Windows Question

[Guest]

I want to upgrade my computer, and i mean a major overhaul. I heard that
this will freak out windows, and need to know if microsoft can send my a disk
copy of microsoft windows XP that will work w/ my cd-key. The computer is a
dell, and didnt come w/ a windows disk copy.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

I want to upgrade my computer, and i mean a major overhaul. I heard that
this will freak out windows, .....

That depends on exactly what you mean by "upgrade" and "major
overhaul." Which specific components are you planning to replace.

.... and need to know if microsoft can send my a disk
copy of microsoft windows XP that will work w/ my cd-key. The computer is a
dell, and didnt come w/ a windows disk copy.

No, only Dell can provide an installation CD for their OEM version of
WinXP; Microsoft cannot do so. (And a Dell OEM CD won't do you any good
if you happen to upgrade, as in "replace," the Dell motherboard. In
that case you'll have broken your support agreement with Dell and will
have to purchase another license for the OS, unless you can somehow
find/obtain a generic, unbranded OEM CD that will work with the OEM
Product Key.)


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Bruce Chambers

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[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

No, if you need a CD, you need to get it from Dell.

Check your manual and/or contact Dell for option making the restore
media.
Most Dells that came without CDs had the capability of making the
restore media.
This would be a Dell feature and is not a Windows Capability.

 

[Tony Meloche]

No, if you need a CD, you need to get it from Dell.

Check your manual and/or contact Dell for option making the restore media.
Most Dells that came without CDs had the capability of making the
restore media.
This would be a Dell feature and is not a Windows Capability.

That's right, as I just bought my third computer from Dell. At the time
I bought it, they were *advertising* it as coming *with* the WinXP-sp2
restore disc, but they had already discontinued that. But they hadn't
change the web page. I raised hell about it, but they wouldn't budge -
they will no longer supply the disc. However, they will give you a URL
to download the entire XP-sp2 disc free, if ou want (no, I don't have
it). I think they said the CD download is around 400MB - ? So, if you
still have dial-up, you might want to think twice before doing that.

Tony

 

[Tim Slattery]

I want to upgrade my computer, and i mean a major overhaul. I heard that
this will freak out windows, and need to know if microsoft can send my a disk
copy of microsoft windows XP that will work w/ my cd-key. The computer is a
dell, and didnt come w/ a windows disk copy.

Depends on just what your overhaul entails. If you change the
motherboard, and the new one doesn't come from Dell, the OEM system
that came with your computer pretty surely won't run on it, since it's
probably locked to the BIOS on the original motherboard.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I want to upgrade my computer, and i mean a major overhaul.

What does a "major overhaul" mean? Exactly what components will you be
upgrading or replacing?

I heard that
this will freak out windows,

Depends on exactly what is changed and how different they may be from
the originals. You may need to do a repair installation or you may
need to do a clean reinstallation. You may need to reactivate.

and need to know if microsoft can send my a disk
copy of microsoft windows XP that will work w/ my cd-key. The computer is a
dell, and didnt come w/ a windows disk copy.

First, if yours is a Dell, you have an OEM copy of Windows. All
support for OEM copies has to come from your OEM (in your case, Dell),
not Microsoft. Microsoft won't help you.

Second, the license for an OEM copy of Windows ties it permanently to
the first computer it's installed on. The license doesn't specify
exactly what constitutes the same computer, but if your changes are
significant enough, be aware that it may be considered to be an
entirely new computer, and you won't be able to activate your current
copy.

Third, many OEM copies are BIOS-locked to the motherboard. That means
that if you change motherboards, you could not physically reinstall
that copy of Windows at all.

And finally, if you get past all the issues above, be aware that OEM
vendors are required by their agreement with Microsoft to give you a
means of reinstalling, should it be necessary. They can do this in one
of three ways:

1. An OEM copy of Windows
2. A restore CD
3. A hidden partition on your drive, with restore information.

If you don't have 1 or 2, you should have 3, but you should contact
your vendor to find out.

Personally, I find both 2 and 3 unacceptable (especially 3; a hard
drive crash can leave you with nothing), and would never choose to buy
a computer that came with an operating system unless I got a complete
generic installation CD for that operating system.