Help with reformatting

  • Thread starter Thread starter Guest
  • Start date Start date
G

Guest

Hello,

I'm in a bit of a situation at the moment. I need to reformat my laptop,
however over time i've lost my XP installation CD. I understand I could
create boot disks on floppy but my laptop doesn't have a floppy drive. I've
checked the boot up when the laptop starts and the laptop is set up to boot
from a CD. But if I don't have my original CD how can I reformat my laptop?
I have the cd key and serial number of my XP OS so is it possible to use any
generic XP Installation disc to perform the reformat, or, is each disc linked
to the serial it comes with, hence meaning it wont work? I've read places
around the net that a boot disc can be made using Nero etc, has anyone tried
this and does it work?

My concern is that i'll get / create a disc and get in the process of wiping
the drive, go to enter my cd key / serial and it wont work leaving me in
limbo. I'm on XP Home v5.1 so would I need an identical CD, or could i use
any xp cd?

Any help would be much appreciated, thanks.

(e-mail address removed)
 
m3tallica said:
Hello,

I'm in a bit of a situation at the moment. I need to reformat my laptop,
however over time i've lost my XP installation CD. I understand I could
create boot disks on floppy but my laptop doesn't have a floppy drive. I've
checked the boot up when the laptop starts and the laptop is set up to boot
from a CD. But if I don't have my original CD how can I reformat my laptop?
I have the cd key and serial number of my XP OS so is it possible to use any
generic XP Installation disc to perform the reformat, or, is each disc linked
to the serial it comes with, hence meaning it wont work? I've read places
around the net that a boot disc can be made using Nero etc, has anyone tried
this and does it work?

My concern is that i'll get / create a disc and get in the process of wiping
the drive, go to enter my cd key / serial and it wont work leaving me in
limbo. I'm on XP Home v5.1 so would I need an identical CD, or could i use
any xp cd?

Any help would be much appreciated, thanks.

(e-mail address removed)
Click to expand...

You can use any XP CD, unless it's an OEM version that does a BIOS check,
and get far enough into Setup to format. The key is asked for later in
the process.

If the CD that's available to you is exactly the same type as the one you're
missing, you can use it with your key. But if it's a different type, your
key will be rejected.

You may be able to purchase a replacement XP CD from the laptop
manufacturer.

HTH
-pk
 
m3tallica said:
Hello,

I'm in a bit of a situation at the moment. I need to reformat my laptop,
however over time i've lost my XP installation CD. I understand I could
create boot disks on floppy but my laptop doesn't have a floppy drive. I've
checked the boot up when the laptop starts and the laptop is set up to boot
from a CD. But if I don't have my original CD how can I reformat my laptop?
I have the cd key and serial number of my XP OS so is it possible to use any
generic XP Installation disc to perform the reformat, or, is each disc linked
to the serial it comes with, hence meaning it wont work? I've read places
around the net that a boot disc can be made using Nero etc, has anyone tried
this and does it work?

My concern is that i'll get / create a disc and get in the process of wiping
the drive, go to enter my cd key / serial and it wont work leaving me in
limbo. I'm on XP Home v5.1 so would I need an identical CD, or could i use
any xp cd?

Any help would be much appreciated, thanks.

(e-mail address removed)
Click to expand...

Are you aware that reformatting totally wipes out the entire content
of the hard drive, leaving it completely empty? All of your
documents, emails etc. will be gone and be beyond recovery except with
specialized (= expensive) tools.

If you do not have the installation CD so as to allow you to reinstall
Windows onto your empty hard drive then reformatting it would be
tantamount to computer suicide. Your data would be gone, your
computer unusable, and you would have no way to reinstall.

Windows XP installation CDs must exactly match the Product Key that is
used for the installation with regard to:
- Windows XP Edition (Home, Pro, Tablet PC, or Media Center)
- Windows XP Version (Retail Upgrade, Retail Full Install, OEM, Volume
License, etc.)
- Language (English, German, Chinese, Spanish, etc etc).

Additionally if your Windows XP is a BIOS Locked (SLP) OEM version
then the CD and Product Key must also be from the same OEM.

To determine if your installed Windows XP is an OEM version open
Control Panel - System - General and look at the 20 character Product
ID code which is shown as the last line in the "Licensed to" section.
If the second segment of that code is OEM then your installed XP is an
OEM version. If it is numeric then your installed XP is a retail or
volume license version.

To determine if your installed OEM Windows XP is BIOS Locked use Start
- All Programs - Accessories - System Tools and look on the menu for
an "Activate Windows" item. If there is no "Activate Windows" item on
the System Tools menu then your OEM Windows XP is BIOS Locked.

Hope this explains the situation.

Good luck


Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP (1997 - 2006)
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca
Syberfix Remote Computer Repair

"Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference
has never been in bed with a mosquito."
 
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