[neiltsm1]

Good evening from the UK,

Hopefully this is a fairly straightforward question (famous last words...). Some time ago my laptop's HDD corrupted and I had to replace it (fortunately I backed up the data unlike a previous experience). It's a Samsung P10 but either I never had or I have lost (i'm sure I never had) the recovery disks so I had to load XP from an existing retail XP disk I had. Now the 30 days are up it won't accept my OEM key (on the bottom of my laptop). I've discovered after research online that the OEM/Retail versions don't accept each other's keys.

So my question is this: How can I get a copy of the OEM XP so I can activate my legitimately paid for (as part of the laptop purchase) copy of XP? I certainly don't want to be paying Microsoft for another license and I'm sure this must happen relatively often. Does anyone know the solution? Is it contacting Microsoft or Samsung the OEM etc?


Thanks in anticipation of your reply.


Best regards,


Neil TSM

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Howdy and welcome to G2G:

You will have to get it from whomever you purchased the laptop from..

Unless, of course, you bite the bullet and purchase a retail version instead!!

Murray

[Murray S.]

Howdy and welcome to G2G:

You will have to get it from whomever you purchased the laptop from..

Unless, of course, you bite the bullet and purchase a retail version instead!!

Murray

[Murray S.]

If this is the 25 character activattion key for XP home I have installed with a borrowed disk (original lost) and used the legitimate key from the original system with success. The key can only be used a finite number of times (5 I think) before you need to contact Microsoft.

Correct, but as pointed out by the poster.. an OEM key will NOT work with a retail version of XP nor will the retail version key code work on an OEM XO version..

Murray

[neiltsm1]

Correct, but as pointed out by the poster.. an OEM key will NOT work with a retail version of XP nor will the retail version key code work on an OEM XO version..

Murray

Thanks for your help. I have the license key for the retail version (that I use on one of my other PC's) so I'll try that key and see if it works.

[Murray S.]

Thanks for your help. I have the license key for the retail version (that I use on one of my other PC's) so I'll try that key and see if it works.

That may work for no more than 30 days.. After that you will need to activate XP and you won't be able to!!

Murray

[neiltsm1]

That may work for no more than 30 days.. After that you will need to activate XP and you won't be able to!!

Murray

Yes, it's just told me that the key has been used before so your email was very prescient! I can get a disk from the laptop supplier but it will take a few days. Not a big hardship as the alternative is to give Microsoft more money!

I'm writing this on my lovely Mac, if only I'd got a powerbook instead of that [bleep] laptop ;o)

[Murray S.]

Hope all goes well when the new disk arrives!!

Murray

[wizzy2k5]

Hi there neiltsm1 and welcome to geeks to go

One thing you can try is do a automated activation over the telephone and this should work and it would still be legitimate to get the number you need select activate over the telephone

Worth a try instead of waiting

wizzy