ReInstall XP

  • Thread starter Thread starter HotRod
  • Start date Start date
H

HotRod

I have an old 450 MHz machine that is running a legal version of XP Home.
BUT it's running slower than my 95 year old grand mother. I want to just
reinstall XP Home but do not have the original CD or the product key. I
assume at some point that it was stuck on the side of the computer case but
isn't there anymore SO.

1) How can I get the CD Key from the computer
2) Will another windows XP Home CD work?

Is there an easier way to just replace everything on the PC with the
original version of XP. I tried system restore but it won't let me go all
the way back to the begining.
 
Belarc Advisor, a hardware/software inventory program can decrypt
the original Product Key.
http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html
CDs and Keys are type matched and are not interchangeable. You
would need to determine the original XP type to know which disk is
required for a reinstall ( OEM, Retail, Full or Upgrade).

Sometimes OEM PCs (Gateway, Dell & HP) place the i386 folder of
the install CD onto the system partition itself so Add/Remove XP
components can be used without a physical CD-ROM.
 
HotRod said:
I have an old 450 MHz machine that is running a legal version of XP Home.
BUT it's running slower than my 95 year old grand mother.
Click to expand...


The word "glacial" comes to mind, if the computer doesn't have a CPU of
at least 500 MHz along with at least 256 Mb of RAM.

Acceptable performance is, of course, a matter of personal opinion
and depends entirely upon what *you* expect to do with your computer. If
all you want to do is play WinXP's built-in games, send and receive
simple emails, browse the Internet (while avoiding the more "ornamental"
web sites) etc., such a machine may well meet your needs. If, however,
you plan to take advantage of WinXP's multimedia capabilities, play
graphic-intensive games, or do advanced word or data processing, such a
machine would probably be woefully inadequate.

If you turn off all of WinXP GUI eye-candy, it will still be very
slow, but it might be usable for simple word processing, email,
web-browsing, etc. It won't be any good for graphics-intensive
applications, and most newer games. (During the public preview period,
I tested WinXP on a 500 MHz machine with 256 Mb of RAM, and it was much
slower than I like.)

To help improve WinXP's performance on older machines:

1) Right-click the Task Bar > Properties > Start Menu, ensure "Classic
Start menu" is selected.

2) Right-click an empty spot on the Desktop > Properties > Themes >
select "Windows Classic."

3) Right-click My Computer > Properties > Performance > Settings >
Visual Effects, ensure "Adjust for best performance" is selected.

I want to just
reinstall XP Home but do not have the original CD or the product key. I
assume at some point that it was stuck on the side of the computer case but
isn't there anymore SO.

1) How can I get the CD Key from the computer
Click to expand...


The Windows 25-character Product Key (required to perform the
installation) is stored on the CD packaging on a brightly colored
sticker that says "Do not lose this number." If it was an OEM (factory
installed) license, it's stored on a label that the PC manufacturer
affixed to the exterior of the PC case, or on the bottom of a laptop.
The Product Key is not stored on the installation CD in any way, shape,
or form.

To recover a lost Product Key:

If your system still runs, you should be able to use Belarc Advisor
from http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html to find the Product Key.
(If you have a factory-installed OEM license, and haven't since
reinstalled the OS, the revealed Product Key is probably of the drive
image used at the factory and not your specific Product Key; therefore,
it probably cannot be -- and definitely should not be -- used for a
re-installation.)

If it was a retail license and you have proof of purchase:

How to Replace Lost, Broken, or Missing Microsoft Software or Hardware
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;en-us;326246

If it was an OEM license, you should contact the computer's
manufacturer; although very few manufacturers/vendors keep records of
the Product Keys they've sold, it's worth a try before you have to buy a
new license.

2) Will another windows XP Home CD work?
Click to expand...

If it's the same type of license, yes. But first, you must recover the
Product Key. Product Keys are bound to the specific type and language
of CD/license (OEM, Volume, retail, full, or Upgrade) with which they
are purchased. For example, a WinXP Home OEM Product Key won't work for
any retail version of WinXP Home, or for any version of WinXP Pro, and
vice versa. An upgrade's Product Key cannot be used with a full version
CD, and vice versa. An OEM Product Key will not work to install a
retail product. An Italian Product Key will not work with an English
CD. Bottom line: Product Keys and CD types cannot be mixed & matched.

Is there an easier way to just replace everything on the PC with the
original version of XP. I tried system restore but it won't let me go all
the way back to the begining.
Click to expand...

System Restore doesn't retain more than 90 days' worth of system
changes, and can't normally restore a computer to original condition,
anyway. It certainly would remove the accumulation of temp files or
defrag the hard drive.



--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrum Russell
 
HotRod said:
I have an old 450 MHz machine that is running a legal version of XP Home.
BUT it's running slower than my 95 year old grand mother. I want to just
reinstall XP Home but do not have the original CD or the product key. I
assume at some point that it was stuck on the side of the computer case but
isn't there anymore SO.

1) How can I get the CD Key from the computer
2) Will another windows XP Home CD work?

Is there an easier way to just replace everything on the PC with the
original version of XP. I tried system restore but it won't let me go all
the way back to the begining.
Click to expand...

find your key with this...

http://www.magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder.shtml

another "home" CD should work (you should have SP2 slipstreamed if you are
going to try a repair)

see

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm
 
I have several XP Home CDs kicking around is there anyway to tell which CD
may have been the original?
 
HotRod said:
I have several XP Home CDs kicking around is there anyway to tell which CD
may have been the original?
Click to expand...

depending on when you bought it ...It should say if either SP1 or SP2 are
included on the CD.

if you are doing a repair , you would need a CD that has the same SP as what
is currently installed on your computer.(I assume SP2)

for a "fresh" install , it doesn't really matter which one you use , it just
may take some extra time at MS update site after the install.
 
I want to do a frech install of XP Home on this PC, it is going to be used
only to hold a lot of digital photos and other stuff. It's not our main PC.
I have several versions of XP Home on my desk but I want to make sure that
the product key I have will work with that CD. Which CD do I use? According
to some of the prior posts the key will only work with the right CD?
 
HotRod said:
I have an old 450 MHz machine that is running a legal version of XP Home.
BUT it's running slower than my 95 year old grand mother. I want to just
reinstall XP Home but do not have the original CD or the product key. I
Click to expand...

One should always own the CD for the MS OS they want to use.
 
Called Microsoft this morning and explained that I owned about a dozen
copies of XP over the years and that the PC I was now working on I was not
sure which CD went with which PC. I was told by Microsoft Canada that there
was no way to determine which CD came with that computer and there was also
no wa to give me a new distribution key. What the hell. Thanks for buying
our software but your S.O.L. now that we have your money.
 
HotRod said:
Called Microsoft this morning and explained that I owned about a dozen
copies of XP over the years and that the PC I was now working on I was not
sure which CD went with which PC. I was told by Microsoft Canada that there
was no way to determine which CD came with that computer and there was also
no wa to give me a new distribution key. What the hell. Thanks for buying
our software but your S.O.L. now that we have your money.
Click to expand...

As always, it never mattered which cd went with the pc. Any problems,
call MS for a new key that will work if you have to redo the pc.
 
Thats exactley what I did. I called MS and told them that I had the old key
to give them if they like but they would not issue a "new key" they said I
need to track down the old CD. Hmmmmm which stack of XP home CD's could be
the right one. If your guys offices are like mine I tend to keep thousands
of CD's but find it a pain in the a$$ to keep 20 copys of XP. Why would I
keep multiple copies of the same program and not just keep the key???
 
Back
Top