How do you install Windows ME in place of Windows XP Home on a computer of 1.7GHz P4 and 512MB. What would I need to do to the hard drive and how do I do that. I already have the software to hand (a Windows XP recovery CD that came with the computer, several driver disks for various things connected to it, a Windows ME startup disk and CD, and legal product key. All I need is instructions on how to use these items to install ME in place of XP home.

Did your computer come installed with ME and you upgraded to XP? Or was XP installed (sounds like it was if you only have a "recovery" disk)? In either case, look in Startup, Add/Remove Programs, and scroll down and see if you have the Windows XP Uninstall option. If it's there, you can simply uninstall and it will restore your old ME system. If not, you probably will have to do a clean install, meaning Fdisk and wiping the hard drive clean and installing ME. Make sure you back up everything before doing this however! I haven't reformatted a drive since Windows 98 so I can't offer any ME/XP tips. But it seems to me that XP does offer an uninstall feature. Try finding it on your XP disk.

To Avenues: Not to be snoopy, but I am very curious why you want to downgrade from XP to ME. The answer would be interesting to me, because to my mind, ME is a terrible OS, and XP seems to be fairly good, give or take ~ albeit a little more complicated.

Avenues: on another note: originally Win XP was made to be able to upgrage from Windows 2000. The fact that you can do it from other MS windows doesn't mean it will work well. My friend upgraded their comps from 98 and NT and all had issues. If you can't downgrade to ME , do a clean install of XP divide your HD in 2 , first part for XP and second part for your files. If XP still won't behave as it should - then just reformat 1st partition and install ME while 2nd partition won't be touched. Max

I have a dual boot with Me on C and xp on D, one hard drive, I love Windows Me and don't have any trouble with it at all I also love xp and still learning it, I keep Me because I do have programs that will not work properly with xp and also some games, I you have Me properly configured it runs to me as good as xp, I just got xp because I got it practly free, did clean install of xp and the same with Me, something really good about two o/s is if one screws up, you have the other one to go online to find answers on how to fix, have had to reinstall xp 3 times because of different problems so it's really cool being able to connect to internet with one o/s and ask info about other, with one o/s if something goes wrong you have to rely on notes and backup and I always get paranoid installing without being able to ask questions, so I would install both o/s, you will enjoy it both have good features.

Does a recovery CD only install to a particular size partition that is part of a particular configuration? I am wondering this because I would have to split the drive.