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Re-installing Windows

M

Mr Floyd

Junior Member
I have windows XP (bugged version) currently running and I would like to replace it with XP Home (authentic). Do I have do delete the windows folder before putting in the XP Home CD or not?
Thanks
 
I'm not familiar with the "bugged version". I assume you're referring to a pirated copy.

The best way to install it would be to back up your data files, email, any other information you'll want to restore, and have the latest drivers for your hardware already downloaded and on a CD for quick installation after you install Windows, and then completely erase the primary partition. You can't "upgrade" from any other version of XP or 2000 to XP Home, so hopefully you didn't get the upgrade version, unless you have an older valid disc for Win98 or WinME.

If you didn't want to make a backup, then yes you could just delete the Windows folder, but you'll still have to reinstall all your software and drivers. Erasing the partition entirely ensures that you've gotten rid of any unused files and folders outside the Windows folder as well as ensuring no leftover DLLs or drivers are located anywhere.

You could technically just install right on top of the existing Windows folder without deleting anything, but that leaves every old driver and DLL that was ever installed on the system, unless it's specifically replaced during the installation.
 
This may sound like a novel question, but what is a primary partition? Is that just the windows folder or that something in the add or remove programs?
Thanks
 
Kind of stunning that you even managed to install Windows without knowing about it.

A hard drive is configured with partitions. Your C drive is a partition on the hard drive. By default most systems just use the entire space of the hard drive for a single partition, but it can be configured to be any size when you create it. When you format a drive, you're just formatting the partition. There is a separate "partition table" which records what partitions are actually set up on the drive. There are three types of partitions: primary just means a standard partition; that used to matter back in the days of DOS which only allowed one primary partition. If you wanted more partitions, you had to create an "extended" partition to take up all the rest of the disk space, and inside that you could create multiple "logical" partitions. These days we just makes multiple primary partitions.

When you do the XP install, when it asks where you want to install Windows, you'll see a list of the partitions on your drive. Most likely you'll just see one partition, and it'll probably tell you that Windows is already installed in C:\Windows. If you've made a backup of your data files, you can tell it to delete the entire partition, which will wipe out Windows as well as all your other programs so that you can do a clean install. If you can't make a backup or otherwise have no way of re-installing your programs, then you don't want to do that.
 
Thanks very much for your insight it was very helpful. I backed up all the data I need so I'll go ahead and follow your advice.
Thanks
 
Just when I thought it was all fun and games...

When I put the Windows XP home CD in the drive it says that I can't install it because the XP pro is a newer version. How do I delete the XP pro?

Thanks
 
You'll have to wipe out the partition, although removing the Windows folder ought to do it. You should at least be able to use the Setup process to delete the partition though. Removing the Windows folder only would require you to either boot to a command prompt with the recovery console, or put the drive into another computer. You're running into the issue of "upgrading" to XP Home not being allowed if you have anything better.
 
I have tried to delete the Windows Folder, but its won't allow it because "it is essential for Windows to work properly" and in the Setup I don't see an option to delete the partition.

As you can tell I am not the most skilled with computers, so the more detail the better 🙂

Thanks for your help
 
You can't delete the Windows partition while you're booted into Windows on that hard drive (since it's using those files at that moment). If you want to delete the Windows folder you would need to use the Recovery Console when booting to the XP CD (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314058/) although I'm not totally certain you can actually delete the folder from the console, or have the hard drive plugged into another computer, or boot with certain Linux CDs which allow you to modify files on an NTFS disk.

This page details the steps for a clean install (halfway down the page is where the steps actually start). Step 10 gives information about deleting the partition. Remember, if you do this you lose ALL your files and folders, all your videos, MP3s, documents, pictures, everything. So don't come back and blame me if you go ahead and do it and then remember you didn't have any copies of your priceless family photos. If you can't make backups somehow and don't want to lose these, you will need to attempt to delete the Windows folder using one of the above options and then NOT delete the partition during Setup.
 
Well it appears to be working. By the way I did back up my files so I have no intentions on blaming. Rather I would like to thank you yet again (I am crossing my fingers that it works...it's still loading). You have been most helpful.
Thanks
 
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