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Installing Windows XP professional on top Windows XP Home

post #1 of 11
1/19/06 at 3:46pm
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I've just bought Inspiron 2200, with Win XP Home edition, which is unfortunatly localized, and I want english version. I want install Windows XP Pro instead, but not sure about drivers. My Win XP Pro cd is quite old, and I'm not sure if it has all drivers for DVD/CD video card etc. Video card driver I can probaly get form intel site, but what about DVD/CD-RW ?
I don't even know manufacturer and don't see it in specifications...ANother question - Will I have to slipstream SP2 to my WinXP disk ? or I'll be able to install old WinXP Pro at once and SP2 later ?
PS I was told that I can isntall englsih SP2 on top of localized version and it will be enough, is it correct ?
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post #2 of 11
1/19/06 at 4:58pm
install the pro, and youll probably have to reinstall sp2, and all your programs.
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post #3 of 11
1/19/06 at 6:37pm
I would do a complete reformat. I tried to install Pro from a XP Home upgrade and it hosed everything up. The system worked but I was getting a lot of BSOD and system crashes. Once I reformatted and installed XP Pro as a base didn't have another problem.
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post #4 of 11
1/19/06 at 7:20pm
Do a fresh install with XP Pro. Before you do that download all drivers for your system from the site (and latest reference if you use them) burn onto CD-R.

XP Pro has alot of stock drivers so more or less everything should work, but have that driver disc handy - you'll want to install at least videocard drivers/software. Find out if you need to install chipset drivers as well. Then install soundcard drivers + software.

I've always had problems upgrading from OS to OS also, always do a fresh wipe & install. Btw create a XP Pro SP2 slipstreamed disc. Wipe the boot drive within XP Pro setup then carry on as normal.
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post #5 of 11
1/19/06 at 7:47pm
yea i would recommend a fresh install to.

i was just going with the OP when i posted, it didnt sound like he wanted a fresh install.

they are quite easy though.
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post #6 of 11
1/19/06 at 10:51pm
Definately do a fresh install. Then download, at least, the wireless/modem driver(s) and video driver. After that you should be able to connect to the internet, go to Dell's site, and DL the rest. XP pro comes with basic drivers and will be enough to get you up and running.
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post #7 of 11
1/21/06 at 9:22pm
I had a problem using an old XP Pro CD on a new b130 laptop because original XP Pro did not have drivers for PCI Express chipset motherboards. When trying to boot from the XP CD it would blue screen and give a message that it couldn't proceed because it didn't want to damage my hardware.

To fix this I burned a new CD of XP Pro with service pack 2 slipstreamed in. It worked great.

Here you can find an excellent walkthrough on how to slipstream SP2 onto a new disk with XP Pro.
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post #8 of 11
1/22/06 at 4:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by serg3d
I've just bought Inspiron 2200, with Win XP Home edition, which is unfortunatly localized, and I want english version. I want install Windows XP Pro instead, but not sure about drivers. My Win XP Pro cd is quite old, and I'm not sure if it has all drivers for DVD/CD video card etc. Video card driver I can probaly get form intel site, but what about DVD/CD-RW ?
I don't even know manufacturer and don't see it in specifications...ANother question - Will I have to slipstream SP2 to my WinXP disk ? or I'll be able to install old WinXP Pro at once and SP2 later ?
PS I was told that I can isntall englsih SP2 on top of localized version and it will be enough, is it correct ?

It is always best to do a clean install of an operating system for best results, do a reformat of the hard drive and a clean install of windows XP.
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post #9 of 11
1/22/06 at 12:40pm
when changing OS, do a fresh install.

second, don't worry about the drivers. you'll want to do windows update anyways to get the latest patches and security updates.

go to dell's support site and download the newest device drivers.
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post #10 of 11
1/23/06 at 2:30am
You can buy a Windows XP Professional with SP2 restore disc on e-bay shipped for $15. http://cgi.ebay.com/Dell-XP-Pro-with...QQcmdZViewItem
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post #11 of 11
1/24/06 at 7:19am
Do a fresh install. Its the only way to make sure it works properly.
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