Using Different XP Product Key

  • Thread starter Thread starter sherbrooke
  • Start date Start date
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sherbrooke

A hard drive has become totally unbootable, the computer was running
Windows XP Home.
Installed new Hard Drive but I cannot install Windows from the Resource
CD that came with the computer. It is An Acer Aspire 8000. I have
Emailed Acer to ask for their advice but have had no response after
waiting 10 days.
Question, would it be possible to use another full retail copy of
Windows XP to load XP and then use the original Product Key to activate
it?
 
sherbrooke said:
A hard drive has become totally unbootable, the computer was running
Windows XP Home.
Installed new Hard Drive but I cannot install Windows from the Resource CD
that came with the computer. It is An Acer Aspire 8000. I have Emailed
Acer to ask for their advice but have had no response after waiting 10
days.
Question, would it be possible to use another full retail copy of Windows
XP to load XP and then use the original Product Key to activate it?
Click to expand...

The basic issue is why the HD won't boot from a bootable CD. That has to be
solved first or your probably won't boot from the other CD either.
 
No. The Product Key affixed to your Acer Aspire computer
is only valid with the computer manufacturer's recovery
method. You'll need to contact the computer manufacturer
and order the proper Windows XP recovery CD. Otherwise,
you'll need to purchase a conventional "Full Version" of
Windows XP Home Edition and proceed with a "Repair Install".

How to replace lost, broken, or missing Microsoft software or hardware
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/326246/en-us

Microsoft Windows XP Home With SP2 - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16837102059

How to Perform a Repair Install of Windows XP
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows - Shell/User
Microsoft Community Newsgroups
news://msnews.microsoft.com/

---------------------------------------------------------------------------­----------------

:

| A hard drive has become totally unbootable, the computer was running
| Windows XP Home.
| Installed new Hard Drive but I cannot install Windows from the Resource
| CD that came with the computer. It is An Acer Aspire 8000. I have
| Emailed Acer to ask for their advice but have had no response after
| waiting 10 days.
| Question, would it be possible to use another full retail copy of
| Windows XP to load XP and then use the original Product Key to activate
| it?
| --
| sherbrooke
 
sherbrooke said:
A hard drive has become totally unbootable, the computer was running
Windows XP Home.
Installed new Hard Drive but I cannot install Windows from the Resource
CD that came with the computer. It is An Acer Aspire 8000. I have
Emailed Acer to ask for their advice but have had no response after
waiting 10 days.
Question, would it be possible to use another full retail copy of
Windows XP to load XP and then use the original Product Key to activate
it?
Click to expand...

OEM keys do not work with full retail cd's. The retail cd will have its'
own key.
You should find out why the Acer resource cd does not work first before
spending money, bad cd disk/bad cd drive/not installed correctly/not set up
to boot before hd/etc.....

charles....
 
Try phoning Acer, instead of email?

When dealing with a pre-built PC, you almost always need to contact the
manufacture and get their help. Sometimes it can be faster to browse their
website or search for information on common subjects, and I would think that
recovery after a disk crah is not a uncommon topic. But, each PC maker has
its own way of handling a recovery. For example, some recovery CDs merely
access a hidden partition on the hard drive. These will only work, if you
get a new hard drive from the PC maker, with that hidden partition. Others
provide one or more recovery CDs that contain a disk images (XP plus some
programs).

By the way, is your problem that the Acer CD will not boot, or that it boots
and then does nothing useful?

If the former, you may need to change your BIOS to boot first from CD,
second from hard drive.

If the latter, you definitely must deal with Acer, unless you want to spend
about $200 for a full retail copy of XP.
 
Special Ed said:
The basic issue is why the HD won't boot from a bootable CD. That has to be
solved first or your probably won't boot from the other CD either.
Click to expand...


Thank you to everyone who replied to my query. I will contact Acer by
phone and see what they recommend..
 
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