Can I reinstall Windows XP after installing this non-genuine copy of Windows 7?

by

You can't remove a Windows operating system, but it is possible (and good practice) to reformat a hard drive and reinstall from scratch.
Question:

I have a rebuilt PC. I had Windows XP on it. An idiot put non-genuine Windows
7 on it. How do I undo this mess? I do have an installation disc for Windows XP,
but no CD for Windows 7. Is it possible to uninstall or delete Windows 7 and
reinstall Windows XP on my PC? Thanks for any help.

In this excerpt from
Answercast #34, I look at the steps necessary to revert a computer that has
been upgraded to Windows 7 back to XP.

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Uninstalling windows

So absolutely. Sure, you can do that. Especially since you have the installation media for Windows XP.

  • All you need to do is to install Windows XP from scratch using that media.

It may be helpful to erase the hard disk first; and it may be safer to backup your hard disk first to make sure you don’t lose anything that happens to be important to you on that Windows 7 system.

  • After backing up, erase it with a tool like DBan;

  • Then boot from the Windows XP installation disc;

  • And you should be able to install Windows XP from scratch.

  • At that point, you would simply go ahead and

    • Reinstall the applications you care about;

    • Reload your data perhaps from your backup or elsewhere;

and you should be good to go.

Next from Answercast 34 – What do I need to get a wireless internet connection to my laptop?

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1 thought on “Can I reinstall Windows XP after installing this non-genuine copy of Windows 7?”

  1. A quick PS to Leo’s advice: When you do your backup, don’t use a Windows-7-only backup program or you could end up “shooting yourself in the foot” when it comes time to restore. Be sure the backup program you use will run on your version of XP. The Macrium products Leo often mentions (www.macrium.com) are a good choice.

    Reply

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