re install with alternative cd

[Glenn Clark]

I need to rebuilt an xp home pc that has had a hard drive failure. The pc
had a partition on it to reinstall the os but as the disk is dead I can't
use it. I have a xp home cd from another pc and still have the sticker on
the pc to rebuilt.

Will the licence key work and activation and if not how do I get around this
problem as the pc did not come with any cd's for a rebuild

Cheers

Glenn

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

You can only know by trying. If the XP on the other computer was installed
through SLA technology (BIOS locking) then the alternate cd and key will not
work. You can try to order replacement media from the computer's
manufacturer (whoever that was since you didn't give any details about your
system) or from
http://www.restoredisks.com/

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I need to rebuilt an xp home pc that has had a hard drive failure. The pc
had a partition on it to reinstall the os but as the disk is dead I can't
use it. I have a xp home cd from another pc and still have the sticker on
the pc to rebuilt.

Will the licence key work and activation

Maybe. If the two Windows version match with respect to Home vs.
Professional, Retail vs. OEM, and Full vs. Upgrade, *and* the other
PC's version is not BIOS-locked to the motherboard, yes.

and if not how do I get around this
problem as the pc did not come with any cd's for a rebuild

Contact your OEM vendor for instructions. If you are lucky, they may
help. Worst case, depending on who your vendor is, be prepared for the
possibility that you may have to buy a new copy

By the way, it is because of this possibility that I would never buy a
computer that came with a preinstalled operating system unless I also
got a complete generic installation CD.