Re-installing XP

[Guest]

I am trying to re-install XP from a friends CD as when I purchased my PC 10
months ago it did not come with a back up disc, when I try to run the disc I
get a message saying the version of XP on the disc is older than the
pre-installed version and I cannot proceed with the installation. any ideas
how to get around this
Thanks

 

[peterk]

Even if you managed to install the Product Key would be different and XP
would not function past its 30 day Authenification Period.
You will need to contact the company that you purchased the system
from...they are responsible for giving you either a CD or a Restore
Partition with your system,its part of their licensing agreement with MS.
The reason you are getting this message is because you seem to have XP SP2
installed and you are trying to install an original version of XP without
SP2.
If you are unable to contact the company I would suggest you go out and
purchase a version of XP sp2
peterk

 

[Jerry]

It is illegal to use your friends CD to install XP on your system.

You were supposed to be provided with a method to reinstall XP from the
vendor of your system; either a restore CD or an area on your harddrive that
has all the files.

 

[Mike Hall \(MS-MVP\)]

John

You get the error message because the installed XP is most likely at SP1 or
SP2 level, and the installation CD is a step below.. slipstream SP2 into an
XP installation..

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com .. look under 'repair' install..


Is your friends computer loaded with the same version as your CD?.. if they
are both OEM and the same type, ie Home or Pro (look at the labels on the
side), the COA keys supplied should work.. the product keys are tied to
versions.. a Home key will not work with Pro, an OEM key will not work with
the retail versions, and all permutations taking into account the
aforementioned factors..

 

[Rojo]

It is absolutely NOT ILLEGAL to use different media to reinstall any
software as long as the version of the software is the same as yours and you
use your own product key.

Joel

 

[John Barnett MVP]

You can't install XP over the one on your machine because your machine has
been updated to service pack 2. The CD you have from your friend hasn't.
There is a way around this problem by slipstreaming SP2 and Windows XP
together on a seperate cd but, as you are breaking Microsofts End user
licence agreement, it would do you no good. While you would update the old
cd you would probably have problems activating the copy.
It's time to go and buy your own copy of xp.


--
John Barnett MVP
Associate Expert
http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org

The information in this post is supplied "as is". No warranty of any kind,
either expressed or implied, is made in relation to the accuracy,
reliability or content of this post. The Author shall not be liable for any
direct, indirect, incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use
of, or inability to use, information or opinions expressed in this post..

 

[Rojo]

You are telling blueboyjohn to buy Windows XP when he might already have it.
Instead of telling him that, ask him if he bought a new, brand-name
computer. If so, the manufacturer should be able to help him. If he bought a
custom-built machine from a legitimate business, he should go back to the
business for Windows. If he bought his computer from some crook, he then has
to buy a legal copy of Windows XP. But if the problem is that he installed
SP2 SINCE he got his computer, we know two things:
1. He must have a legitimate copy of Windows; otherwise the SP2 installation
would have failed.
2. He doesn't have to slipstream and violate the license agreement; he can
uninstall SP2, reinstall Windows, and then reinstall SP2.

While we're at it, I have to protest these manufacturers who do not provide
Windows or reinstallation discs with their new computers. If all you have is
a reinstallation partition, what do you do if the hard drive crashes?

Joel

 

[John Barnett MVP]

Rojo he hasn't got the Windows XP CD he is using his friends. Ok his PC is
10 months old and he should ask the manufacturer 'if' they will supply him
with a copy of the recovery disk (he may have to pay for the recovery disk).
My point is, he is using a copy of XP that belongs to someone else so he is
breaking the EULA. He either needs to get his own copy of XP or try to
obtain the recovery disc.

--
John Barnett MVP
Associate Expert
http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org

The information in this post is supplied "as is". No warranty of any kind,
either expressed or implied, is made in relation to the accuracy,
reliability or content of this post. The Author shall not be liable for any
direct, indirect, incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use
of, or inability to use, information or opinions expressed in this post..

 

[Rojo]

And I'm saying that a lot of manufacturers, especially of lower-priced
computers, including HP, don't always provide Windows or Recovery discs with
their computers. They haven't figured out that it would cost them an
additional 50 cents per machine to provide a CD, and that they could easily
pass this cost along to consumers. In my opinion, Microsoft should require
manufacturers to provide a Windows CD or recovery CD, but they don't, so
sometimes people will need to obtain media. And it's unreasonable to expect
a person who bought a $400 computer to have to spend $200 on a retail
version of Windows IF he already has a valid Windows license.

All right, technically, borrowing a disc violates the EULA. But in reality,
the only thing that truly matters is that a user doesn't use software for
which he has no valid license. Let's say for example that persons A and B
both have a computer running genuine Windows, for example, XP SP2 Home
Edition OEM that they received with their brand-name computers purchased
legally. Let's say that the computers both came with standard Microsoft
Windows OEM discs. Person A's hard drive crashes, the warranty is up, and
the manufacturer has gone out of business. Person A buys a new hard drive
and discovers that his Windows disc is broken in half. Aside from the
technicality that the EULA forbids it, where is the harm in person A
borrowing the disc from person B? Person A will simply use the product key
from the sticker on his own computer's case. If that product key is from a
different version or sub-version, the installation will not work anyway.
Microsoft's army of lawyers might argue otherwise, but there is no harm to
Microsoft under that scenario. Person A is still using software to which he
is entitled because he originally purchased a licensed copy of Windows, and
there is no difference between the software he used originally and the
software that came from the media that he borrowed.

I realize that this scenario is different from blueboyjohn's situation, but
as long as he has a valid license (and that hasn't been established), he
should be able to use any disc that will work with his product key.

 

[Phillips]

Since when does EULA forbid slipstreaming SP2?
Michael

 

[Ted Zieglar]

That's not what John is referring to.

Ted Zieglar

 

[John Barnett MVP]

I understand your scenario rojo and can agree with it. Microsoft, on the
other hand, would not. However, i am not a Microsoft employee or affiliated
with Microsoft therefore i cannot say how they would proceed.
As for the broken cd scenario, this problem is easily solved providing the
person concerned can prove, via an official receipt or other proof of
purchase, that he/she has purchased the product from a reputable reseller.
In this instance the user would simply contact Microsoft, give the details
they require, and, hopefully, providing everything was okay, Microsoft would
replace the broken cd.

--
John Barnett MVP
Associate Expert
http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org

The information in this post is supplied "as is". No warranty of any kind,
either expressed or implied, is made in relation to the accuracy,
reliability or content of this post. The Author shall not be liable for any
direct, indirect, incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use
of, or inability to use, information or opinions expressed in this post..

 

[John Barnett MVP]

The EULA doesn't forbid slipstreaming and that wasn't my point. My point was
that the user was breaking the EULA by using a friends CD on his computer.

--
John Barnett MVP
Associate Expert
http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org

The information in this post is supplied "as is". No warranty of any kind,
either expressed or implied, is made in relation to the accuracy,
reliability or content of this post. The Author shall not be liable for any
direct, indirect, incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use
of, or inability to use, information or opinions expressed in this post..