Windows XP install

[Zadock]

A friend of mine has a Dell, its about 3 years old give or take. It was very cheap! £200 (may have been less), its a desktop. She doesn't appear to have been provided with any CDs not even a restore disk (or she has lost them) but there is a sticker with the XP cd key on the case so my question is: can I use my copy of xp but her cd-key to re-install windows?

also am I likely to encounter any problems regarding the Dell hardware? e.g. sound drivers etc etc

Cheers

Z

[Mithrandir]

AS far as I'm aware, that should be fine.

[Splash]

You're likely to find that unless your XP media is DELL OEM branded it won't work with the key on that machine. The drivers for pretty much all Dell machines are easily available at the Dell website though.

[mark19632]

As long as your XP cd is an OEM one it will be fine. You'll proabbly have to download the drivers from teh dell site

[Zadock]

I suppose I could, though its a bit dodgy, use a key changer i.e. install it with my disk and key then change the key with a key changer and then activate it under the correct key?

Other option is go back to dell and ask for a disk, could take a while though. I'll see what happens

cheers guys

[Splash]

I suppose I could, though its a bit dodgy, use a key changer i.e. install it with my disk and key then change the key with a key changer and then activate it under the correct key?

Won't work - install media *must* be Dell OEM to accept that key - if you try what you are suggesting then the key will be rejected when you change it.

Other option is go back to dell and ask for a disk, could take a while though. I'll see what happens

cheers guys

Dell are *generally* pretty good with this sort of thing - I had to order new media for my lappy a few months ago (under warranty) and I had the media 2 days later. In fact, for some reason they sent 2 sets of media, just to be safe

[Lucio]

I suppose I could, though its a bit dodgy, use a key changer i.e. install it with my disk and key then change the key with a key changer and then activate it under the correct key?

Other option is go back to dell and ask for a disk, could take a while though. I'll see what happens

cheers guys

Given that Key changers themselves aren't legal, then no, no you can't

Anyhow, it still wouldn't work unless you have an appropriate OEM disc. AFAIK Dell OEM discs are just slipstreamed copies with Dell specific drivers pre-installed.

[Splash]

Anyhow, it still wouldn't work unless you have an appropriate OEM disc. AFAIK Dell OEM discs are just slipstreamed copies with Dell specific drivers pre-installed.

Nope, no drivers in any of the Dell OEM media that I've ever used. They'll just *only* accept a Dell OEM license key, which will be rejected by any other retail/OEM media.

[TAKTAK]

also all the dell media i have come across have had the OEM key embedded into the install, so the user doesn't need to tap it in...

and why are key changers illegal? they just change registry strings which you could do without the key changer...

but your best bet is doing it all above board through dell... (that way MSoft has no comeback to try and charge you for it)

[dangel]

I keep OEM installation media around for this reason - i often get a laptop with an OEM licence and a dead hard drive which needs fixing.

[Zadock]

Looks like going to dell for a copy unless her original CD emerges then... bit irritating. The machine itself hasn't been altered in anyway it just needs a reformat and a bit of a tweak. Its just for internet use, think its a celeron.

[Agent]

Given that Key changers themselves aren't legal, then no, no you can't

Vista includes a "key changer" by default in its interface.
For XP, you can download the scripts freely from Microsoft's website.
Or of course, you could do it via the registry.

What is illegal about a key changer? There are valid reasons and uses for them.