How to replace 1 XP with another??

[macx]

Background: C drive crashed, replaced w/a new drive, had lost my XP Home key, was loaned XP Pro by the data recovery folks to get up and running and to transfer my recovered data to my new drive.

Now trying to replace that XP with another XP Home I just bought.

Tried booting up from the new XP Home cd. Selected replace the
existing with the new, stops part way and asks which version I
want to install? It's looking for a version number. ?????

Just before I did this, I reinstalled avg and it found a trojan, which
it "healed", but then Windows (the loaned Pro version I had on there)
wouldn't boot - the Windows screen would come up, b ut then it
would go back into Startup. So, I figured I'd just replace the loaned
XP Pro with my new XP Home, that's when I ran into the above prob lem.

Without being able to start windows up, what do I do to install the
new XP Home?

Thanks!!

 

[smore9648]

Did you do a back up?

Do you have a full version or upgrade?

 

[SNGX1275]

Boot off your XP Home disk, and then during the non-gui part of the install pick your drive/partition and format it. Unless you are wanting to keep your data...

 

[macx]

It's a full new version of XP Home SP2.

I've got nearly all of my data backed up on another drive.

Hadn't planned on having to do the new Home install quite yet,
but when the loaned Pro version wouldn't open Windows, I thought
I might as well go ahead with replacing it with the new Home version,
thinking that replacing the existing Pro version (maybe by doing a
Repair type install?) that it might solve the problem with Windows
not opening, and by doing the Repair type install maybe avoiding
having to reload so much stuff like the Security apps, other utilities,
drivers, etc.

If I were to disregard the new Home install for now, is there anything
I can do to get the currrently installed Pro to open Windows?

As I said, it goes thru the POST screens fine, the Windows starting up
screen comes on, but then it goes dark for a couple seconds and goes
right back into Startup again, just continues that circle. Actually, the
computer seems to turn off for a couple seconds according to the light
on the monitor, then start up again and go into startup.

If I could I'd like to get the Pro working again as there is some data
on the new drive I'd like to save.

If I AM able to accomplish that, then what should I do to replace
the Pro with my new Home? I suppose the easiest would be to
save the data onto the other drive (neither drive has any partitions).

Is it possible to do the replacement without losing the installed Programs
(like various Security programs, a bunch of drivers, etc)? I thought that
might be possible by doing not the clean install but the Repair install?
Or wouldn't that work?
Thanks!