Possible to download *just* media for Windows XP Home?

I am teaching a class and a couple of students need *only* the Windows XP
media, is there a link that I could download just the ISO?

**They have keys, I have verfied, these are home users bringing their
desktops in for a computer class who don't have the original cd's that came
with their computers. I have verfied the keys stickered to the back of the
computer**

Thanks for your help.

Every copy of Windows is different - you can't just "paste" in any old "key" into any
copy of Windows - no, each key is unique to that copy (cd-rom) it was made for.

The only copy of WinXP you can download for free is going to be an illegal "cracked"
one.

==

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)




"Teacher213" wrote in message
...
I am teaching a class and a couple of students need *only* the Windows XP
media, is there a link that I could download just the ISO?

**They have keys, I have verfied, these are home users bringing their
desktops in for a computer class who don't have the original cd's that came
with their computers. I have verfied the keys stickered to the back of the
computer**

Thanks for your help.

Thank you for your reply.

I have recieved an answer from Microsoft over the phone, thank you everyone
for taking the time to read. This thread can be closed now.

"Tim Meddick" wrote:

Every copy of Windows is different - you can't just "paste" in any old "key" into any
copy of Windows - no, each key is unique to that copy (cd-rom) it was made for.

The only copy of WinXP you can download for free is going to be an illegal "cracked"
one.

==

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)




"Teacher213" wrote in message
...
I am teaching a class and a couple of students need *only* the Windows XP
media, is there a link that I could download just the ISO?

**They have keys, I have verfied, these are home users bringing their
desktops in for a computer class who don't have the original cd's that came
with their computers. I have verfied the keys stickered to the back of the
computer**

Thanks for your help.

.

In message , Tim Meddick
writes:
Every copy of Windows is different - you can't just "paste" in any old
"key" into any copy of Windows - no, each key is unique to that copy
(cd-rom) it was made for.

Lest anyone misunderstand - every CD isn't unique (though every key is),
but there are an awful lot of versions of the CD: they're made in the
various versions, such as Home and Pro, and within each of those there
are various levels of generality from the full retail version down to
very specific-to-hardware OEM ones.

Keys for _identical_ CDs - such as two full retail pack ones - should be
interchangeable in as much as you should be able to use either key to
install with either CD; however, once you've used the key to install
Windows (assuming it was a full retail one and you're installing from
scratch), you then shouldn't use the same key on another computer.

Down at the OEM-specific level, although a batch of identical PCs might
have identical CDs (or, more likely, not have come with a CD at all, but
have had XP preinstalled at the factory - with a recovery partition if
you're lucky), they will still have different keys, which _might_ be
keyed to the actual hardware.

The only copy of WinXP you can download for free is going to be an
illegal "cracked" one.

Which, quite apart from the danger of it containing malware or
something, may well not be of use for the purpose Teacher123 wants,
which is presumably to install windows components, or repair files, on
pupil's own machines - as it is likely to be the wrong version, since
there are so many of them.

==

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)




"Teacher213" wrote in message
...
I am teaching a class and a couple of students need *only* the Windows XP
media, is there a link that I could download just the ISO?

**They have keys, I have verfied, these are home users bringing their
desktops in for a computer class who don't have the original cd's that came
with their computers. I have verfied the keys stickered to the back of the
computer**

Thanks for your help.


--
J. P. Gilliver. 27 years experience in the electronics industry - seeking
employment (also computer, tester, trainer ...); email for details: CV at
http://www.soft255.demon.co.uk/CV2010-3.tif (2-sheet TIFF)!

I haven't lost my mind; I have a tape back-up somewhere.

On Fri, 26 Mar 2010 21:20:31 -0000, "Tim Meddick"
wrote:

Every copy of Windows is different - you can't just "paste" in any old "key" into any
copy of Windows - no, each key is unique to that copy (cd-rom) it was made for.


Sorry, but that's *not* correct. Keys are not made for each CD. Each
key is unique, but the CDs are not, so any key will work with a CD
that it matches with respect to Home vs. Professional, Retail vs
Generic OEM, Full vs Upgrade).

