Can I use my other disc's product key?

[Jack]

I have two copies of XP Home and one disc is damaged. I lost the product key
from the good disk...can I use the product key from the damaged disk with the
good disk?

Thanks

 

[GreenieLeBrun]

I have two copies of XP Home and one disc is damaged. I lost the
product key from the good disk...can I use the product key from the
damaged disk with the good disk?

Thanks

The physical media does not matter, the product key does. You need a
different product key for each installation (machine). If your XP is still
loaded and accessable you can use the following to recouver the missing
product key.

Magical Jellybean key finder
http://www.magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder.shtml

 

[Jack]

Thanks Greeenie

:

 

[David B.]

Not 100% correct, the media does matter to a point. Both versions would have
to be the same for it to work, i.e XP Home and Pro, retail or OEM, full or
upgrade. As long as both keys he has are for the same version it will not be
a problem.

 

[Innobate]

So long as the edition of the CD media is the same. In your case if
both CDs are for Home Edition, then the product key can be used to
install Windows XP from either CD. CD media is not bound to any
particular CD media, but is Edition specific.

Also if installation of Windows XP Home Edition from the Good CD is
still running on a computer system, you can use INNOBATE Product Key
Recovery to recover the product key for it. It can be downloaded from
the following:-
http://www.download.com/Innobate-Product-Key-Recovery/3000-2408_4-10710678.html

 

[David B.]

Pay no attention to this post, there is no need to buy software when there
are free programs available that will do the same thing, and this poster
only replies with this canned post to threads discussing product keys.

 

[Donald L McDaniel]

The physical media does not matter, the product key does. You need a
different product key for each installation (machine). If your XP is still
loaded and accessable you can use the following to recouver the missing
product key.

Magical Jellybean key finder
http://www.magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder.shtml

This is NOT NECESSARY. The OP will be able to use the second Key IF the disk
which has been destroyed is the SAME TYPE as the good disk he has.

Under ONLY this circumstance: _Both disks are OEM products_.