[noob with an rs]

1) my windows regostry is a little messed up.. my msinfo32 doesnt work and a couple of other WMI components arent registered properly.. i want to re-install windows while keeping every PERSNOAL file on my hard drive in tact.. (i.e. except for the windows and program files folders).. whats the cleanest and most thorough way to uninstall my current window xp and install a fresh one??

2) is it possible that installing windows vista in addition to windows XP on my computer, can slow down XPs performance? id like to give vista a chance

 

[ENTERPRISE]

Well To Wipe and Install XP or Vista you will need to Boot=up into the Windows XP setup. From here you can Wipe partitions off your HDD and Instal an OS on whatever HDD you see fit. Having Vista Installed on a seperate HDD or partition to XP wont affect XP at all. However performing an Upgrade install and going over XP will.

 

[noob with an rs]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ENTERPRISE1701 Well To Wipe and Install XP or Vista you will need to Boot=up into the Windows XP setup. From here you can Wipe partitions off your HDD and Instal an OS on whatever HDD you see fit. Having Vista Installed on a seperate HDD or partition to XP wont affect XP at all. However performing an Upgrade install and going over XP will.

i dont want to wipe any partitions that is the main concern of my question...... and if i created two partitoins from one hard drive and installed xp on one and vista on the other i should be okay? but if i upgrade from xp to vista itll give mt he option of choosing which one iwant to use but xp will be slower this way??

 

[The Fury]

If your running xp sp2 then you need a xp cd with sp2 slipstreamed.

Then start the installation like you are going to perform a fresh install. Agree to the license agreement and it will say there is a partition of windows already on here. Highlight it and press a button to repair this partition (it tells you which key at the bottom). The let that run through. it will repair all system files but keep your docs and stuff intact.

Fury

 

[noob with an rs]

i dont want to repair, im going from a pirated copy of windows to a legit retail one.. i dont want any trace of the pirated windows.. what do i do?! make another partition, transfer all the files i want to keep to it, format the partition with windows on it, and re-install to that partition? is there a better way that doesnt require me moving my wanted files?

 

[Delk]

Then back up your stuff on DVDs or something and format your hard drive. Then start fresh. Congratulations on going legit.

 

[noob with an rs]

oh man im going to be transferring about 100 gigs of files

 

[Delk]

Hmm. Would it be possible to create a partition at the end of your hard drive, put all your files there, format everything except that partition, install Windows, then transfer your files back in and delete the partition? That would work... Depends on how much free space you have.

 

[imaweirdo159]

I think when you make a new partition on the drive with your OS on it, you have to reformat the drive....not sure though...

 

[noob with an rs]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Delk Hmm. Would it be possible to create a partition at the end of your hard drive, put all your files there, format everything except that partition, install Windows, then transfer your files back in and delete the partition? That would work... Depends on how much free space you have.

yea thats what im planning ot do if i have no other choice. im prety sure itll work. if i split my current hard drive into two partitions im pretty sure when i boot from win xp CD itll see both partitions and give me the choice of choosing which partition i want to format.. can anyone confirm this?

 

[Lyoko]

Dude, I upgraded from a bogus copy of XP pro to Vista. Don't worry, nothing will happen.

*I had to take it off because my comp's clock reset and vista said it was done

*

 

[noob with an rs]

well i want to get rid of this bogus copy and install a legit copy of XP and then install vista to see which i like using better

 

[Delk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by imaweirdo159 I think when you make a new partition on the drive with your OS on it, you have to reformat the drive....not sure though...

No, you can mess with partitions without losing anything.

Quote:

Originally Posted by noob with an rs yea thats what im planning ot do if i have no other choice. im prety sure itll work. if i split my current hard drive into two partitions im pretty sure when i boot from win xp CD itll see both partitions and give me the choice of choosing which partition i want to format.. can anyone confirm this?

Just format the partition with Windows on it using a partition manager.

 

[BFG_Creed]

When you format the "long" way, there is no trace of the last OS on the hard drive.

 

[Lyoko]

Quote:

Originally Posted by noob with an rs well i want to get rid of this bogus copy and install a legit copy of XP and then install vista to see which i like using better

I've used vista business with my current rig. Yes, only 512MB of ram. My games ran fine. BUT when my computer was doing small tasks, vista ate up the memory I wasn't using, thus making it sluggish. It's memory addressing sucks (in RC1). In your case, I'd go with vista since you have 2gigs. The themes and everything are SEXY. Navigation needs to be learned a bit, but you'll get the hang of it in 4 days

If MS knows you got legit, they'd actually be happy lol so dont worry bro

 

[noob with an rs]

if i upgrade from xp to vista without planning to ever use XP again will it wipe my XP clean with no trace of it?

 

[Damage82]

just do the repair, then log in and change your windows key.... there is a how to somewhere on this site. I'm in the same boat. I have a pirated xp sp2, but will be getting a legit one with the free upgrade to vista for christmas. That is my plan.... there is virtually no difference between pirated and the genuine version.... minus the key.

 

[noob with an rs]

i dont think youve used a pirated one like mine.. its got hacked menus which show the logo of the hacker and its missing some of the system tools.....

 

[Lyoko]

Quote:

Originally Posted by noob with an rs if i upgrade from xp to vista without planning to ever use XP again will it wipe my XP clean with no trace of it?

Yes. It would have to delete the system restore files since you'd no longer be using that OS.

 

[newphase]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BFG_Creed When you format the "long" way, there is no trace of the last OS on the hard drive.

That is not true.

HDD discarded by GCHQ are low-level-formatted; overwritten with random data; then physically destroyed with grinding tools.

A single, long, xp format will not destroy data beyond retrieval. Forensic software can grab details from the drive