Change operating Systems

[Mamacat104]

I would like to remove Windows XP Professional from a computer and install Windows XP Home Edition.
Is there a way to remove the one and replace it with the other one without losing data on the hard drive?
What is the easiest way to do this?
My friend's computer has a version of Windows XP Professional that someone put on it that cannot be verified...so it continues to give the message that it is not genuine and he may be a victim of piracy. He was able to use the computer for quite a while with it like that, but is now crashing and giving him the blue screen of death with different STOP: messages. I've gone in and run Error-Checking on the C-Drive in safe mode, but haven't been back in since that run...(it finished at about midnight last night).
He doesn't have the CD for the Windows XP Pro to get the product key from and to authenticate it so I think he would be better to take it off and put on one with a CD that he will be legal.

Thanks
Barbara

[Murray S.]

Howdy:

As long as the XP cd you want to use is not OEM and used before, you can use it now.

Unfortunately, you can't downgrade from XP Pro to XP Home so it will have to be a total re-format and re-install.

Murray

[Mamacat104]

Well, bummer. I was sure hoping it would be easier than that. Oh well. He has an operating system he can't get authenticated with Microsoft, no product key...so he may have to do the reformat.
I need to get back to the computer and work on it some more... I've been sooo sooo very busy with work, haven't been back at it yet. I tried to boot up and it continues to go to the blue screen...but when I put in the Windows boot disk I created from my computer, it did not go to the blue screen. I was on it for about 6 hours with the bootdisk in the CD-Rom. So, I want to try again to boot without it and see what happens. then try to boot again with it in the drive and see what happens... Seems strange unless.... could the boot record on the computer be messed up or no... ?

later
thanks,
Barbara