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pebe
Nobel Prize Winner
United Kingdom
1078 Posts |
 Posted - Aug 03 2011 : 2:49:22 PM
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I have purchased an HP laptop that uses XP Professional and it came complete with system and utilities discs. I bought a second one for my cousin and it came with the same XP OS, but no discs.
If the second machine develops a Windows system problem, can I repair it with the OS disc from the first machine? |
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Aaron Cake
Administrator
Canada
6718 Posts |
Posted - Aug 04 2011 : 09:52:43 AM
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| No problem if the CD is a real XP Pro CD, and both machines are licensed for XP Pro. If it's a recovery CD then it probably won't work as the image will be specific to the original machine. Ditto if the other machine is XP Home...the key won't be accepted. |
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Yerboogieman
Nobel Prize Winner
USA
577 Posts |
Posted - Aug 04 2011 : 6:16:21 PM
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| Unless they are eMachine recovery CD's. They work great on old Dell and Compaq computers. :-) |
If you don't have the time to do it right, when will you have the time to do it over? |
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pebe
Nobel Prize Winner
United Kingdom
1078 Posts |
Posted - Aug 05 2011 : 02:40:33 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Aaron Cake
No problem if the CD is a real XP Pro CD, and both machines are licensed for XP Pro. If it's a recovery CD then it probably won't work as the image will be specific to the original machine. Ditto if the other machine is XP Home...the key won't be accepted.
The first machine is an HP NX6125 and the second machine is an HP NX6325. They have the same specs and appear to have only cosmetic differences.
The disc is a genuine Microsoft one and is labelled 'Operating System CD - Microsoft XP Professional Service Pack 2'. It says 'Support for a new HP or Compaq PC' and 'Contains software and drivers already installed. Refer to your user documentation if you need to reinstall or repair your system software'.
The machine's Product Key is hand written on the sleeve. Does that sound as if would do the job, and if I am asked for the key during repair, would I use that key or the 2nd machine's product key?
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Aaron Cake
Administrator
Canada
6718 Posts |
Posted - Aug 05 2011 : 09:55:29 AM
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Very odd the product key would be on the sleeve. For an OEM installation, it should be stuck to the bottom of the machine.
Each machine must have it's own product key for the license to be valid. You should only use the product key that is stuck to the computer when you reinstall. A CD with a product key on the sleeve should be a retail CD, not OEM.
The genuine Microsoft CD is the one you will want to use. |
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pebe
Nobel Prize Winner
United Kingdom
1078 Posts |
Posted - Aug 07 2011 : 11:55:40 AM
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When I said it was a genuine MS disc, I meant it was an original - not copied. Reading the label more closely it appears to be an HP disc covering all its 6100 series laptops.
I have now managed to download a user manual and it states that for a system repair the licence key should be entered when asked for. Both computers have the genuine Windows sticker on their undersides, so I assume it is a generic disc suitable for repairing both. |
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Aaron Cake
Administrator
Canada
6718 Posts |
Posted - Aug 08 2011 : 10:10:09 AM
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| Sounds like it. If it is labelled as a Windows OS CD, then it probably is. An easy way to tell would be to pop it into a machine and it will autorun and show a menu. Browse to the CD and check for an i386 folder. If both those things happen, you have a proper XP install CD and not an image. |
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jnewman
Apprentice
United Kingdom
126 Posts |
Posted - Aug 09 2011 : 7:00:53 PM
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I'm always one for butting in and making things complicated....but..
Seeing as the disk probably has an image on there instead of a slipstreamed install (I rarely see slipstreamed installs used anymore apart from small OEMs), you could restore that disk to the laptop which it came with, entering the product key etc. Then run sysprep, which will prepare the windows install for moving the installation to a different machine (both machines will use the ACPI HAL so there's no problem there). Take a disk image at this point, and restore the image to the other machine. When you then boot up both machines, both will at this stage want product keys because they are both now running sysprepped base images. Enter the product keys that come with each laptop. Done! Two laptops running fully licensed fresh windows installs. All you will need to do now is install the drivers on the machine which the restore disk wasn't intended for (the other will have drivers from the base image on the restore disk).
