Sorry I should have mentioned the laptop was pre-installed with win xp pro
and the coa is for oem windows xp pro, the disc i have to re-install o/s is
oem xp pro, so yes they are the same version.
So the question still stands, will I be properly licenced?
I ask this question because one repair shop says I must buy a new copy of
windows and new coa, because the coa attached to laptop will only work with
the laptop manufacturers restore disc. He says that is the only legal way to
do it. Another says he will just use an oem copy of win xp pro and the key
from my coa to re-install, so he would only charge for the time to
re-install, but I can do that myself with what I have.
So who is right? the first shop or the second?
"Malke" wrote:
> Davejx wrote:
> > I have a laptop and the hard disk has failed, the recovery software was on a
> > partition on the failed hard drive. So no discs to re-install o/s
> >
> > I have replaced the hard drive and now need to reinstall windows, can I
> > re-install windows xp pro using the copper coloured oem windows xp pro disc I
> > have, using the key from the oem coa label on base of laptop.
> >
> > Will I be properly licenced using this method?
>
> It depends on whether the OEM version of XP Pro you have on disk is the
> same as the OEM version that was originally installed on the laptop. If
> they are the same, it will work. You will probably have to activate over
> the telephone. If they are not the same; i.e., the laptop was running XP
> Home or MCE, then it will not work.
>
> A better solution is to contact the laptop mftr. and purchase the
> physical restore disks. HP, for instance, only charges around $20 to do
> this.
>
>
> Malke
> --
> Elephant Boy Computers
> www.elephantboycomputers.com
> "Don't Panic!"
> MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User
>