Downgrading XP Pro to Home

July 26, 2007

Is it possible to downgrade Win XP Pro to Home, that is without starting

from scratch?

The reason I ask is that a student family friend needed help with her

computer. The immediate problem was fairly easily fixed. However, I noticed

that the COA sticker was for XP Home but what is installed is XP Pro. She

has the original Home (OEM) installation disc and valid product key. It

appears that someone at her college, helping when things went badly wrong,

installed XP Pro with what I assume is an invalid product key. Now I know it

is possible to change the product key on an installation so as to legitimise

it. However, I assume that the original product key would only be valid for

a Home installation, not Pro.

July 26, 2007

Re: Downgrading XP Pro to Home

Not that I am aware of.

--

Regards

Ron Badour

MS MVP 1997 - 2007

"Stephen" <none> wrote in message

news:uBJ4aE3zHHA.1204@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...

> Is it possible to downgrade Win XP Pro to Home, that is without starting

> from scratch?

>

> The reason I ask is that a student family friend needed help with her

> computer. The immediate problem was fairly easily fixed. However, I

> noticed that the COA sticker was for XP Home but what is installed is XP

> Pro. She has the original Home (OEM) installation disc and valid product

> key. It appears that someone at her college, helping when things went

> badly wrong, installed XP Pro with what I assume is an invalid product

> key. Now I know it is possible to change the product key on an

> installation so as to legitimise it. However, I assume that the original

> product key would only be valid for a Home installation, not Pro.

>

July 26, 2007

Re: Downgrading XP Pro to Home

Stephen wrote:

> Is it possible to downgrade Win XP Pro to Home, that is without

> starting from scratch?

>

> The reason I ask is that a student family friend needed help with her

> computer. The immediate problem was fairly easily fixed. However, I

> noticed that the COA sticker was for XP Home but what is installed is

> XP Pro. She has the original Home (OEM) installation disc and valid

> product key. It appears that someone at her college, helping when

> things went badly wrong, installed XP Pro with what I assume is an

> invalid product key. Now I know it is possible to change the product

> key on an installation so as to legitimise it. However, I assume that

> the original product key would only be valid for a Home installation,

> not Pro.

I could swear I have done this in the past by booting from the CD, yada

yada.

I work on hundreds of PC's every year, and searching the internet says no

you can't.

It is not as easy as just putting in the CD though, I may have wiped out the

Windows Dir.

then installed.

Crap

sorry I guess I'm not helping.

Clark

July 26, 2007

Re: Downgrading XP Pro to Home

Visit the Windows Genuine Adantage site to see if the copy is valid:

http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/downloads/WhyValidate.aspx

If it is genuine, then you can obtain the Product Key using one of the many

available freeware tools.

If it's not genuine, I'd suggest trying a repair install with the XPHome

disk - but haven't tried this, so I can't be sure that it'd work.

- John

"Clark" wrote:

> Stephen wrote:

> > Is it possible to downgrade Win XP Pro to Home, that is without

> > starting from scratch?

> >

> > The reason I ask is that a student family friend needed help with her

> > computer. The immediate problem was fairly easily fixed. However, I

> > noticed that the COA sticker was for XP Home but what is installed is

> > XP Pro. She has the original Home (OEM) installation disc and valid

> > product key. It appears that someone at her college, helping when

> > things went badly wrong, installed XP Pro with what I assume is an

> > invalid product key. Now I know it is possible to change the product

> > key on an installation so as to legitimise it. However, I assume that

> > the original product key would only be valid for a Home installation,

> > not Pro.

>

> I could swear I have done this in the past by booting from the CD, yada

> yada.

>

> I work on hundreds of PC's every year, and searching the internet says no

> you can't.

> It is not as easy as just putting in the CD though, I may have wiped out the

> Windows Dir.

> then installed.

>

> Crap

> sorry I guess I'm not helping.

