reactivation from drive image??

[Guest]

i've lost my oem restore disc for xp home - i know the operating system is
legit because it updates and has been authenticated etc. - but i'm getting a
bit worried in case anything happens to my hard drive and i have to reinstall
(which i can't because i've lost my restore disc) - the question is: if i
take an image of my disc using something like acronis or norton ghost, can i
simply copy that image onto a new hard drive (or maybe my old hdd if i have
to format and the drive still works) without having to use a restore disc,
and what would happen about activation? should i find the OS serial number
pretty damn quick? and how can i do that?

 

[Guest]

The OS would already be activated,reactivation wouldnt be a problem...However
to image xp to another hd,simply install new drive as slave to C: on same IDE
cable,in xp format the hd,after go to run,type:
XCOPY C:\*.* D:\ /c/h/e/k/r In the DOS window agree to all,once its
thru,youre
finished.Also,D: being the slave drive but if asigned a diffrent letter
then use it
instead.

 

[Guest]

http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html
http://www.magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder.shtml
The above should help locate your product key and or serial #..
Yes, you can use both third party programs to clone directly or image to or
from the HD having an exact bootable copy of your OS and all your app's..
Xcopy will not clone or give you a bootable copy of the OS..
You should not have to reactivate as long as your hardware remains the same
and you are just replacing/upgrading the HD..

http://www.acronis.com
I have used both app's with success, though, I do prefer the above.. <my
opinion>
http://www.symantecstore.com/dr/sat...P=&PGRP=0&CACHE_ID=16137500001892330000195834
Checkout the trial versions above and come to your own conclusion..
Cheers..
j;-j