Question for the Experts: How to install XP over the top of Server 2003

[milanbenes]

Evening All,

hope you all enjoyed your takeaways.

Got a problem at home.

Got an old laptop which has been used as a self training machine and has Windows Server 2003 installed.

Now I want to install Windows XP Pro on there.

When I try to it tells me to get stuffed and that you cannot install XP Pro over the top of Server 2003.

Experts, what can I do to get rid of the Server 2003 and install the XP Pro on there ?

Thanks,

Milan.

[EternalOptimist]

Evening All,

hope you all enjoyed your takeaways.

Got a problem at home.

Got an old laptop which has been used as a self training machine and has Windows Server 2003 installed.

Now I want to install Windows XP Pro on there.

When I try to it tells me to get stuffed and that you cannot install XP Pro over the top of Server 2003.

Experts, what can I do to get rid of the Server 2003 and install the XP Pro on there ?

Thanks,

Milan.

mmm,

I'll take a P Bob

[eek]

format c:

or use a large hammer followed by a magnet.

[Zippy]

format c:

or use a large hammer followed by a magnet.

WHS.

I'd try format c: and an install before the other things though.

[Paddy]

WHS.

I'd try format c: and an install before the other things though.

Not sure that will work. (you need to dismount the disk)

Download "Ultimate Boot Dos + Linux" and Fdisk the fokker.

[AtW]

format c: /y

[Troll]

WTF is anyone trying to reuse an old laptop.

Bin it & buy a new one man FFS your a contractor they are meant to be disposable

[DimPrawn]

WTF is anyone trying to reuse an old laptop.

Bin it & buy a new one man FFS your a contractor they are meant to be disposable

It's Milan we're talking about. 10 year old Passatt driver, can't even figure out how to install Windows.


Milan you dick, you boot from the XP install DVD, delete the existing partition when it says "existing OS found, what do you want to do you thick bastard?", you don't run the install from inside Windows.

[PAH]

you don't run the install from inside Windows.

Though if you want to I think there's a trick of renaming a certain windows exe file or folder, so the XP install doesn't think there's an existing OS to worry about.

Then you delete or reformat the existing partition during the install to get rid of the old stuff, allowing a clean install over the top.

I remember doing something like this many years ago when I couldn't boot from the XP CD (needed a boot floppy back then due to bios not supporting CD booting, and the floppy drive was kaput).

[Paddy]

Though if you want to I think there's a trick of renaming a certain windows exe file or folder, so the XP install doesn't think there's an existing OS to worry about.

Then you delete or reformat the existing partition during the install to get rid of the old stuff, allowing a clean install over the top.

I remember doing something like this many years ago when I couldn't boot from the XP CD (needed a boot floppy back then due to bios not supporting CD booting, and the floppy drive was kaput).

It is handy to buy an IDE-SATA to USB adaptor (about £8.00) You can take the drive out and then format it. It is also very handy in doing a virus scan because you can delete any file you want. Once the disk is offline you can often fix a 'dead' disk by running chkdsk /r