_Ray Posted August 3, 2010 Share Posted August 3, 2010 Hey, Recently (like, today) my cousins gave me an old Compaq Presario Desktop of theirs that they didn't really want or need anymore. It's quite old, an AMD Sempron 3200+, 2x256MB RAM, and an ATI X200 Onboard Video Chip, but I'll find use for it anyway. Anyway, after the x number of years they used it, the OS has become old and buggy, and I don't really need their stuff anymore. So, I would like to reformat the drive and reinstall XP. The problem is, my Vista disc I have for my new PC can only legally be installed on one PC, and I don't have the Windows XP Disc. So, I was wondering if it would be legal to download an ISO of Windows XP, but instead of just using a generated key or something like that, registering the copy legally and normally using the key it's installed with right now. (Right clicking my computer and then properties will tell you the key and who it's registered to) That seems like the obvious solution . . . But the problem is I don't know if it's legal or not. I know that downloading it is illegal, but since I'm using a genuine key and only on one computer, perhaps it would be OK? Thanks, Raybob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alvas. Posted August 3, 2010 Share Posted August 3, 2010 As far as I am concerned, I don't think there's anything wrong with it. Since you are using the same key, on the same PC and the person who bought the PC, might have payed a price for XP too. I'm still not sure if its completely legal though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ray Posted August 3, 2010 Author Share Posted August 3, 2010 Actually, now that I've taken the time to explore their PC, I think I'll try using the Compaq Recovery Partition first. I don't know if it has the ability to wipe out the whole drive or not though . . . Well, if it doesn't work, then I guess I will just go with the whole 'illegally download it but use a legal key' thing. I'll be back later with my results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ray Posted August 3, 2010 Author Share Posted August 3, 2010 Oh, and another thing: Apparently a year ago they had taken it to Staples to replace the Drive. (It has a 320GB WD Drive in it but says 100GB Drive on the front) So, the OS tells me it's registered to an OEM license, but the original sticker on the computer gives me a retail key (xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx) Which one should I use? And if I download XP Home SP2 but their key was for SP3 for example would that cause it to not work? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ray Posted August 4, 2010 Author Share Posted August 4, 2010 UPDATE next day: I just used the Compaq Recovery partition and it worked fine, erased all the old stuff and wasn't loaded with bloatware. But thanks for the input. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ukpolicekid Posted September 4, 2010 Share Posted September 4, 2010 UPDATE next day: I just used the Compaq Recovery partition and it worked fine, erased all the old stuff and wasn't loaded with bloatware. But thanks for the input. @Raybob Here is some of the dont's with XP 1. Have a seprate account with a password (NOT ADMIN) 2. Make Sure that the (ADMIN) account is sercure 3. Dont USE AVG FREE ukpolicekid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MK47 Posted September 4, 2010 Share Posted September 4, 2010 The second one is obvious. But why not 1 and 3? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now