Reloading Widows XP

[Guest dickbelle]

I bought a used laptop with XP Pro. Works great, but I finally figured out

why I can't do Windows updates past SP2 - my Windows is probably not genuine.

I went and got a brand new copy of XP and want to install. Do I have to

totally wipe out the HD and do a clean install and all the backing up and

reloading of software, or is it possible to load my new copy of XP right over

the old, and update that way?

[Guest Shenan Stanley]

Re: Reloading Widows XP

 

dickbelle wrote:

> I bought a used laptop with XP Pro. Works great, but I finally

> figured out why I can't do Windows updates past SP2 - my Windows is

> probably not genuine. I went and got a brand new copy of XP and

> want to install. Do I have to totally wipe out the HD and do a

> clean install and all the backing up and reloading of software, or

> is it possible to load my new copy of XP right over the old, and

> update that way?

 

Used machine with a now discovered non-legitimate copy of Windows XP and you

*don't want* to erase it?

 

Who knows what else the last owner left there...?!

 

--

Shenan Stanley

MS-MVP

--

How To Ask Questions The Smart Way

http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

[Guest JS]

Re: Reloading Widows XP

 

The info below should do the trick, no reinstall required.

 

Windows Product Key Update Tool Instructions:

http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/selfhelp/XPPkuinst.aspx?displaylang=en&sGuid=a3555d7f-0af6-4a55-be08-d019c5f022bf

 

JS

 

"dickbelle" <dickbelle@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

news:060B3551-1B6D-4D45-B653-654388EE45EE@microsoft.com...

>I bought a used laptop with XP Pro. Works great, but I finally figured out

> why I can't do Windows updates past SP2 - my Windows is probably not

> genuine.

> I went and got a brand new copy of XP and want to install. Do I have to

> totally wipe out the HD and do a clean install and all the backing up and

> reloading of software, or is it possible to load my new copy of XP right

> over

> the old, and update that way?

[Guest JS]

Re: Reloading Widows XP

 

Good point!

 

JS

 

"Shenan Stanley" <newshelper@gmail.com> wrote in message

news:OfzW8oAxIHA.704@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...

> dickbelle wrote:

>> I bought a used laptop with XP Pro. Works great, but I finally

>> figured out why I can't do Windows updates past SP2 - my Windows is

>> probably not genuine. I went and got a brand new copy of XP and

>> want to install. Do I have to totally wipe out the HD and do a

>> clean install and all the backing up and reloading of software, or

>> is it possible to load my new copy of XP right over the old, and

>> update that way?

>

> Used machine with a now discovered non-legitimate copy of Windows XP and

> you *don't want* to erase it?

>

> Who knows what else the last owner left there...?!

>

> --

> Shenan Stanley

> MS-MVP

> --

> How To Ask Questions The Smart Way

> http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

>

[Guest Ken Blake, MVP]

Re: Reloading Widows XP

 

On Sun, 1 Jun 2008 09:32:01 -0700, dickbelle

<dickbelle@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

> I bought a used laptop with XP Pro. Works great, but I finally figured out

> why I can't do Windows updates past SP2 - my Windows is probably not genuine.

> I went and got a brand new copy of XP and want to install. Do I have to

> totally wipe out the HD and do a clean install and all the backing up and

> reloading of software, or is it possible to load my new copy of XP right over

> the old, and update that way?

 

 

 

Do you *have to* "totally wipe out the HD and do a clean install and

all the backing up and reloading of software"? No.

 

But you certainly *should*, whether or not you have a genuine copy of

Windows.

 

If I acquired a used computer, the first thing I would do with it

would be to reinstall the operating system cleanly. You have no idea

how the computer has been maintained, what has been installed

incorrectly, what is missing, what viruses and spyware there may be,

etc. I wouldn't want to live with somebody else's mistakes and

problems, possibility of kiddy porn, etc., and I wouldn't recommend

that anyone else do either.

 

--

Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience

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