Removing illegal XP Pro and installing Legit XP Pro Version?

Hello,

I just purchased a new PC this past week since my old desktop processor fried. It's loaded will some nice hardware for my needs; but I didn't realize it was shipped without an OS. A good friend of mine told me not to worry, installed Windows XP Professional on my PC- and I've been using it for a few days; transfering my old hard drive data, reinstalling my porgrams, etc.

It didn't take me long to realize this Windows XP Pro he installed was illegally hacked when I found the hacking software on my hard drive and discovered I could not perform any Windows Updates, and that my brand new PC already had viruses, located in Windows folders.

I just purchased Windows XP Professional online, it should be here at my house within 2 or 3 days. How do I completely remove this illegal version of XP Pro and install the new version without losing any of my personal data from my old hard drive (which now I don't have) and keep all my programs that I just installed?

Thank you!
Taylor

 

An In-place Upgrade will replace the XP files and ask for a new COA key to be entered.Your installed programs and data will be safe.

A good tutorial with screen shots of the process: http://www.informationweek.com/LP/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=189400897&pgno=1&queryText= As you can see from the tutorial, the new license key is entered on the twelth screen of the process.

 

Thank you for your quick reply. I can't believe it's that simple. I'll print out the pages before I proceed with the reinstall so I can refer to them during the process.

Thanks again,
Taylor

 

Though its possible to install Win XP on top of the old installation, its always better to start from scratch - that way you would have minimum problems and the system would be more stable. As you say, you already have viruses on your hard disk. We can safely presume that you would be having a sprinkling of spywares, trojans etc. too. Removing all of them would be a pain in a?s and even then there is no guarantee that the new installation is safe.

 

And your studies and sources that corroborate this claim? I see it all the time but nobody has a single study that confirms this notion. It most certainly is not the prevailing view at Microsoft for a situation such as posed by this user.

If you had suggested a parallel installation of XP I might have bought your advice.

But I would like you to demonstrate how in this posters case the use of two AV scans and 3 malware scans on top of brand new system files is going to create instability in an existing albeit flawed stable installation of XP.

I honestly believe you are confusing the case of an OS upgrade to that of a repair reinstallation of XP given the evidence by the original poster above.

"Conventional Wisdom" is rarely of any use in making the choices that are possible for this user.

I believe the steps I drafted earlier are more than sufficient to create a stable, virus and malware free XP installation, with user data files and installed programs intact.

In a corporate setting, I would already have an image and without question reimage. If the user had reasonable backup my thinking would be different. But I think given the set of facts from the poster, a repair reinstallation and virus/malware scrub are likely all that is needed.

And since you are so adament that this is not true, I would love to see your confirming evidence.

 

Well Bill I did not & do not intend to start a flame war over Win XP installation. Every person is entitled to his/her own opinion. In my 5+ years of working with XP, its my considerate opinion. That's all.

 

No flame war.
Just asking you to support your opinion.

Since you were adament to correct mine, I would like to see some support as to why.

It is not sufficient to correct someone and hide behind the rubric that it is a flame.
I most assuredly did not flame you.

I asked you to support your correction with some evidence that your view should prevail.
That is not a flame. It is a discussion. That I think is the purpose of these Forums.

I honestly would like to see some evidence that a clean install in this circumstance creates a more stable,
and more reliable end result for the user. I sincerely doubt the consequences of losing user data and user installed
programs is worth the supposed benefits of a clean installation.

Lose all user data? Lose all user installed programs? Lose all user settings?

It is a risk-benifit analysis that favors the approach I suggested above. If you have evidence to the contrary
I sincerely, no flame, would like to see it.

Best regards.
Bill Castner

 

Will I need a full install copy of xp pro to make the os legal or can I get by with xp pro upgrade using the process at this url? Thanks http://www.informationweek.com/LP/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=189400897&pgno=1&queryText=

 

I am not sure the XP Upgrade (retail) version is going to help you unless you have some other kind of qualifying media -- such as a Win9x CD. Even then it may object based on the PID of the original installation. I just am not sure. For example, if the underlying installation is XP Home, it will object and cannot be used. My guess is that a VLK PID on the underlying installation will raise similar objections. A full XP retail CD should not pose any issue.

TonyT discusses above the amnesty program by Microsoft. You can access the program through the Piracy site at Microsoft. Depending on how convincing you are to the telephone representative, they will offer you a deal, up to and including a free copy of XP: http://www.microsoft.com/resources/howtotell/ww/xpsp2/default.mspx