update and reapply any service packs and security patches, then activate Windows with the new product key.

Notes and cautions: verify whether the XP Home media is a full retail disc or an upgrade disc before starting. Keep the external backup intact until everything is confirmed working. This approach minimizes data loss and makes the reinstall process as smooth as possible.

Recommended Answers

All 3 Replies

Member Avatar for chris5126

You might be able to just put the cd when you first turn the computer on and upgrade (or downgrade) in this case without losing your files but to be on the safe side transfer them to disk or another computer. To keep all your settings go into c drive then copy all of the documents and settings these tell the computer the different desktops, backgrounds shortcuts etc and then when u have reinstalled if the info has been overwritten you can just copy them from your backup into the appropriate user files.

Member Avatar for chrisritson01

THanx but i have investigated a bit further and it is not possible to down grade so it looks like a backup and fresh install.

Thanks anyway

Member Avatar for alc6379

Yeah, even if you could, it's not a very good idea to do so. Additionally, MIcrosoft has never allowed a downgrade, like you can't use an "Upgrade" Windows 98 disc to install 98 onto a machine running Windows 2000.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.