After power surge, Windows XP will not start

[Carmen]

Windows XP will not start. It goes to the screen which
provides me w/5 options (Safe Mode, Safe Mode w/Network,
Safe Mode w/ Command Prompt, Last Best Settings, & Start
Windows Normally). No matter which one I choose, the
computer just keeps rebooting.

The computer came with Windows XP and I do not have a
Windows XP disk. Can somebody please help? Thank you so
much.

 

[Malke]

Windows XP will not start. It goes to the screen which
provides me w/5 options (Safe Mode, Safe Mode w/Network,
Safe Mode w/ Command Prompt, Last Best Settings, & Start
Windows Normally). No matter which one I choose, the
computer just keeps rebooting.

The computer came with Windows XP and I do not have a
Windows XP disk. Can somebody please help? Thank you so
much.

The question is whether the hardware is damaged because of the power
surge or just the operating system. You might want to have a good local
computer shop (not a BestBuy or CompUSA type store) do the diagnosis
for you. In any case, it sounds like the operating system is also hosed
and you'll have to reinstall. When you bought the computer, the company
must have provided a way for you to reinstall Windows. For HP's, hit
F10 when booting to get into HP's Recovery System. Then you can
reinstall Windows and restore your data from backup.

HTH,

Malke

 

[bern]

You may want to borrow an XP disk from someone else. Make sure it is the
same XP as you have, ie, if you have Home or Pro. It cannot be an upgrade
version, either, but must be the full version. And before you do that,
locate the 25-character product key on a label on the back, bottom, etc. of
your machine. Without that key, you would need to go to your vendor as your
only alternative.

 

[Ken Blake]

In

You may want to borrow an XP disk from someone else. Make sure it is
the same XP as you have, ie, if you have Home or Pro. It cannot be an
upgrade version, either, but must be the full version. And before you
do that, locate the 25-character product key on a label on the back,
bottom, etc. of your machine.

If her computer came with such a label, it came with XP installed
and it's therefore an OEM version. If, as you suggest, she
borrows a Full version from someone else, her OEM key will not
work with that Full version's CD. OEM keys and Full version's
keys are never compatible.

Even if the versions match, that doesn't mean that one Product
Key will work with another CD. They are not individually made,
but they are made in batches, and one batch's key woun't work
with another batch's CD.

Without that key, you would need to go
to your vendor as your only alternative.

If Carmen needs to reinstall and has an OEM version, she will
very likely have to contact her vendor, whether or not she has
her product key.

 

[bern]

"Even if the versions match, that doesn't mean that one Product Key will
work with another CD. They are not individually made, but they are made in
batches, and one batch's key won't work with another batch's CD."

Thanks, Ken. I had no idea...

 

[Ken Blake]

In

"Even if the versions match, that doesn't mean that one Product Key
will work with another CD. They are not individually made, but they
are made in batches, and one batch's key won't work with another
batch's CD."

Thanks, Ken. I had no idea...

You're welcome. Glad to help.

 

[Yves Leclerc]

To further this: OEM keys, Upgrade keys and Retail key are not the same.
Each "seem" to have a unique coding scheme.

Y.

 

[Ken Blake]

In

To further this: OEM keys, Upgrade keys and Retail key are not the
same. Each "seem" to have a unique coding scheme.

Yes, as I essentially said in an earlier message in the thread,
quoted below.