Windows XP Home

I also have a (non-OEM) version of XP Home and a system with Win 2000
Professional on it - and yes, I know you can't load the first over the
second. That seems insane to me, that Microsoft would do this, and even more,
that no one has a fix to get around this. I have previously read that one can
wipe the hard disk (by doing a 'clean install'). That means moving a LOT of
data off my C: drive. I could do that, but I DON'T WANT TO!! What I do have
is a couple of questions:
Could I not just migrate/copy the XP files to the C: drive, putting them in
their own folder, after renaming the existing WINDOWS folder?
OR,
I also have a spare hard disk. It occured to me that I could place it in the
PC, copy DOS to it, change my system around to make it the new C: drive,
install my old Windows 98 to it, and then upgrade that to XP home? I'll
likely find a way to copy all my C: (and other -- I have three hard disks in
the PC) files, but I'd like NOT to do that.
This is essentially how I set this PC up, because it initially came without
an OS (got it cheap!) and I had to put it on myself.

Try installing the spare hd,install xp cd,boot to xp cd,select install,at
this
point when prompted install 98 cd for verification,install xp cd,create a
partition,
then let xp format & install auto.This is a "dynamic installation",98 doesnt
need to be installed,only verified.

"ironmike" wrote:

> I also have a (non-OEM) version of XP Home and a system with Win 2000
> Professional on it - and yes, I know you can't load the first over the
> second. That seems insane to me, that Microsoft would do this, and even more,
> that no one has a fix to get around this. I have previously read that one can
> wipe the hard disk (by doing a 'clean install'). That means moving a LOT of
> data off my C: drive. I could do that, but I DON'T WANT TO!! What I do have
> is a couple of questions:
> Could I not just migrate/copy the XP files to the C: drive, putting them in
> their own folder, after renaming the existing WINDOWS folder?
> OR,
> I also have a spare hard disk. It occured to me that I could place it in the
> PC, copy DOS to it, change my system around to make it the new C: drive,
> install my old Windows 98 to it, and then upgrade that to XP home? I'll
> likely find a way to copy all my C: (and other -- I have three hard disks in
> the PC) files, but I'd like NOT to do that.
> This is essentially how I set this PC up, because it initially came without
> an OS (got it cheap!) and I had to put it on myself.