Uninstalling XP before it has been activated

[Wendy]

Got my mom's old laptop. She installed XP Professional on
it in order to use a memory stick to remove her files, but
didn't register it because it was the copy for her new
computer. I bought XP Home to install in its place, but
can't figure out how to uninstall the XP Professional
because I can't get to the desktop without registering XP
Professional first... which I can't do because it is
already registered on my mom's new computer.
Any help out there?

[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

Wendy;
There is no downgrade path from Pro to Home.
A Clean Installation is required to install Windows XP Home:
Disconnect all peripherals (camera, printer, scanner, etc)
Disconnect network/modem cable.
Go to BIOS and set CDROM as boot device before hard drive.
Insert Windows XP CD and reboot.
At "Press any key to boot to CDROM" quickly press a key and follow the
prompts for a Clean installation:
http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_sg_clean.asp
Delete all partitions in step 5 if you desire to erase all data on the
hard drive.
Partitioning and formatting will be done automatically.
All data will be destroyed, back-up important data first.

Enable or install firewall BEFORE connecting network cable.
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=283673

Install ALL Critical Windows Updates:
Start/All Programs/Windows Update

After you are finished, you will need to load the appropriate drivers.

If your computer was shipped with Windows XP, these procedures may or
may not apply.
Check your manual or contact the computer manufacturer for more
details.

--
Jupiter Jones [MVP]
An easier way to read newsgroup messages:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/newsgroups/setup.asp
http://dts-l.org/index.html


"Wendy" > wrote in message
...
> Got my mom's old laptop. She installed XP Professional on
> it in order to use a memory stick to remove her files, but
> didn't register it because it was the copy for her new
> computer. I bought XP Home to install in its place, but
> can't figure out how to uninstall the XP Professional
> because I can't get to the desktop without registering XP
> Professional first... which I can't do because it is
> already registered on my mom's new computer.
> Any help out there?