[adqjohn]

Quick Question for you boys and girls.
I have an old Dell XP Home Reinstallation disk. Will this work in an HP machine that had XP Home? If not, how come?
Thanx.

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It would depened on whether it was a "recovery" CD or a Windows disk. The way that recovery disks work is that they restore an area on your hard drive that was set aside for just such an occassion. Therefore even if it was the same computer with a different hard drive it would not work.

If it is a Windows disk then it can be used. You must use the CD Key that is on your HP computer.

Edit: Also if say the HP started with SP2 and your Dell started with SP1 then it will not work.

Edited by Titan8990, 18 October 2007 - 03:15 AM.

[Titan8990]

It would depened on whether it was a "recovery" CD or a Windows disk. The way that recovery disks work is that they restore an area on your hard drive that was set aside for just such an occassion. Therefore even if it was the same computer with a different hard drive it would not work.

If it is a Windows disk then it can be used. You must use the CD Key that is on your HP computer.

Edit: Also if say the HP started with SP2 and your Dell started with SP1 then it will not work.

Edited by Titan8990, 18 October 2007 - 03:15 AM.

[adqjohn]

Thanx Titan.
I guess this Reinstallation CD must be a recovery disk although it doesn't say "Recovery CD". It has the Dell label titled Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition-- Inc. SP 1a.

By saying Windows disk, I take your meaning to be: the official Microsoft (w/logo) disk, right?

New question. Say it was a Windows disk w/SP1 and the HP had started with SP1 and then been updated to SP2, would it still work?


THANK YOU LORD, THAT WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO LEARN FROM THE WISDOM OF OTHERS

[jaxisland]

If it says XP and not Recovery CD then it is more than likely the full install of XP and would work. You would just need to use the serial number on the label on your HP.

If you are doing a reinstall and formatting the hard drive, it does not matter what is there now, becuase it will be deleted. You will just have to upgrade to SP2 when you are done.

[Titan8990]

Yes, Jaxis is right if you are doing a complete reformat it doesn't matter. If you were just doing a repair install then the service pack would matter. Just for future reference if a computer started with SP1 and upgraded to SP2 you still need a SP1 Windows to disk to repair install.

[adqjohn]

Not sure what is needed yet, as I am still waiting for the new PSU for the friends (dead) HP. They got it at MadeinChinaMart with no accompanying software. ??

If a repair/reinstall is needed, now I have the skinny.

Thanx again, John in ADQ