Running Gateway Solo Pro 9300, with mfg installed Windows 98 which would not
support new software, so needed to upgrade to Windows XP.

Used "reinstall" Windows XP facility that was provided by Dell when I
purchased my a new laptop. Completed a "clean install" and reinstalled
applications and files which worked OK for several weeks and then asked for
Internet registration which I could not complete??

Purchased Windows Upgrade incld Service Pack 2 assuming that I was ill
advised with respect to using the XP copy form Dell. Attempted to install
using new Product Key.

The system booted from CD but was not given option to upgrade and the
install sequence programed wants to do a full installation on the same disk
partition with the existing copy of the incumbent Windows XP system. In the
present circumstance, I can not access any files on the hard drive to perform
a backup that would give me a fresh "clean install" option.

Please provide some info as to how I can unlock my situation.

Thanks in advance!

Tom

TxTom wrote:
> Running Gateway Solo Pro 9300, with mfg installed Windows 98 which
> would not support new software, so needed to upgrade to Windows XP.
>
> Used "reinstall" Windows XP facility that was provided by Dell when
> I purchased my a new laptop.

Oops.
Dell OEM install on a Gateway computer...

> Completed a "clean install" and
> reinstalled applications and files which worked OK for several
> weeks and then asked for Internet registration which I could not
> complete??

Yeah...

> Purchased Windows Upgrade incld Service Pack 2 assuming that I was
> ill advised with respect to using the XP copy form Dell. Attempted
> to install using new Product Key.

You were correct - to say the least.

> The system booted from CD but was not given option to upgrade and
> the install sequence programed wants to do a full installation on
> the same disk partition with the existing copy of the incumbent
> Windows XP system. In the present circumstance, I can not access
> any files on the hard drive to perform a backup that would give me
> a fresh "clean install" option.

Yeah - you *may* be able to do a repair install to fix your product key -
but no promises.

How to Perform a Windows XP Repair Install
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

How to perform an in-place upgrade (reinstallation) of Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315341

The problem is that you tried to transfer an OEM license. That would be
against the EULA at least - although it might technically work. In this
case - I suppose it did not. However - you said register... There is no
registration requirement - did you mean activation?

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

Not only is there the technical question of whether or not a Dell OEM
Windows XP will install on a Gateway computer but the legal question. What
OS are you running on your Dell? You really should have a separated Windows
XP CD (and licence) for each computer. I appreciate it costs more doing it
that way but, in a way, it could be argued that you are now paying for
trying to cut corners!

To be brutally frank if anyone botched the upgrade ...

Regards.

Bill Ridgeway
Computer Solutions

> Shenan Stanley wrote:
>> TxTom wrote:
>> Running Gateway Solo Pro 9300, with mfg installed Windows 98 which
>> would not support new software, so needed to upgrade to Windows XP.
>>
>> Used "reinstall" Windows XP facility that was provided by Dell when
>> I purchased my a new laptop.
>
> Oops.
> Dell OEM install on a Gateway computer...
>
>> Completed a "clean install" and
>> reinstalled applications and files which worked OK for several
>> weeks and then asked for Internet registration which I could not
>> complete??
>
> Yeah...
>
>> Purchased Windows Upgrade incld Service Pack 2 assuming that I was
>> ill advised with respect to using the XP copy form Dell. Attempted
>> to install using new Product Key.
>
> You were correct - to say the least.
>
>> The system booted from CD but was not given option to upgrade and
>> the install sequence programed wants to do a full installation on
>> the same disk partition with the existing copy of the incumbent
>> Windows XP system. In the present circumstance, I can not access
>> any files on the hard drive to perform a backup that would give me
>> a fresh "clean install" option.
>
> Yeah - you *may* be able to do a repair install to fix your product
> key - but no promises.
>
> How to Perform a Windows XP Repair Install
> http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm
>
> How to perform an in-place upgrade (reinstallation) of Windows XP
> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315341
>
> The problem is that you tried to transfer an OEM license. That
> would be against the EULA at least - although it might technically
> work. In this case - I suppose it did not. However - you said
> register... There is no registration requirement - did you mean
> activation?

Bill Ridgeway wrote:
> Not only is there the technical question of whether or not a Dell
> OEM Windows XP will install on a Gateway computer but the legal
> question. What OS are you running on your Dell? You really should
> have a separated Windows XP CD (and licence) for each computer. I
> appreciate it costs more doing it that way but, in a way, it could
> be argued that you are now paying for trying to cut corners!
>
> To be brutally frank if anyone botched the upgrade ...

....

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html