Re: Win XP help !

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Uninstalling Windows XP
System Tips
August 2003 · Vol.9 Issue 8


Uninstalling Windows XP
Factors To Consider Before & During The Process

Windows XP has a lot to offer. Microsoft's most recent desktop OS
(operating system), which comes in both Professional and Home Edition,
provides enhanced multimedia functionality, advanced support and
recovery utilities, stringent security features, improved
accommodation for multiuser environments and networks, and a sleek new
interface that ties everything together. The consensus among critics
and users is that this is the best version of Windows to reach the
market in quite some time.

Of course, not everyone agrees. Many users, particularly those trying
to improve their productivity and experience the cutting edge, eagerly
installed WinXP only to find that it wasn't the best OS for them.
These unfortunate souls now have to deal with the hassle of removing
WinXP from their systems.



Why Quit The XPerience? Although it may seem unusual to abandon an OS,
you have plenty of valid reasons for doing so.

For one thing, there are technical issues to consider. WinXP is an OS
designed for today's machines, and today's machines come equipped with
more than 128MB of RAM and processors that work at speeds in excess of
1GHz. Users who try to run WinXP on lesser systems, especially those
that are more than two years old, may find that some features are not
available to them (and even if the features are available, they
probably perform quite poorly).

Another reason for dissatisfaction with WinXP is the issue of
compatibility. A number of applications and utilities that worked just
fine with Windows 98 or Windows Me prove incompatible with WinXP. If
you install the new OS and discover that it doesn't support $500 worth
of software you already own, why keep it? Similarly, why would you
keep WinXP if it conflicts with your ability to share programs over a
network? Uninstalling the OS is often the best solution in these
cases. (For more information about compatibility issues, see
"Computing Without Conflicts" in this issue.)

The reason for downgrading doesn't have to be so complicated, either.
Many users simply give WinXP a try and decide they don't like it.
These users would rather sacrifice the features and functionality of a
new OS than give up the time it would take to become comfortable with
them. Whatever the reason, you have no obligation to use WinXP if it
doesn't meet your needs.



Because we installed the full installation version of Windows XP, the
Add Or Remove Programs dialog box does not offer a WinXP uninstall
option. We will have to reformat the partition to remove WinXP from
this PC.


Who Can & Who Can't. The good news is that you can remove WinXP from
your PC. The bad news is that it may involve more effort than you want
to expend. Various controlling factors, including the circumstances in
which you installed the OS and what you have done to your PC since
then, play a significant role in determining how easy or difficult it
will be to remove WinXP. Indeed, there's a world of difference between
uninstalling an upgrade version of WinXP from a relatively tidy hard
drive and removing the full installation version of WinXP from a dual-
boot or multiboot configuration (a configuration in which a user
installs two or more OSes on a single computer).

We have identified five issues you should consider when contemplating
the removal of WinXP from your computer. After weighing these matters,
you will have a better idea of how much work you have ahead of you.

Upgrade or full installation? The upgrade version of WinXP Home
includes an uninstall utility that automates the process of reverting
to your previous OS. The full installation version of WinXP Home does
not. For this reason, it is much easier to remove the former than it
is to remove the latter.

Note that WinXP Pro does not support uninstalling it to revert back to
Windows 2000 or Windows NT. Removing WinXP Pro from a system that was
upgraded from one of these two OSes can be quite an ordeal.

Uninstallation files: present or deleted? When you upgrade to WinXP
Home, the OS creates a pair of uninstallation files: Boot.cab and
Backup.cab (both of which reside in a hidden Undo folder on the hard
drive). These files serve as the key that lets you uninstall WinXP and
revert to the previous OS. If you deleted these files, you cannot use
the uninstall utility that comes with WinXP.

One OS or two? You don't need the uninstall utility to conduct a
relatively effortless removal of WinXP. All you have to do is reformat
(the process of removing all data from a drive in preparation to
receive new data) the hard drive and start over with a different OS.
Unfortunately, the process of removing WinXP may become painstakingly
difficult if your computer is set in a dual-boot configuration and you
want to preserve the second OS.

Software added since installation? Two things happen when you install
software on your PC: one, program files are copied to the hard drive;
and two, the OS is told where those files are. If you remove the OS,
you effectively erase the record of where the program files are
located. In order to use the programs again, you must reinstall them
when the new OS is up and running. This repetitive process takes time
but is not difficult.

