Is there a way to install WinXP Home to replace WinXP Pro without affecting existing programs and files? How?

Maybe now you understand the term "Piracy" why did you put an illegal copy of pro on your perfectly functioning Dell with Home???

Backup all your data and re-install home from your original Dell recovery discs.

Yes you'll loose any programs that you installed but if you still have them you can re-install them ...if not and they too were illegal ... then that's the price of piracy ...

You can do nothing .... the warning message was downloaded as part of Microsofts Automatic Updates .... you will no longer be able to download future auto updates but your computer will continue to function .... although you will become annoyed by that persistant little pop-up window reminding you how foolish you were to compromise your perfectly legit paid for Operating System

You basically have a pirated operating system....I don't know about losing data or if your computer will shut down or anything but to be on the safe side, I'd make a back up of your hard drive (on disk) and then reformat and install your previous legitimate XP...you should have been supplied with CDs when you purchased the computer.

If your neighbor used a copy of XP Pro that was already activated on another machine he must completely uninstall it from that machine. Then you can call MS support and they can help activate XP-Pro on your machine.

IFF your neighbor did not uninstall that copy of XP-Pro from the other machine, you're in for a bit of a headache, as your neighbor did violated his license agreement. You will not be able to download security patches/updates, etc. and eventually, you may not be able to log on at all. If that's what happened, he violated it, not you. The onus is on the 'seller', not the 'buyer' .You'll have no luck from official Dell, or MS support, as he broke the rules - No soup for you!

To stay legal you can reinstall XP-Home (and your apps) Got your install media from Dell ? If you can probably get a legal copy of XP Pro pretty cheap on Ebay or such. (buyer beware as you may repeat the same problem)

MS will not allow a lower OS to install over a newer version. XP home will not install over XP PRO. XP PRo will install over Home. All their OS have been like that. Your best bet would be to get a new Hard drive and legally install XP home and put the XP pro drive as your slave (2nd) and pull the wanted and needed information of the drive then format it for a backup drive.... thanks

As far as I know, the answer is NO! The only way, I was able to do it was to save my files on an external media, reformat my drive and then install Win XP Home and start from scratch!

installation onto D or E received't replace the archives on C. you'll have some artwork configuring a twin or multi-boot equipment to get linux besides particularly of abode windows, in spite of the indisputable fact that the archives on C might want to not get replaced in any respect except you tell linux to modify them.

you got that error message because you are trying to use a stolen copy of xp pro. pay for the software and that message will go away.

DID YOUR NEIGHBOR FORMAT THE HARDDRIVE? IT ISN'T WISE TO ATTEMPT TO INSTALL ANOTHER WINDOWS VERSION WITHOUT FIRST FORMAING AND MAYBE EVEN PARTITIONING THE HARDDRIVE.NOTE.. ONCE THE HARDDRIVE IS FORMATED ALL DATA WILL BE LOST.