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

In message , "Ken Blake,
MVP" writes:

On Fri, 26 Mar 2010 21:20:31 -0000, "Tim Meddick"
wrote:

Every copy of Windows is different - you can't just "paste" in any
old "key" into any
copy of Windows - no, each key is unique to that copy (cd-rom) it was
made for.


Sorry, but that's *not* correct. Keys are not made for each CD. Each
key is unique, but the CDs are not, so any key will work with a CD
that it matches with respect to Home vs. Professional, Retail vs
Generic OEM, Full vs Upgrade).

Well done: that's what I was trying to say, but you managed to say it in
far fewer words (and thus much easier to understand)!

I suspect Tim actually meant that anyway, too.
--
J. P. Gilliver. 27 years experience in the electronics industry - seeking
employment (also computer, tester, trainer ...); email for details: CV at
http://www.soft255.demon.co.uk/CV2010-3.tif (2-sheet TIFF)!

Computers make it easy for humans to make mistakes that are hard to fix -
Thomas
Landauer (author and psychiatry professor), quoted by Colin Barker (Computing
1999-2-18, p. 21)

On Sun, 28 Mar 2010 12:17:32 +0100, "J. P. Gilliver (John)"
wrote:

In message , "Ken Blake,
MVP" writes:

On Fri, 26 Mar 2010 21:20:31 -0000, "Tim Meddick"
wrote:

Every copy of Windows is different - you can't just "paste" in any
old "key" into any
copy of Windows - no, each key is unique to that copy (cd-rom) it was
made for.


Sorry, but that's *not* correct. Keys are not made for each CD. Each
key is unique, but the CDs are not, so any key will work with a CD
that it matches with respect to Home vs. Professional, Retail vs
Generic OEM, Full vs Upgrade).

Well done: that's what I was trying to say, but you managed to say it in
far fewer words (and thus much easier to understand)!

I suspect Tim actually meant that anyway, too.


Perhaps that's what Tim meant, but I didn't read it way, so I thought
I'd clarify it.

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

On Sun, 28 Mar 2010 12:17:32 +0100, "J. P. Gilliver (John)"
wrote:

In message , "Ken Blake,
MVP" writes:

On Fri, 26 Mar 2010 21:20:31 -0000, "Tim Meddick"
wrote:

Every copy of Windows is different - you can't just "paste" in any
old "key" into any
copy of Windows - no, each key is unique to that copy (cd-rom) it was
made for.


Sorry, but that's *not* correct. Keys are not made for each CD. Each
key is unique, but the CDs are not, so any key will work with a CD
that it matches with respect to Home vs. Professional, Retail vs
Generic OEM, Full vs Upgrade).

Well done: that's what I was trying to say, but you managed to say it in
far fewer words (and thus much easier to understand)!

I suspect Tim actually meant that anyway, too.


Perhaps that's what Tim meant, but I didn't read it way, so I thought
I'd clarify it.

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

(To others who generously thought I meant something else - I didn't - sorry)

Well, I tried entering a valid key into (all non-OEM) copies of Win98, WinME and
WinNT4 and none of those ever worked!!

What makes XP so different that it will accept unique keys from any similar XP
version?

==

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)




"Ken Blake, MVP" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 26 Mar 2010 21:20:31 -0000, "Tim Meddick"
wrote:

Every copy of Windows is different - you can't just "paste" in any old "key" into
any
copy of Windows - no, each key is unique to that copy (cd-rom) it was made for.


Sorry, but that's *not* correct. Keys are not made for each CD. Each
key is unique, but the CDs are not, so any key will work with a CD
that it matches with respect to Home vs. Professional, Retail vs
Generic OEM, Full vs Upgrade).

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

In message , Tim Meddick
writes:
(To others who generously thought I meant something else - I didn't - sorry)

Well, I tried entering a valid key into (all non-OEM) copies of Win98,
WinME and WinNT4 and none of those ever worked!!

