1. Is it safe to upgrade my Compaq Presario 5000 (dont know what model, yet, ill look) from Windows ME to Win XP home? The computer diden't come with a Windows ME instalation CD, only a Compaq Recovery CD. So what can i do? What are the steps I need to take? Or should I just stick with Win ME?

Specs:

OS: ME
Ram: 191 mb
HArd drive: 10.4 gb

DO I need to upgrade my cd-rom drive?


This post has been edited by Windows 95: Jul 31 2008, 12:23 PM

this depends on what processor you have in the laptop. If it is only a 1 gig processor i would not install XP on the system. XP really needs a 2 gig processor and at the very least 512 Mb of memory. Without these the computer will be so slow it's almost unbearable. I tried installing XP on a Dell 1 gig cpu laptop and ended up wiping the drive and going back to Win ME. The laptop did have 512 MB of memory but the hardware just was not up to par for XP. I don't think you will be happy with XP on the computer.

SRX660

Ok, well, I have another question. On my other computer, a Dell Deminsion 8400, with Win XP MCE 2002 installed. Is there a way to put XP home on the pc instead of MCE?

This post has been edited by Windows 95: Jul 31 2008, 06:16 PM

You will have to buy a XP Home CD and registration code to install for the computer. I have already gone thru this with a compaq SR2011 computer and microsoft will not let me downgrade( their words) the MCE edition to home for free. I really don't see any differences between them except the media center part which is separate from the regular XP operating system. If you ignore the media center the system acts just like a regular XP home edition. Its a lot cheaper just to live with the MCE edition. Actually its kinda nice to watch a movie i wanted to watch on our 36" bedroom TV powered by my compaq MCE computer while the wife had to watch QVC on the living room TV.

But yes, you can wipe the OS system partition and use a XP home CD to install with. You will lose the Dell recovery ability and that's why you will need a xp CD. Just in case you ever need to recover the OS.

SRX660

When I got the computer, it came with an XP MCE 2005, and an XP Home cd. But no recovery cd, or is the reinstallation disk the recovery? It has MCE 2002 installed, but there is no MCE 2002 disk. Kinda odd. IS there a link to help me with wiping the OS partion?

This post has been edited by Windows 95: Aug 1 2008, 11:37 AM

On most Dell computers there is a recovery partition that the recovery CD uses to reinstall the OS. Maany times i have had to use the secret dell keys to restore the computer back to where it was from the factory. The secret keys are the ctrl and the F11 keys. The recovery CD does nothing more than call up this recovery partition. Dell has no other way of recovery.

http://www.goodells.net/dellrestore/

Do you have a set of serial registration numbers with the home edition of XP? If so just use it for the reinstrall.

Assuming you know how to get to the bios (F8 key usually) and change the boot order.

Make the cd rom drive the first boot device, pop the XP cd in the drive and reboot, watch the screen for "Hit any key to boot from CD" (this is only onscreen for a short time, it you're not watching it is easily missed).

Then follow the prompts to delete the old partition and create a new one.

Once you have the new partition created carry on with the windows install.

Once the install is complete don't forget to go back to the bios and set the hdd as first boot device.

EDIT: Please make sure you have all your drivers before reinstalling.

Heres a clean install tutorial.

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

Heres a tutorial on using a bootdisk CD to fdisk your computers HD.Y ou will need this if your computer will not let the XP CD delete the partitions because of the NON-DOS partition.

http://www.bootdisk.com/txtfiles/xpbootcd.txt

And the website to download the iso files to make this bootable CD.It will cost you $4 thru paypal to get these files.

http://www.bootdisk.com/popfiles.htm

SRX660

Ok, so I don't have to reformat the hard drive? Or do I have too?

If the Dell computer lets you delete the old MCE edition OS , or install over it, then you do not need to fdisk the drive. I do not take the chance that some files will be left behind and Fdisk the drive anyway. There have been instances where i have loaded XP over a previous install and ended up with strange errors and a kinda dual OS that still has old software on the system that i can't access with the new install. It depends on the computer your installing on. Fdisk will destroy the partition, which you really don't need to do. You just want to install XP home over what you have. The XP home CD may let you do this. It may pop up a window to complain but still go ahead and install.

SRX660