Use someone other WIN XP to reinstal

[W Karnopp]

I have to Dell computers one came with Windows ME. I upgraded to Wondoes XP
with XP License. My other computer is Inspiron 1100 with Windows XP. Can I
use that OS to reinstall Windows XP instead of reintall ME Than Win XP. Are
can use someone other Windows XP disk uding my old License for Windows XP?

[Bruce Chambers]

W Karnopp wrote:
> I have to Dell computers one came with Windows ME. I upgraded to Wondoes XP
> with XP License. My other computer is Inspiron 1100 with Windows XP. Can I
> use that OS to reinstall Windows XP.....


It would depend upon the specific type of CD that came with the
Inspiron. If it's a full installation CD, and if it isn't locked to a
specific BIOS, it might work; if it's a proprietary Recovery CD, it
probably won't.


> .... instead of reintall ME Than Win XP.


Ah! But there's no need to reinstall WinME prior to installing the
WinXP Upgrade. It's quite possible to perform a clean installation
using the WinXP Upgrade CD, provided you have the true installation CD
for the earlier OS.

Simply boot from the WinXP Upgrade CD. You'll be offered the
opportunity to delete, create, and format partitions as part of the
installation process. The Upgrade CD checks to see if a qualifying OS
is installed, and, if it finds none, it asks you to insert the
installation media (CD) of that OS. Unfortunately, an OEM
"Recovery/Restore" CD will not work for this purpose; you must have a
true installation CD, complete with the "\Win98" folder and *.cab
files, or the "\i386" folder of WinNT/2K.


> Are
> can use someone other Windows XP disk uding my old License for Windows XP?


Only if the CD is for the same edition and version of WinXP. Product
Keys are bound to the specific type and language of CD and/or 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.


--

Bruce Chambers

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[Sharon F]

On Sat, 25 Nov 2006 08:59:01 -0800, W Karnopp wrote:

> I have to Dell computers one came with Windows ME. I upgraded to Wondoes XP
> with XP License. My other computer is Inspiron 1100 with Windows XP. Can I
> use that OS to reinstall Windows XP instead of reintall ME Than Win XP. Are
> can use someone other Windows XP disk uding my old License for Windows XP?

The answer to this depends on what kind of recovery CD you have for the
"ME" machine and what kind of XP CD was used to upgrade.

Dell was still shipping an operating system CD during the WinME era. This
was a "generic" OEM CD (that Dell printed their name on) and it's capable
of installing Windows only. If you can locate that CD and if you purchased
a retail copy of XP to upgrade, you can use that XP to perform a clean
install. At one point during XP setup you will be prompted to insert the CD
for Windows ME. Insert the Dell CD and setup will continue.

NOTE: If you received a special "upgrade to XP" CD from Dell, then you need
to check the directions for using it. It may work differently than the
scenario described above.

I have no idea if your Inspiron recovery disk or if someone else's CD could
be used instead (with your product key instead of yours). Too many
variables as the type of recovery media distributed by Dell fluctuated at
this point in time - what used to work, doesn't always work like it did
"before."

IMPORTANT: If you reinstall using the old CDs, remember that the very first
version of XP did not protect against some nasty viruses that turned up
later. You'll want to install while *not* connected to the internet. Check
that firewall is enabled before going online! or that machine will be
infected before you can install the security updates. You could download
SP2, burn it to CD. Then do the XP reinstall and apply SP2 before going
online.

--
Sharon F
MS-MVP ~ Windows Shell/User