will Dell OEM XP install on any PC ?

[Nomen Nescio]

I find many people selling OEM XP on auction websites.
Some offer Dell OEM discs and swear on the holy scriptures that it will work
"on any PC".
So I guess this means Dell don't BIOS lock their XP setup.
But surely there must be some idiosyncratic laptops that need their own
customised setup CD.
How risky is it to buy the Dell XP?

 

[Alias]

I find many people selling OEM XP on auction websites.
Some offer Dell OEM discs and swear on the holy scriptures that it will work
"on any PC".
So I guess this means Dell don't BIOS lock their XP setup.
But surely there must be some idiosyncratic laptops that need their own
customised setup CD.
How risky is it to buy the Dell XP?

Very risky. Don't do it. You can still buy a generic OEM XP CD from
NewEgg, among other vendors.

Alias

 

[Malke]

I find many people selling OEM XP on auction websites.
Some offer Dell OEM discs and swear on the holy scriptures that it will
work
"on any PC".
So I guess this means Dell don't BIOS lock their XP setup.
But surely there must be some idiosyncratic laptops that need their own
customised setup CD.
How risky is it to buy the Dell XP?

As far as I know, most Dells *are* BIOS-locked. I would never buy computer
stuff from an auction website. If you want a generic OEM install disk,
purchase it from a reputable online dealer such as NewEgg.

Malke

 

[Guest]

I find many people selling OEM XP on auction websites.
Some offer Dell OEM discs and swear on the holy scriptures that it will work
"on any PC".
So I guess this means Dell don't BIOS lock their XP setup.
But surely there must be some idiosyncratic laptops that need their own
customised setup CD.
How risky is it to buy the Dell XP?

My experience...
Dell XP loads on any dell desktop (that shipped with xp) I've tried,
does not ask for a
license code and does not require activation. COA sticker is on the
Dell case.

On a non-dell computer it asks for a license key and requires
activation. License keys from a generic XP CD work, but
still needs to be activated.
So, the DELL OEM CD is worth 25-cents or so.
To get one, all you gotta do is walk out your front door
and yell, "can I borrow your CD." You'll be inundated with 'em.
An unused, unblacklisted, legal, valid license key and COA
is what you pay for. You DON'T get one with a Dell OEM CD.

If you have a DELL system with a COA sticker for the correct OS, it
probably works.

Drivers are often a problem.

And make sure you're not buying a "recovery" CD. Entirely different.

YMMV

 

[Bruce Chambers]

I find many people selling OEM XP on auction websites.

Illegally, perhaps.

Some offer Dell OEM discs and swear on the holy scriptures that it will work
"on any PC".

That's not necessarily true. Early Dell OEM installation CDs would
install on pretty much anything, but would then require Activation.
Dell later changed this practice and started to provide BIOS-locked
Recovery CDs, like most other major OEMs.

So I guess this means Dell don't BIOS lock their XP setup.

See above.

But surely there must be some idiosyncratic laptops that need their own
customised setup CD.

Pretty near every single one, if it's been recently manufactured.

How risky is it to buy the Dell XP?

There's no "risk" in buying it, but there's a very good chance it'll be
a complete waste of money.


--

Bruce Chambers

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