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  • Is there any way to uninstall XP without reformatting?
2007-12-19 15:34:44
ReTox
Member
+100|6977|State of RETOXification

Freezer7Pro wrote:

ReTox wrote:

You do NOT have to format an XP drive if it is a slave and especially if you have another install of windows already on the "new" computer.  Vista yes as Vista can't be easily deleted without a format.

With XP all you need to do is browse to the drive, click once on the windows folder (make sure it is not the "new" drive!) and hold shift and press delete.  Say yes and you're done... the old windows is gone.  Then all you need to do is edit the boot ini to point to the proper HD.  Google it to find how, it's not difficult.

Now if you want to just migrate the old windows to the new windows that is pretty easy as well.  Just put the "new" drive in the old PC as a slave and use a partition copier program to copy the old drive.  Install into the "new" PC and run the windows setup off the CD.  Select to install windows, it should find a previous version already installed, choose to repair.  Done.
flash.jsp in system32\flash (I think) can't be deleted at all, I've tried everything. And there are tons of those incredibly hidden files that just won't be deleted. I once tried with an empty drive with just XP on, to delete C:\WINDOWS and all other folders. 500MB was still taken up, with all OS' set to show all files.

And repair installs will fuck up Windows Update.
Boot up in safe mode and log in as Administrator not your own named account but Administrator.  Take ownership of all files and then delete.  Take ownership by right clicking and choosing properties then the security tab.  You'll see it in there.  If that doesn't work run AV and spyware checks. 

As for Windows update, yes a repair will require downloading the update files again but so what.  It only takes a few minutes to do it most of the time.  If you're really crafty you can slipstream the updates and use that version of windows to install and you won't need to download anything.

I've done so many windows installs I couldn't even think of counting them.  I've repaired broken installs hundreds of times and never had any real issues.  As long as it's XP and has nothing to do with Vista or a damaged drive it is pretty routine to do.
2007-12-19 16:18:10
Freezer7Pro
I don't come here a lot anymore.
+1,447|6675|Winland

ReTox wrote:

Freezer7Pro wrote:

ReTox wrote:

You do NOT have to format an XP drive if it is a slave and especially if you have another install of windows already on the "new" computer.  Vista yes as Vista can't be easily deleted without a format.

With XP all you need to do is browse to the drive, click once on the windows folder (make sure it is not the "new" drive!) and hold shift and press delete.  Say yes and you're done... the old windows is gone.  Then all you need to do is edit the boot ini to point to the proper HD.  Google it to find how, it's not difficult.

Now if you want to just migrate the old windows to the new windows that is pretty easy as well.  Just put the "new" drive in the old PC as a slave and use a partition copier program to copy the old drive.  Install into the "new" PC and run the windows setup off the CD.  Select to install windows, it should find a previous version already installed, choose to repair.  Done.
flash.jsp in system32\flash (I think) can't be deleted at all, I've tried everything. And there are tons of those incredibly hidden files that just won't be deleted. I once tried with an empty drive with just XP on, to delete C:\WINDOWS and all other folders. 500MB was still taken up, with all OS' set to show all files.

And repair installs will fuck up Windows Update.
Boot up in safe mode and log in as Administrator not your own named account but Administrator.  Take ownership of all files and then delete.  Take ownership by right clicking and choosing properties then the security tab.  You'll see it in there.  If that doesn't work run AV and spyware checks. 

As for Windows update, yes a repair will require downloading the update files again but so what.  It only takes a few minutes to do it most of the time.  If you're really crafty you can slipstream the updates and use that version of windows to install and you won't need to download anything.

I've done so many windows installs I couldn't even think of counting them.  I've repaired broken installs hundreds of times and never had any real issues.  As long as it's XP and has nothing to do with Vista or a damaged drive it is pretty routine to do.
Meh, maybe it'd work, but it still doesn't matter - I already did a reformat days ago, read on the last page.

BTW, I've done so many Windows installs, that I know my product key in my head.
The idea of any hi-fi system is to reproduce the source material as faithfully as possible, and to deliberately add distortion to everything you hear (due to amplifier deficiencies) because it sounds 'nice' is simply not high fidelity. If that is what you want to hear then there is no problem with that, but by adding so much additional material (by way of harmonics and intermodulation) you have a tailored sound system, not a hi-fi. - Rod Elliot, ESP

 

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