Windows XP professional down grade

vulcanbomber

I have a preinstalled edition of Windows XP Home edition on my hard drive, which came with my computer.

Somewhile back, I upgraded it to XP Professional. As I no longer have the product key, (I have lost it somewhere when moving house) I can no longer obtain Windows updates.

If I want to down grade my XP version back to that which came with the computer (home edition), will I lose all the data & programs that are currently installed on my pc?

mr_fishbulb

Proboably as I don't think there is a downgrade pro to home route. I think you will have to do a fresh install which will lose all your settings.

Odyssy

You can find your current product key by downloading and running a little utility called ViewkeyXP from:- http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/ViewKeyXP.htm.

mentat_2

Apologies, it wasn't in Control Panel...

Go into Internet Explorer, Tools, Internet Options, Programs, Manage Add-Ons and then find 'Windows Genuine Advantage' Click Disable, keep clicking OK until you are back to the front and run Windows Update again.

It'll say I can't check something or will wait for a few seconds and then you can do your updates.

Totally legal and in yer face Microsoft!

:j

Dack

Worth mentioning that the seem to have noticed this trick and you have to be Administrator to deactivate it. (Which will require you booting up in safe mode)

sco0ter

vulcanbomber wrote:

I have a preinstalled edition of Windows XP Home edition on my hard drive, which came with my computer.

Somewhile back, I upgraded it to XP Professional. As I no longer have the product key, (I have lost it somewhere when moving house) I can no longer obtain Windows updates.

If I want to down grade my XP version back to that which came with the computer (home edition), will I lose all the data & programs that are currently installed on my pc?

Why cant you recieve updates??? your product key is stored on the computer and you dont have to input it for updates windows should automatically verify your version is legal and update it.

vulcanbomber

sco0ter wrote:

Why cant you recieve updates??? your product key is stored on the computer and you dont have to input it for updates windows should automatically verify your version is legal and update it.

I have not run updates for sometime, I've no idea why the key is not stored, I'm not very organised. I have only just realised that updates was turned off, it's only reading through threads on this forum that made me look.

However if my memory serves me correctly, I think that when I was upgrading to XP Pro, there was a problem and the installtion didn't completely install.

skintel

Sounds like an iffy version to me, as the validation tool would be hunky dory
not only that if you have upgraded to the Pro version by a legal disc the key is
on the back of the jewel case so you have lost the disc aswell?

If you are in any doubt phone Microsoft as they will dish out a new key
after validating if its genuine or not, as seen as you must of purchased
the Pro version you get 3 free phonecalls to support.

Just for key problems they never charge..

And disabling Validation in Manage Add Ons doesnt work nowadays...

Microsoft Limited
Phone: (0870) 60 10 100
Fax: (0870) 60 20 100
Technical Support:
Desktop Applications, Home Products, Personal Operating Systems and hardware. 0870 50 10 100
Developer Products 0870 50 10 200
Business Systems 0870 50 10 300
Customers phoning from Ireland should dial 706 5353 for technical support.
Pre-Sales Information: Microsoft Connection (0345) 00 2000