OS question

  • Thread starter Thread starter malamala
  • Start date Start date
M

malamala

Hello, I have XP installed on an old computer and when I log in it
gives me this type of message: "You must activate" ... but then
"program already activated," Strange. Anyway, I want to give the
computer to charity in any case so I don't care so much.
The problem is that I need certain files off the hard disk-- documents,
photos, etc.-- and would like to burn these on a CD. Without XP login
this is impossible (for me!)
I know little about other operating systems and whether you can install
them alongside XP, but I'm thinking that if I could just do this with
another OS, then I could burn the files and give the computer away. Is
this possible? Any ideas?
Joe
 
Hi Joe,

There are several approaches you can use, and a parallel installation of
another OS is just one of them. Personally, I would just pull the hard drive
and slave it in another working machine, then copy off the files I wanted to
keep. Return it to the original machine, then format it and do a clean
installation of the operating system. Make sure to include the OS media when
you give the system away with the OS installed, or they will have no means
of recovery. If you don't want to give away the media, don't install it on
the system.

Alternately, you can do a parallel installation of the same OS, or of
another like Win2000 or a modern variant of Linux (Ubuntu, Fedora, and SuSe
all are easy to use) and copy the needed files to CD or other removable
media.

Thirdly, you can do a repair installation of the existing OS by booting the
system with the CD and running setup. When prompted for the installation
location if you choose the existing one you will be prompted to repair it.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
 
Download Ultimate Boot CD, you can then boot from that and it includes basic
CD burning along with many other tools.
 
malamala said:
Hello, I have XP installed on an old computer and when I log in it
gives me this type of message: "You must activate" ... but then
"program already activated," Strange. Anyway, I want to give the
computer to charity in any case so I don't care so much.
The problem is that I need certain files off the hard disk-- documents,
photos, etc.-- and would like to burn these on a CD. Without XP login
this is impossible (for me!)
I know little about other operating systems and whether you can install
them alongside XP, but I'm thinking that if I could just do this with
another OS, then I could burn the files and give the computer away. Is
this possible? Any ideas?
Joe
Click to expand...

Put the HDD into another machine as slave on the primary, or master on
the secondary IDE chanel, then copy you needed files over to the "host".

rgds
Roberto


rgds
Roberto
 
Thanks all, I think that I am going to first try the CD Boot superdisk
(whatever it is called). I have used it before and it is pretty
effective. If not, then the parallel OS and if not then moving the HD.
Ok well thanks again!
 
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