Reinstalling XP

Meeko · 2 Apr 2009 at 13:13

Hi guys.

I need to reinstall windows XP on a friends laptop this weekend but both the main and recovery partition are goosed and he doesn't have a windows XP installation disc.

He obviously has his own licence for XP (sticker on bottom of laptop) so can I just use my own copy of XP (not an OEM version) and then use his licence code and it should work OK?

Cheers,
Graeme

Tute · 2 Apr 2009 at 13:25

You need to match the CD with the install type - OEM sticker with an OEM CD... and vice versa.

Apart from that I don't think there's an issue with that, the other option would be to contact the OEM for media.

J.B · 2 Apr 2009 at 13:26

Also worth noting XP Home and XP Pro are 2 different things.

AMG · 2 Apr 2009 at 13:33

I throught it would accpet the serial if its the same as itself?
say XP HE serial...use HE disk?

Meeko · 2 Apr 2009 at 13:48

Cheers guys.

I kind of though that my sticking point would be that my disc is retail version and not OEM.

Would it be legal for me to source an .ISO of the OEM version online somewhere and burn that to a disc? Save me the hassle of ordering the media from Lenovo.

Tute · 2 Apr 2009 at 14:15

It's shaky ground. Technically you pay for the serial, not the media.

But downloading from an online "source" is against the EULA (I think) as well as the fact that you're installing something that might well have been tampered with.

Meeko · 2 Apr 2009 at 14:20

Its cool... one of my mates has an OEM version so just gonna half-inch the disc off him.

Cheers for your help guys!