>

> Clark

>

July 26, 2007

Re: Downgrading XP Pro to Home

Ron,

I feared that would be the answer. So, the alternative to starting from

scratch (and facing not only the task of reinstalling programs but also

setting them up to work as required!) could be to buy a copy of XP Pro. The

question is, which version? I know, for example, that an OEM disk is

incompatible with XP that was installed from a retail CD. But what about the

other way round? I don't know what disk was used to install from - is there

any way of finding out? And what about upgrade (as against full) retail? Or

student/teacher versions?

Thanks,

Stephen

"Ron Badour" <Sorry@NoAddress.com> wrote in message

news:%23YRUYT3zHHA.1164@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...

> Not that I am aware of.

>

> --

> Regards

>

> Ron Badour

> MS MVP 1997 - 2007

>

> "Stephen" <none> wrote in message

> news:uBJ4aE3zHHA.1204@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...

>> Is it possible to downgrade Win XP Pro to Home, that is without starting

>> from scratch?

>>

>> The reason I ask is that a student family friend needed help with her

>> computer. The immediate problem was fairly easily fixed. However, I

>> noticed that the COA sticker was for XP Home but what is installed is XP

>> Pro. She has the original Home (OEM) installation disc and valid product

>> key. It appears that someone at her college, helping when things went

>> badly wrong, installed XP Pro with what I assume is an invalid product

>> key. Now I know it is possible to change the product key on an

>> installation so as to legitimise it. However, I assume that the original

>> product key would only be valid for a Home installation, not Pro.

>>

>

July 26, 2007

Re: Downgrading XP Pro to Home

Stephen wrote:

> Ron,

>

> I feared that would be the answer. So, the alternative to starting

> from scratch (and facing not only the task of reinstalling programs

> but also setting them up to work as required!) could be to buy a copy

> of XP Pro. The question is, which version? I know, for example, that

> an OEM disk is incompatible with XP that was installed from a retail

> CD. But what about the other way round? I don't know what disk was

> used to install from - is there any way of finding out? And what

> about upgrade (as against full) retail? Or student/teacher versions?

>

> Thanks,

> Stephen

>

You can do a repair install of XP pro with OEM or retail, but retail you

can legally install it on your PC then the next PC you buy etc,

as long as the software is removed from the other PC's first, in other words

you can legally take your product code with you as long as it is installed

on only one PC at a time.

Technically with OEM it is "married" to your to the original PC and should

not be moved to another PC.

(workaround is to say your motherboard fried and it was under warranty)

Clark

July 26, 2007

Re: Downgrading XP Pro to Home

Hi Stephen,

You will have whip the drive and perform a clean install of XP Home.

XP Clean Install:

http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

File & Settings Transfer Wizard may be of help.

http://aumha.org/win5/a/fast.php

Regards,

Bert Kinney MS-MVP Shell/User

http://bertk.mvps.org

Member: http://dts-l.org

Stephen wrote:

> Is it possible to downgrade Win XP Pro to Home, that is without starting

> from scratch?

>

> The reason I ask is that a student family friend needed help with her

> computer. The immediate problem was fairly easily fixed. However, I noticed

> that the COA sticker was for XP Home but what is installed is XP Pro. She

> has the original Home (OEM) installation disc and valid product key. It

> appears that someone at her college, helping when things went badly wrong,

> installed XP Pro with what I assume is an invalid product key. Now I know it

> is possible to change the product key on an installation so as to legitimise

> it. However, I assume that the original product key would only be valid for

> a Home installation, not Pro.

>

July 26, 2007

Re: Downgrading XP Pro to Home

On Thu, 26 Jul 2007 11:38:26 +0100, "Stephen" <none> wrote:

> Is it possible to downgrade Win XP Pro to Home, that is without starting

> from scratch?

No. Downgrades are never supported. The only way to go from

Professional to Home is by a clean installation.

--

Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP Windows - Shell/User

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July 27, 2007