How to Manually Remove Windows XP Service Pack 1 (329015)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows XP Professional
  • Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
This article was previously published under Q329015

SUMMARY

This article describes how to manually remove Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1) from your computer. You might want to do this if you cannot start the Windows graphical user interface or if you cannot start the Add or Remove Programs tool in Control Panel, and you suspect that an unsuccessful installation of Windows XP SP1 is causing the problem.

MORE INFORMATION

To manually remove SP1:
  1. Insert the Windows XP CD-ROM in your computer's CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive, and then restart your computer. When the "Press any key to boot from CD" message appears on the screen, press a key to start your computer from the Windows XP CD-ROM.

    Note Your computer must be configured to start from the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive. For more information about how to configure your computer to start from the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive, see your computer's documentation or contact your computer's manufacturer.
  2. The following message appears on the Welcome to Setup screen:
       This portion of the Setup program prepares Microsoft 
   Windows XP to run on your computer:

   To setup Windows XP now, press ENTER.

   To repair a Windows XP installation using Recovery Console, press R.

   To quit Setup without installing Windows XP, press F3.
    When you see this message, press ENTER to set up Windows XP.
  3. On the Windows XP Licensing Agreement screen, press F8 to agree to the license agreement.
  4. Make sure that your current installation of Windows XP is selected, and then press R to repair Windows XP.
  5. Follow the instructions on the remaining screens to reinstall Windows XP.
Note After you repair Windows XP, you may have to reactivate your copy of Windows XP.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:1/2/2003
Keywords:kbinfo KB329015
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