Help please with Pre-installed Windows XP!

[Markus]

Hi, I bought a laptop and it came with Windows XP Home Edition
pre-installed.

In the bottom of the laptop is a genuine Microsoft sticker, with the
hologram etc. saying 'Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition', and beneath it
'Product Key', with a string of characters in the format:
XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX.

Would it be possible to format this machine's hard disk and reinstall
Windows XP from ANY OEM cd? Or are individual cd's 'tied' to hardware these
days?? It's been ages since i've read up aon any of this stuff, please
help!

Since my copy of windows xp was presintalled, is it certain to be the OEM
edition?

Cheers

Mark.

 

[dude]

It sound like you have a brand name computer with windows
preinstall , If so then most preinstall stuff have a
product recovery disk its not the same as a windows disk
but it will install windows ... What kind of computer is
it ( the Nmae ) Do you have a recovery disk ???

 

[Markus]

It's a tiny.com pc, manufactured by Time.

They offered me a 'recovery disk' as part of an extra £150 package but I
declined, thinking I could use anyones OEM cd, but with my code (which makes
sense to me since I have paid for an oem copy of xp, haven't I?

 

[Guest]

Hi, I bought a laptop and it came with Windows XP Home Edition
pre-installed.

In the bottom of the laptop is a genuine Microsoft sticker, with the
hologram etc. saying 'Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition', and beneath it
'Product Key', with a string of characters in the format:
XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX.

Would it be possible to format this machine's hard disk and reinstall
Windows XP from ANY OEM cd? Or are individual cd's 'tied' to hardware these
days?? It's been ages since i've read up aon any of this stuff, please
help!

Since my copy of windows xp was presintalled, is it certain to be the OEM
edition?

Cheers

Mark.

You may use an out-of-the-box version of XP Home using your serial. Borrow
someone's XP disk, you don't need to buy it again.

 

[Markus]

Someone told me that my version could be an 'OEM' version though, and that
OEM and Retail edition codes can't be swapped between them; is this true or
is there anyway to find out what version I have?

Thanks for all your help(s) so far!

mark.

 

[dude]

If your copy that was preinstall is OEM then yes you can
copy from another OEM disk , just enter your microsoft
keys and it will work but remember though most time when
you have a preinstall version it comes with many other
programs that the manufactory has added and when you use
other then the recovery disk you wouldn't have all of
them extra add on programs but your windows will still
work though

 

[Rich]

They are correct if there have been no changes made to the retail or oem
disk.
Safe thing to do is get an OEM installation disk to reinstall. You made be
able to do this if your manufacture included a Operating System
reinstallation disk. This should not be a Restore Disk.
One thing that will make your installation much less the headache is to go
to the notebook manufactures site first. This is especially true for
notebooks. Download all the drivers for you notebook and arrange them in a
good folder order (modem, sound, video, etc..). Expand any Zip or compressed
..EXE files. Burn these folders on a CD to have as a separate driver CD for
after installation to setup any hardware that Windows XP did not. Don't
forget those utility drivers. Most use a driver set for there special
function buttons around the laptop.