[zhapeye]

Guys i am not a p.c whizz kid so i need help and advice,

I want to reformat my p.c, but the cd i have for it is just a restore dvd/cd i have used this before but what i want to do is use the windows xp cd with sp2 already with it its new,

i understand that the restore cd i have is especially for the p.c and the os is windows xp home but the new cd i have is professional, but what i really want to know does the restore cd run the drivers especially for the comp which no other cd can, and would it be wise to use the professional which may not have the drivers(im not sure thats why i ask).

also if i were to use the professional disc would it wipe the HD clean of all the software that was on the HD before hand resulting the restore cd could never be used again?

i hope i have made sence in all of this and i hope you know what i am trying to get at,
so if you could help me out in this way i would be very greatful.

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if you use the xp pro cd (much better than home) to format and reinstall it will indeed clean everything off of the hard drive... you may be able to still use the recovery disk if for some reason you wanted to go back to xphome but it would probably give you an error saying that the os currently loaded is newer than the one attempting to install. you can use the xp disk (i think) to just do an in place upgrade of home to xp...which would leave all of your stuff where it is...i will get you the instructions for that.

[dsenette]

if you use the xp pro cd (much better than home) to format and reinstall it will indeed clean everything off of the hard drive... you may be able to still use the recovery disk if for some reason you wanted to go back to xphome but it would probably give you an error saying that the os currently loaded is newer than the one attempting to install. you can use the xp disk (i think) to just do an in place upgrade of home to xp...which would leave all of your stuff where it is...i will get you the instructions for that.

[dsenette]

i've asked for help with the upgrade seeing as i've never actually done it...i'll get back to you when i get instructions

[zhapeye]

i've asked for help with the upgrade seeing as i've never actually done it...i'll get back to you when i get instructions

thanks mate i will check later.

[warriorscot]

Ive got a little experience with that upgrade, so i can clear up some stuff for you. The new disc will have all the drivers to get the system going same as a normal home disc. If you install it fresh you will lose all the data in the reformat so back up what you want to keep onto disks or another HDD. But the drivers on the disk are basic ones prepare a disc of all the drivers you need before hand. So thats onboard sound, gfx card, mobo, all that stuff any peripherals. You can upgrade without the reformat i think but i have never tried it.

[darth_ash]

Yes u can upgrade.
I just checked on the M$ site.
That the Upgrade only version of WinXP Pro Setup CD needs Win98, WinME, Win2000 or Win XP Home.

[dsenette]

thanks ash, scot

[Doby]

Yes agreed all you really need to do is use the restore cd to restore the computer back to original factory settings then put in the XP upgrade cd and install XP over the top of the original operating system this will keep all the manufactuers drivers intact.

One thing to note though, somewere on the MS website there is a program that you can download and run to tell what is on your computers original OS that is not compatible with XP.

I forget just how to find it but do a search for something like XP compatability check or soething similar.

Rick

[papashango]

Guys i am not a p.c whizz kid so i need help and advice,

I want to reformat my p.c, but the cd i have for it is just a restore dvd/cd i have used this before but what i want to do is use the windows xp cd with sp2 already with it its new,

i understand that the restore cd i have is especially for the p.c and the os is windows xp home but the new cd i have is professional, but what i really want to know does the restore cd run the drivers especially for the comp which no other cd can, and would it be wise to use the professional which may not have the drivers(im not sure thats why i ask).

also if i were to use the professional disc would it wipe the HD clean of all the software that was on the HD before hand resulting the restore cd could never be used again?

i hope i have made sence in all of this and i hope you know what i am trying to get at,
so if you could help me out in this way i would be very greatful.

are you trying to upgrade without losing any data or any of the applications you've already installed?

[zhapeye]

are you trying to upgrade without losing any data or any of the applications you've already installed?

um it doesnt matter if i lose anything as i havent got anything valuble to lose.
so basically i just want to wipe hard drive of all old windows stuff and reinstall from win xp home to winxp pro with sp2 included.

[dsenette]

if you dont care what gets dropped then put the xp pro cd in the drive, boot from it. and format / reinstall