Updating Windows ME to XP Pro

[buzzy1]

I have updated my Windows ME Computer to Windows XP Pro, and I am running on 128 RAM. It is running very slow right now because I have heard that 128 RAM is the min. for XP. I am looking at going back to ME, until I can purchase more ram. Ram for my computer must be Rambus, and it's $100 to get me to 256. Would this be a smart move? I have tried before to run my ME recovery CD's but they will not recover, because it says that it is now an NTS format. How can I get back to ME for about another 6 months. I have a way to backup all data to CD if I must reformat. I have two drives: 60 GB and 4GB. Right now, the 4GB is the main drive, but I would like to switch them if possible when I go back to ME.

The ONLY way to go from NTFS back to FAT(32) is to format, or use a 3rd Party utility like Partition Magic. WinMe won't recognize it (NTFS), that's why it can't recover.

Backup your important stuff, then reinstall WinMe. You'll have to 'FORMAT' the drive first, either from the WinMe CD or Win9X/Me bootdisk.

[buzzy1]

Oh, forgot to say that I have two drives: 60GB and 4 GB. the 4 GB is the main drive, but I would like to switch them if I am able to go back to ME.

Please help!!!

[buzzy1]

OK, I only have the ME recovery CD that came with the computer, and the XP Pro CD. I can either Install or Update from that CD. Will it let me format if I boot from that CD?

Is the 4GB your "C" and the 60GB your "F"? And are both drives formatted NTFS? If the "F" is formatted NTFS, WinMe will NOT be able to read the data from it. You'll have to either burn all that stuff to CD or use Partition Magic to convert it back to FAT32. Otherwise, you won't be able to use it again until you get XP back on it.

I don't know what your Recovery CD does, so I can't say for sure if it will/won't let you format your drive. I would just use a floppy, if you don't have one, get one from Bootdisk.com and format w/ it.

If you're wanting to use your 60GB as your main drive, again, you'll have to burn all your stuff to CD or use Partition Magic to make it smaller, then create another partition at the beginning for your OS. Otherwise, you'll have to just 'FDISK' it into smaller partitions and then 'FORMAT', that will lose all your data.

[buzzy1]

Right now, the 4GB is listed as F, but it is the master drive with the OS on it. The 60GB drive is the slave and marked as C. Which drive should I format first? How do I format from the XP Pro boot disk I am in the process of making?

[Starfury_2260]

AFAIK a recovery cd will format the drive then reinstall windows. Thats what the ones I've had do.

XP Pro bootdisk? You don't need one of those, that's just to start the installation of XP Pro. You need a Win9X/Me bootdisk to boot into DOS and 'FORMAT' your drives.

[Dputiger]

It sounds like wiping your drive and going back is the smart thing to do.

Also, remember, you have to buy RDRAM in PAIRS. To get to 256 if you have 128, you'd have to buy two sticks of 64 meg RDRAM, which would NOT cost $100.

[buzzy1]

So after I format the drives with the 9X/me boot disk, it then should read the ME recovery CD? Here is another question. With C:\ being the slave, should I format it first, remove it, then format the F:\ (main drive). Once that is through, should I then put in the 60GB drive and restore ME on it?