[/complicated] |
>>> http://www.josephn.net <<<
>>> http://forum.josephn.net <<< |
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jnewman
Apprentice
United Kingdom
126 Posts |
Posted - Aug 09 2011 : 7:08:49 PM
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The only risk of course is that the laptops have product keys for different release channel/MPD IDs (XP had a load of these, they scrapped this silly system in vista). If so, it is unlikely the restore disk base image will work with the other laptop. This goes for if it's a slipstreamed install too.
More info http://wiki.lunarsoft.net/wiki/Product_IDs
Just making you aware of this, as if you go and blitz your hard disk, get all the way to entering your product key and it doesn't work, you're stuck. I had a load of problems with this, for example one laptop from Dell running XP Pro, and my standard OEM disk didn't work with the product key on the underside. Even changing the MPC ID of the disk to 76481 (Dell) and a few others didn't work.
This'll help you find the MPC of your windows installation. This assumes Windows can still be booted http://www.magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder/ to run it! You can then change your XP cd to reflect the MPC you are running by changing SETUPI.INI in i386, just like you can change an XP retail to OEM by modifying this. |
>>> http://www.josephn.net <<<
>>> http://forum.josephn.net <<< |
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pebe
Nobel Prize Winner
United Kingdom
1078 Posts |
Posted - Aug 10 2011 : 07:48:58 AM
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Thanks for those riveting explanations, jnewman, but I have only a limited knowledge of PCs so they are way over my head.
The product keys seem to have three lots of information on them, so could you be more specific if I listed it all for you? |
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jnewman
Apprentice
United Kingdom
126 Posts |
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pebe
Nobel Prize Winner
United Kingdom
1078 Posts |
Posted - Aug 10 2011 : 3:19:21 PM
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I don't know their ages. I aquired both from the net.
The NX6125 came as a second user item complete with discs and literature. A page was included of a review done by PCPro in December 2005, so it could be as old as that.
The NX6325 came from a trade supplier who had received a consignment from a commercial business.
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Aaron Cake
Administrator
Canada
6718 Posts |
Posted - Aug 13 2011 : 10:22:24 AM
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True, certain ranges of key only work on certain ranges of CD. I didn't mention this originally because it can get a bit complicated. And in my experience installing XP (only about 5,000 installations), if the CD was issued to a manufacturer, there is an almost certain chance of any of that manufacturer's keys working with it.
For the record, retail CDs will accept almost any key, as long as the versions (Pro vs. Home) match.
Please don't post Windows product keys here. That is your license to use the program. The CD is essentially worthless. |
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pebe
Nobel Prize Winner
United Kingdom
1078 Posts |
Posted - Aug 14 2011 : 02:58:14 AM
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| Thanks, Aaron. But I cannot understand your last paragraph. Could you explain, please? |
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Aaron Cake
Administrator
Canada
6718 Posts |
Posted - Aug 14 2011 : 10:17:17 AM
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What I mean is that I don't want people posting Windows product keys here. It would immediately be picked up by Google and suddenly there would be 10,000 Windows installations using that key. After a few thousand activations of an OEM key, Microsoft would deactivate it (if they are even still paying attention).
What I mean about the CD being worthless is that it is the key that matters. That key is your license to use the program. Without it, the CD isn't of any use because you can't install and for the most part, you can use any XP CD if the version is correct to install with that key. So if you lose the CD, you can always borrow one from a friend and be totally legitimate in doing so because you're using your own key.
This is actually how I manage Windows CDs in my shop. Each version of each original that I have (OEM, Retail, Upgrade, Not For Sale, etc.) is filed away and only copies are used with NO KEYS written on them or their sleeve. Without the key the CD isn't of any use and if I lose it somewhere, no one can use it to perform an install because they don't have a key. It also avoids the issue of people walking off with the CDs (which does happen!). |
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pebe
Nobel Prize Winner
United Kingdom
1078 Posts |
Posted - Aug 14 2011 : 2:04:08 PM
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Thanks for the further explanation - it's all clear now. From what you say it seems that the CD for the HP NX6125 may work with the NX6325.
But as a further safety measure in case that doesn't, I have used EaseUS to make an image of the 6325 hard disk on a USB HD, and I'll get my cousin to back up at regular intervals. |
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XP Professsional
