On Fri, 28 Dec 2007 12:16:00 -0800, Pc user
<Pcuser@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
> I' cant find my previous post so here I am trying again. My OS is operating
> wierdly and i would like to reinstall it however when i try it says my
> current version is newer than the cd and by proceding I will lose data.
That's because you have SP2 (or SP1) installed and the CD is without
it.
However, it doesn't matter, because the reason you are getting the
message is that you doing the reinstallation incorrectly. When you do
it correctly, it begins by formatting the drive, causing the loss of
*everything* there, so it doesn't matter that the CD is older (than
the *nothing* that will be there).
To reinstall Windows just boot from the Windows XP CD (change the BIOS
boot order if necessary to accomplish this) and follow the prompts for
a clean installation (delete the existing partition by pressing "D"
when prompted, then create a new one).
You can find detailed instructions here:
http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html
or here
http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org/how_do_i_install_windows_xp.htm
or here
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/XPClean.htm
or here
http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/clean_install.htm
> However i think it is refering to the sp2 so i can always download it again
> and no harm done right? also if im reinstalling the os does that mean i lose
> my other applications like games or music?
Yes. It means that you lose, not just applications, but *everything*
on your drive. Before you begin, back up all your data, which you can
restore afterward, but you will have to reinstall all the applications
and games from the original media.
There is also something called a "repair" installation, which doesn't
cause the loss of everything, but whether that can help you depends on
what your problems are. Exactly what does "operating wierdly" mean? My
view is that reinstallation is a time-consuming, error-prone, and
draconian process that is hardly ever appropriate to solve a problem.
Besides, if you do this, you will never find out caused the problem,
and probably quickly repeat the behavior that caused it, finding
yourself right back where you started.
--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP Windows - Shell/User
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