upgrade from windows me, error message when

[biker john]

On my buddies computer, upgrading from windows me to xp
home with an upgrade disk, get an error message "Cannot
upgrade, the existing version of windows is a trial
version.

My buddy bought the computer in good faith from a
computer builder who is not deceased.

Any patch I can download that will register me as a real
copy?

[t.cruise]

If the Windows ME is truly a trial version, then any patch to make it a
non-trial version would be illegal. You wrote that the PC builder that your
buddy bought the system from is NOT deceased (I'm thinking that you meant
write is NOW deceased, and it's a typo). But if he is not deceased, and DID
NOT advise your buddy that it was a trial version at the time of sale: Then
try to work it out with the seller. If the seller isn't amenable or
available: If it was purchased with a credit card, have your credit card
company handle it. Otherwise, if you have an old Windows 98 CD from a
system that you no longer use, you can format the hard drive with a Windows
98 SE boot disk (floppy). If you don't have one, you can download one at:

http://www.bootdisk.com

Download the file for the Windows 98 SE boot disk. Then put a floppy disk
in the drive, double click the downloaded file and it will create a boot
floppy. Boot the system with that floppy in the drive and at the A:\
prompt type: format C: then press the enter key. True the drive will be
formatted FAT32, but when you do the Windows XP Upgrade you can format NTFS
if you want. After the hard drive is formatted, boot with the Windows XP
Upgrade CD, and when you're asked for proof of a prior version, swap the old
Windows 98 CD for the Windows XP Upgrade CD and give the path to that drive.
When Upgrade eligibility has been established, then swap back the Windows XP
Upgrade CD and continue with the install. If you don't have an old Windows
98 CD, and you can't make things right with the seller, then legally there
isn't anything you can do except buy the full version of Windows XP, rather
than the Upgrade version. In any case all of your data files and software
will be lost if you have to do a clean Upgrade, or clean full install. So,
you'd have to back up any data files that you don't want to lose anyway, for
later restoring.
--

T.C.

Remove [NoSpam] to reply


"biker john" > wrote in message
...
> On my buddies computer, upgrading from windows me to xp
> home with an upgrade disk, get an error message "Cannot
> upgrade, the existing version of windows is a trial
> version.
>
> My buddy bought the computer in good faith from a
> computer builder who is not deceased.
>
> Any patch I can download that will register me as a real
> copy?

[Malke]

biker john wrote:

> On my buddies computer, upgrading from windows me to xp
> home with an upgrade disk, get an error message "Cannot
> upgrade, the existing version of windows is a trial
> version.
>
> My buddy bought the computer in good faith from a
> computer builder who is not deceased.
>
> Any patch I can download that will register me as a real
> copy?

I'm glad to hear the previous computer builder is not deceased, although
your buddy might not feel that way. If the story you've told is
accurate and your friend was originally charged for a computer with a
full version of WinME on it, he was taken. There is no patch he can
download. He will need to buy the full version of Windows XP if he
wants to install it and do a clean installation. That means deleting
the ME partition and formatting the drive. You - or he - will lose all
data when you do that, of course. Here is a link for information about
a clean install:

http://michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

Be sure your friend has first run the MS Upgrade Advisor on his machine
to be sure XP will work successfully on his machine. He will need XP
drivers for all the hardware components, and possibly upgrades to his
programs. Here's a link to the Upgrade Advisor:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/howtobuy/upgrading/advisor.asp

Good luck,

Malke
--
MS MVP - Windows Shell/User
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"