Repair install

[Guest]

Can I do a repair install with an XP disk that is not original and still use
the original product key on the tower?

 

[DL]

Usually, provided its the same type/edition

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Can I do a repair install with an XP disk that is not original and still use
the original product key on the tower?

Yes, as long as the XP CD matches your version with respect to
Professional vs. Home, Retail vs. Home, and Full vs. Upgrade.

Since you say you have a product key attached to the case, that almost
certainly means yours is an OEM version, so what you need is another
OEM version that's the same (Professional vs. Home) as yours.

 

[Patrick Keenan]

Can I do a repair install with an XP disk that is not original and still
use
the original product key on the tower?

The answer is yes, with a big "IF".

XP install CDs of a given type are all the same. By type, there is first
XP Home and Pro, and then generic OEM, specific OEM, VL (Pro only), Retail,
Upgrade, etc.

Specific OEM types may check for a hardware identifier, and refuse to
install if it isn't present.

So the "IF" is that the CD type has to match. And if you get to the point
where you're asked for the key and you have used the wrong type of CD, the
key will be rejected. But at that point, you may have made the problem
worse.

So, be as certain as you can that you're using the correct type of disk.

For the Recovery Console, on the other hand, I've found that type doesn't
matter at all. If it's a bootable install disk with the console, that's
all that matters.

HTH
-pk