Does a HD have to be clean to use a OEM OS

[houston1264]

Does a HD have to be clean to use a OEM OS

 

[amd_fanboi]

wouldn't think so... but it's probably better to have it clean anyways...

 

[houston1264]

i did a new build but got xp home instead of pro OEM. was told at the store that it would suport two core come to find out that wasnt true.
just didnt want to have to buy a new HD with the other OS.
is you have an idea or a cheap fix please post

 

[lx_flier]

All you would have to do is reformat the drive with a program such as killdisk and reinstall the new OS. I would definitely go back to the store and speak to the manager about how you where mislead, and see if he can do anything.

 

[englandr753]

Is there a reason you dont want to format the hard drive? Simply delete the old partition and create a new one and do a full format. It will take longer but it will remove all of the old data to ensure a clean install.

That is the method I would use.

Tell me if theres a special reason you cant do this...

 

[englandr753]

Did you open the XP home packaging? I would return it and upgrade to vista basic before I settle for XP home. I read that you can run XP home but it wont utilize the second core of a dual core CPU.

If that is important to you, and it should be, I would either return it if you can or sell that copy on Ebay for most of the money you paid for it.

I suggested Vista home if you are trying to stay on the cheap. If you can do better then get XP Pro, XP Media Center 2005 or a better version of Vista if you are building with new hardware...

 

[houston1264]

thanks for replies i did open and install the darn thing
will take advice and reformat and get xp pro<cryies>

 

[houston1264]

ok Just got xp pro upgrade. kills two birds no need to reformat and it was cheep

 

[groo]

don't be so afraid of wiping a HDD. its advisable to reinstall the OS every so often, some people say as often as every 6 months. This is also why I'd suggest multiple HDD, or at least a second partition. you can back up all your data, then just reinstall everything fresh, and all the minor bugs that start to build up get wiped out.

 

[mrsoonerfan]

With all the bugs with Vista and the way it hogs memory i would and do go XP pro EVERY time. ALWAYS clean your HD before you do an install, no matter what. It is just good pc practice and prevents future probs you may encounter down the line. Until the fix Vista stick with XP, go to Black Vipers dot com and read up in the forums, it is just too slow. Anything that takes 4 gigs of RAM to run is not good. You can run it with 2 but forget gaming.... at least you will not get the same results I do on XP Pro like I do, its proven time and again...

 

[houston1264]

Ya, just wanted to avoid sofware proplems on my new build.
Well Xp pro upgrade will be here in two to three days and ill be able to
rock me little E8400 socks off .

 

[bobbknight]

OEM requires a clean install.





Rattus Viola: Sino non they quisnam operor non have scientia futurus vestri rector.

 

[aziraphale]

I found that for me a quick format always did the trick; I see no reason to wait for the full format...

 

[houston1264]

Ok just done a ton of research on this. Too little to late at this point. XP home will not use two cores effectively some differing opinions on athlons but the consensus seems to agree that Intel core two duos do not
receive support for both cores. Guess when I was researching the hardware to put into my first build I would have spent a little time on OS software research. Overall with having to buy the XP pro upgrade
instead of the OEM version will set me back $60. . O’well you cant put a price on an education.

 

[englandr753]

True to that. I had never heard of that before until now myself. I think this taught a lot of us a lesson at the same time, unfortunately at your expense. But hopefully it will keep a few others from doing what you did...

 

[dokk2]

Ya, just wanted to avoid sofware proplems on my new build.
Well Xp pro upgrade will be here in two to three days and ill be able to
rock me little E8400 socks off .

Once you get your instalation setup and running "just the way you like it" ghost the sucker!! and write THAT
ghost to a dvd and then keep your incremental updates on another partition,and if there are no major changes to your system then,when windozze starts to run like molasses uphill in january why you have a GOOD install to fall back on,,no reinstall needed.and maybe just a few small updates/programs to fix????)