Re-installing XP Home

[Neil]

I was trying to set up a broadband connection on my brother's PC yesterday
but could hardly bare it is the machine was running SO slow!

I looked at his Add/Remove Programs and Task Manager and found it riddled
with rubbish & spyware/adware. Also it has been connected via dial-up for a
long while WITHOUT any antivirus or firewall!!

I asked him if he had the restore disks so that I could get rid of all the
crap in one go, but as is always the case he said he didn't know where it
was.

I have an original copy of Windows XP Home Edition (from someone else's PC)
and I'm wondering - can I install from this CD and use the key that came
with my brother's PC? Would that be breaching any licence agreements?

TIA

 

[Rick Rogers]

Hi Neil,

It wouldn't be a breach of any licensing, the question is whether or not the
Key and CD are compatible. The Key needs to be used with the same type of
recovery software that was provided by the manufacturer, and the disk you
have may be locked to the type of system it came with. Many do checks to
ensure this is so and will not install on other hardware. The other danger
is that the system may require non-standard drivers that would be on the
system-specific recovery disks, but may not be on a generic or other
manufacturer disk. From the sounds of it, you are planning a wipe and reload
(and with that much damage that is probably the best course of action), but
your brother may be well served to first obtain the right recovery disk set
from the manufacturer. Maybe the cost of this (it shouldn't be that much)
will push him to remember to keep the firewall on.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

 

[Larry Gardner]

Just to be sure ... I'd run Belarc Advisor ... just so that I'd get ALL of
the registration keys in case you need to install and need these keys AND
your brother can't find the disks.

In a lot of cases, you can get a copy from somebody, or download from the
internet, and use these keys to re-install.

I know ... I just had to do this with my cousin's system.

Same state as your brothers ... no updates since SP1 ... a real mess.

www.belarc.com

Also get a hold of this program www.ccleaner.com, but use the slim version
.... the full version installs a Yahoo Toolbar.
Also the slim version is English only:
http://www.ccleaner.com/downloadbin.asp?f=2
Run this and use the Issues button ... it will analyze the registry and tell
you of junk/problems.

Have you tried to run the free version of LavaSoft Ad-Aware, to analyze the
system for malware/viruses?