NTFS or FAT file system? WinXP supports multiple file systems (methods
of organizing data on the hard drive), including NTFS (NT file system)
and FAT32 (file allocation table, 32-bit version). However, you cannot
use the uninstall utility if you upgraded to WinXP and then converted
the hard drive from FAT32 to NTFS. In that case, you would have to
reformat the hard drive and install a full installation version of the
replacement OS. See "The NTFS Conversion" in this issue for more
information about file system conversions.



You cannot uninstall Windows XP if its partition is configured for the
NTFS file system. To see which type of file system is in effect on
your computer, open My Computer, right-click the drive (or partition)
where WinXP is installed, and choose Properties. You'll see the active
file system listed below the General tab.


Close A Window. After carefully considering the issues, it's time to
make a decision about how to proceed with the removal of WinXP from
your system. One option is to use the uninstall utility to revert back
to a previous OS. The other option is to reformat the hard drive so
that you can install the full installation version of another OS, such
as WinMe or Win2000. Although the specifics of performing each option
will vary depending on the state of your PC, the general processes
will be the same for all.

Use the uninstall utility. Of course, the preferred option for
removing WinXP is to use the uninstall utility. This option is
available to those who have upgraded from Win98, WinMe, WinNT 4.0, or
Win2000. The Undo folder, with its Boot.cab and Backup.cab files, must
be intact, as well. If you meet these criteria, you can launch the
uninstall utility.

To do so, open the Start menu and select Control Panel. Here, click
Add Or Remove Programs. Next, click Change Or Remove Programs to view
a list of all the programs installed on your system. Highlight the
listing for Windows XP Uninstall and click the Change/Remove button.
In the resulting dialog box, click the Uninstall Windows XP option. A
warning message will ask you to verify that you want to remove the OS;
click Yes to continue.

If all goes as it should, the uninstall process should proceed with
little intervention on your part. When it finishes, restart the PC.
Your computer will launch your previous OS automatically.

Reformat the hard drive. The most complete way to remove the full
installation version of WinXP is to reformat the hard drive or
partition (a reserved area of the hard drive that is set up to
function as a separate and discrete storage drive) on which it is
installed. Reformatting works best if WinXP is the only OS installed
on the computer. In a dual-boot configuration, you can perform this
maneuver with minimal complications as long as WinXP is installed on a
separate partition or hard drive. Things get really messy if you
installed WinXP on the same partition as another OS. The best solution
in that case is to reformat the partition and reinstall the other OS.

Before formatting the drive or partition, make sure you back up your
important data files. The formatting process erases all of the data
contained on the drive or partition, so you will lose this data if you
do not move it elsewhere. You also should gather all of your software
installation discs before formatting. You will need to reload your
applications and utilities after installing the replacement OS.

When your data is secure and your installation discs are in order,
it's time to format. You have several options available to you, but
the one we suggest requires you to use the bootable diskette for the
OS that will replace WinXP. Insert this diskette in the floppy
diskette drive and boot the computer. At the command prompt, type
format c: (where c is the drive letter assigned to the drive or
partition you need to format) and press ENTER. Press Y to verify that
you want to format the drive, and then press ENTER again to start the
formatting process.

When the formatting process is complete, you should insert the
installation CD-ROM for the replacement version of Windows into the
disc drive. Reboot the computer and follow the on-screen instructions
to complete the installation. Plan to spend at least half of a day
loading the OS, programs, and data files to the reformatted partition
or drive.



Tie Up Loose Ends. Now it's time to tie up the loose ends and get back
to work. One of the loosest ends surrounding WinXP is the issue of
activation. Microsoft requires you to activate WinXP when you install
it, and you only need to activate the OS once in most cases. The
activation utility remembers details about your PC configuration so
that you can uninstall and later reinstall WinXP without the need to
reactivate it. You will need to reactivate WinXP if you move it to
another computer or reinstall it after formatting the hard drive.

Another loose end is the Microsoft return policy. If you remove WinXP
from your system and return it within 30 days of your purchase, you
should be able to get your money back. Contact your retailer for
details. Users who purchased the OS directly from Microsoft can call
the company at (888) 218-5617 or (716) 871-2915 to receive specific
return instructions.

by Jeff Dodd

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