In what sense was it "a valid key"? For what? (Though I do remember - a
_long_ time ago - finding that a key from one Microsoft product worked
with another: I think that might have been Windows 95 and Office 95. But
as I say, that was a long time ago. Almost certainly not now.)

What makes XP so different that it will accept unique keys from any
similar XP version?
[]
I think what Ken and I mean is this: the CDs are not made individually -
they're mass-produced, much like audio CDs. (For a long time I've
wondered why they _don't_ make a CD with a tiny writable part, but they
don't.) [XP isn't different in this respect.] If you were to obtain two
CDs for the same product - two retail copies of XP, 98, Office, or
probably even Vista or 7 - then as long as they were _exactly_ the same
product (Home or Pro, retail or OEM, if OEM for the same batch of
hardware), then the same key would work with both - until you went
online to register the second one, at least. But it _would_ get you
through the installation process.
--
J. P. Gilliver. 27 years experience in the electronics industry - seeking
employment (also computer, tester, trainer ...); email for details: CV at
http://www.soft255.demon.co.uk/CV2010-3.tif (2-sheet TIFF)!

War is God's way of teaching Americans geography. -Ambrose Bierce, writer
(1842-1914)

That IS what I'm saying - I can't be any clearer.

I had [have] copies of WinME, Win98se and WinNT4 and they come with keys (that work).

On entering other keys that I know work with other [respective] versions of each,
they simply do not work.

Why is this, if, as you two keep saying, XP can use *any* valid key for any
[sub-version] copy of Windows?

==

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)




"J. P. Gilliver (John)" wrote in message
...
In message , Tim Meddick
writes:
(To others who generously thought I meant something else - I didn't - sorry)

Well, I tried entering a valid key into (all non-OEM) copies of Win98,
WinME and WinNT4 and none of those ever worked!!

In what sense was it "a valid key"? For what? (Though I do remember - a _long_ time
ago - finding that a key from one Microsoft product worked with another: I think
that might have been Windows 95 and Office 95. But as I say, that was a long time
ago. Almost certainly not now.)

What makes XP so different that it will accept unique keys from any similar XP
version?
[]
I think what Ken and I mean is this: the CDs are not made individually - they're
mass-produced, much like audio CDs. (For a long time I've wondered why they _don't_
make a CD with a tiny writable part, but they don't.) [XP isn't different in this
respect.] If you were to obtain two CDs for the same product - two retail copies of
XP, 98, Office, or probably even Vista or 7 - then as long as they were _exactly_
the same product (Home or Pro, retail or OEM, if OEM for the same batch of
hardware), then the same key would work with both - until you went online to
register the second one, at least. But it _would_ get you through the installation
process.
--
J. P. Gilliver. 27 years experience in the electronics industry - seeking
employment (also computer, tester, trainer ...); email for details: CV at
http://www.soft255.demon.co.uk/CV2010-3.tif (2-sheet TIFF)!

War is God's way of teaching Americans geography. -Ambrose Bierce, writer
(1842-1914)

That IS what I'm saying - I can't be any clearer.

I had [have] copies of WinME, Win98se and WinNT4 and they come with keys (that work).

On entering other keys that I know work with other [respective] versions of each,
they simply do not work.

Why is this, if, as you two keep saying, XP can use *any* valid key for any
[sub-version] copy of Windows?

==

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)




"J. P. Gilliver (John)" wrote in message
...
In message , Tim Meddick
writes:
(To others who generously thought I meant something else - I didn't - sorry)

Well, I tried entering a valid key into (all non-OEM) copies of Win98,
WinME and WinNT4 and none of those ever worked!!

In what sense was it "a valid key"? For what? (Though I do remember - a _long_ time
ago - finding that a key from one Microsoft product worked with another: I think
that might have been Windows 95 and Office 95. But as I say, that was a long time
ago. Almost certainly not now.)

