5 replies to this topic

[Jeth Calark]

I would like to buy a copy of Windows XP Professional. It needs to be on CD-ROM, and I need to be able to do unlimited reinstalls on it. (I reformat my laptop on a regular basis) And, of course, the cheaper the better. Can anyone point me to the right edition or whatnot?


Come to think of it, wouldn't an OEM version be exactly what I want?

[Allathar]

Hmm, I'd go W7 instead. But I don't know if that goes with unlimited keys...

[Beowulf]

If you reinstall the OS on the same machine, Microsoft won't bat an eye. I've reinstalled XP on my desktop three times and once on my laptop. Never been a problem, even when I upgraded some of my hardware.

In case you're interested Calark, I own an OEM license for my desktop's OS.

[Jeeves]

Just call M$ explain its the same computer but a) you got a virus or b) installed more RAM and now its asking for the key again and they'll give you a new one or activate by phone.

[Jeth Calark]

Sadly, Win7 is out of the question. The computer in question is too old. It's a laptop, about nine years old. It doesn't have the hard drive space or RAM necessary, and since it's a laptop, I doubt upgrading it is worth the cost (not to mention out of my budget).

Beowulf's experience seems to suggest that an OEM is exactly what I want. Since I honestly don't care about getting customer support, I'll be looking into OEM copies.


Thanks for the tips, Jeeves, I'll keep them in mind for the future. The laptop currently has only the preinstalled copy of Windows XP, but it has been corrupted and may not be recoverable. That's why I'm looking at getting a new copy, so I won't have to rely on a stupid (corruptible) recovery partition.




On a bit of a theoretical note, is there any way possible that I could take a copy of XP off of one computer and install it instead on another one? Would formatting clean the hard drive of the first computer render the install of XP "free and available", allowing me to use the install disks on a different computer? Curiosity has struck me......

[Beowulf]

Beowulf's experience seems to suggest that an OEM is exactly what I want. Since I honestly don't care about getting customer support, I'll be looking into OEM copies.

It's exactly what you need. Just format and install your operating system. Be warned though, you will need drivers of course.

On a bit of a theoretical note, is there any way possible that I could take a copy of XP off of one computer and install it instead on another one? Would formatting clean the hard drive of the first computer render the install of XP "free and available", allowing me to use the install disks on a different computer? Curiosity has struck me......

If the license is from a pre-made, no. That license is usually tied to a computer. If you did use it, you will probably have Windows complain at you for being either "fraudulent software" or you'll be unable to active properly and be unable to update. The long and the short of it is just to purchase a new license. That will save you so much hell later on.