Upgrading From Bootleg Software
Fred, I resubscribed to the Plus! edition--- that's an indicator of how much I enjoy the newsletter.
I have a question. I have a 4 year old Dell Dimension that came with "ME" and an upgrade coupon for "XP" Home Edition. I was unsuccessful at getting the upgrade from Dell and gave up. I, instead upgraded to a bootleg copy of "XP" Pro which I have been using. I want to purchase a legal copy but just how do I go about undoing what I have? I don't at all mind reformatting my hard drive as I do it at least twice per year to keep my machine clean. I still have the "ME" discs that came with the system. Do I need to reformat with "ME" and then upgrade, and then every time I reformat go through the same thing or can I then create a slipstreamed XP with a legal copy? Thanks, Gus
Good for you for going legit, Gus!
If you don't mind the reformat, that's the best way as it will get all the bootleg stuff off your PC. You can reformat with any tool you wish, including an XP setup CD.
When that's done, boot from the new setup CD and follow the instructions. If yours is a true upgrade version, it will ask to see a 'qualifying upgrade product' or some similar verbiage; you can insert the first ME install CD at that point. The XP setup software will sniff the ME CD, verify it's legit, and then proceed with a normal XP installation.
If your ME setup is actually a disc image--- a Dell "repair" CD or some such, then the XP setup may not recognize it. In that case, you'll have to use the repair disc to get ME back on your system, and then run the upgrade.
Alternatively, I'd think you can use the process illustrated here ( http://www.informationweek.com/windows/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=189400897 ) for an in-place XP reinstall. I haven't tried this myself (I don't have any bootleg copies of XP to try it with), but I would think it'd work: When asked, enter the license key for the new, legit copy of XP. At the end of the process, you'll probably be asked to activate the new install. When that's done, I think you'll be fully legit. But again, I haven't tried this method myself, so caution is advised.
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