Uninstalling Windows XP on a Celeron computer
Uninstall a W98 to WXP OS upgrade.
I have a Celeron 500 MHz Gateway PC loaded with W98 and then upgraded to WXP.
There are some programmes that I would like to uninstall. When I try to uninstall them I get a message as follows:
Error
Could not access network location
“::\\Documents and Settings\\All users\\Desktop”
My next thought was to format and reload the W98 OS again.
When I start the PC with the System CDROM in the CD drive the PC boots up as normal. For some reason I do not get the option to boot from the CD disc. I checked the boot sequence drive order in setup and the CD drive was 2nd in the sequence before the fixed disc which is 3rd.
My next thought was to uninstall the XP upgrade first and then try to format and reload.
When I go to uninstall the WXP upgrade I first get a choice to either:
Uninstall WXP
Or
Remove backup of previous operating system.
I chose Uninstall WXP
The next message appeared:
“The following programmes were modified after you installed WXP”. There is a list of XP Hotfixes displayed.
“After you uninstall XP you will need to redo these changes.
When you start the earlier version you might receive error messages”.
I chose to continue and saw the next message as follows:
“Uninstall is not recommended because the backup files for your previous version of windows is at least 30 days old. You might have made many changes since then, and you will have to redo these changes after uninstall is complete. Do you want to continue anyway?”
At this point I did not proceed any further.
Can you explain to me what is happening with all the issues described above.
Can you please advise me how to uninstall the WXP upgrade. From there I hope I can successfully reload the W98 OS.
Many thanks in advance
Yikes! This is a lot of trouble for an old computer.
The problem appears to be that you have some old programs that were installed to the wrong location that have been subsequently deleted. It might be best to run the Windows Installer Repair Tool and then run a registry cleaner.
If you still want to uninstall Windows XP then you should continue right past the message where you stopped. The Windows Updates are irrelevant to Windows 98.
You may find however that Window 98 won’t work properly after you’ve uninstalled as, depending upon the choices you made during the installations, there may be shared components.
If you are determined to reinstall Windows 98 and then XP, then it’s probably going to be quicker and easier just to back up your data, reformat your hard drive and start with a fresh install. Your computer will love you for it and the system will be far quicker.
Overall though, this computer is old. In human terms, it’s pushing 120 years old. The poor beast is probably due for retirement.
Keep in mind that, like all old technology, the costs of keeping it running are often higher than the costs of a new system.
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