What makes XP so different that it will accept unique keys from any similar XP
version?
[]
I think what Ken and I mean is this: the CDs are not made individually - they're
mass-produced, much like audio CDs. (For a long time I've wondered why they _don't_
make a CD with a tiny writable part, but they don't.) [XP isn't different in this
respect.] If you were to obtain two CDs for the same product - two retail copies of
XP, 98, Office, or probably even Vista or 7 - then as long as they were _exactly_
the same product (Home or Pro, retail or OEM, if OEM for the same batch of
hardware), then the same key would work with both - until you went online to
register the second one, at least. But it _would_ get you through the installation
process.
--
J. P. Gilliver. 27 years experience in the electronics industry - seeking
employment (also computer, tester, trainer ...); email for details: CV at
http://www.soft255.demon.co.uk/CV2010-3.tif (2-sheet TIFF)!

War is God's way of teaching Americans geography. -Ambrose Bierce, writer
(1842-1914)

In message , Tim Meddick
writes:
(To others who generously thought I meant something else - I didn't - sorry)

Well, I tried entering a valid key into (all non-OEM) copies of Win98,
WinME and WinNT4 and none of those ever worked!!

In what sense was it "a valid key"? For what? (Though I do remember - a
_long_ time ago - finding that a key from one Microsoft product worked
with another: I think that might have been Windows 95 and Office 95. But
as I say, that was a long time ago. Almost certainly not now.)

What makes XP so different that it will accept unique keys from any
similar XP version?
[]
I think what Ken and I mean is this: the CDs are not made individually -
they're mass-produced, much like audio CDs. (For a long time I've
wondered why they _don't_ make a CD with a tiny writable part, but they
don't.) [XP isn't different in this respect.] If you were to obtain two
CDs for the same product - two retail copies of XP, 98, Office, or
probably even Vista or 7 - then as long as they were _exactly_ the same
product (Home or Pro, retail or OEM, if OEM for the same batch of
hardware), then the same key would work with both - until you went
online to register the second one, at least. But it _would_ get you
through the installation process.
--
J. P. Gilliver. 27 years experience in the electronics industry - seeking
employment (also computer, tester, trainer ...); email for details: CV at
http://www.soft255.demon.co.uk/CV2010-3.tif (2-sheet TIFF)!

War is God's way of teaching Americans geography. -Ambrose Bierce, writer
(1842-1914)

In message , "Ken Blake,
MVP" writes:

On Fri, 26 Mar 2010 21:20:31 -0000, "Tim Meddick"
wrote:

Every copy of Windows is different - you can't just "paste" in any
old "key" into any
copy of Windows - no, each key is unique to that copy (cd-rom) it was
made for.


Sorry, but that's *not* correct. Keys are not made for each CD. Each
key is unique, but the CDs are not, so any key will work with a CD
that it matches with respect to Home vs. Professional, Retail vs
Generic OEM, Full vs Upgrade).

Well done: that's what I was trying to say, but you managed to say it in
far fewer words (and thus much easier to understand)!

I suspect Tim actually meant that anyway, too.
--
J. P. Gilliver. 27 years experience in the electronics industry - seeking
employment (also computer, tester, trainer ...); email for details: CV at
http://www.soft255.demon.co.uk/CV2010-3.tif (2-sheet TIFF)!

Computers make it easy for humans to make mistakes that are hard to fix -
Thomas
Landauer (author and psychiatry professor), quoted by Colin Barker (Computing
1999-2-18, p. 21)

(To others who generously thought I meant something else - I didn't - sorry)

Well, I tried entering a valid key into (all non-OEM) copies of Win98, WinME and
WinNT4 and none of those ever worked!!

What makes XP so different that it will accept unique keys from any similar XP
version?

==

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London. :-)




"Ken Blake, MVP" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 26 Mar 2010 21:20:31 -0000, "Tim Meddick"
wrote:

Every copy of Windows is different - you can't just "paste" in any old "key" into
any
copy of Windows - no, each key is unique to that copy (cd-rom) it was made for.


Sorry, but that's *not* correct. Keys are not made for each CD. Each
key is unique, but the CDs are not, so any key will work with a CD
that it matches with respect to Home vs. Professional, Retail vs
Generic OEM, Full vs Upgrade).

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
Please Reply to the Newsgroup