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Windows XP - Bought on laptop, laptop now damaged,Can i install it onto desktop tower

In short,

I have a Acer Laptop which was damaged.

Recently we have been given a desktop tower computer which has a non-genuine version of Windows XP installed to it.

We still have the acer laptop, the software is installed & registered to us. We cant use the laptop.

We were thinking how could we install the Windows XP from the laptop to the desktop. We have the 3 windows CD's & the Windows Key on the bottom of the laptop.

Can we do this.? We bought the laptop new.?
Can anyone see any issues before we start to delete the desktop to find we cant install the software.?

Alias
«1345

Comments

  • Marty_J
    Marty_J Posts: 6,594 Forumite
    Can we do this.?

    Nope. Well, yes, you'll be able to install it. You won't be able to activate it though. So in practical terms, no.

    You generally don't get a full copy of Windows when you buy a computer. You get a pretend "you can use this until you computer breaks" copy.
  • Jaffa.
    Jaffa. Posts: 1,193 Forumite
    edited 3 May 2009 pm31 4:36PM
    Try the windows key on the bottom of the laptop as most of the time they have never been activated :)

    Good luck!

    Edit: Oh and make sure you use the right windows cd e.g. XP Professional CD for a Professional code, home for a home code, I'm sure you knew that anyway but just making sure :p Oh and recovery cd's won't work on a different pc, you'll need an actual XP disk, just lend one off someone.
  • Sublime_2
    Sublime_2 Posts: 15,741 Forumite
    I'd recommend using Linux, as previously recommended. A good place to start is by downloading Ubuntu. I recently gave a friend my old computer which had a really slow OEM version of Windows ME installed, and it kept crashing.

    I wiped the drive and installed Ubuntu for her instead. Its really easy to use, and comes installed ready to go, with loads of free software such as Open Office (like MS office), and games.

    I use Ubuntu in a dual booting system, and it really is good.

    http://www.ubuntu.com/
  • DCFC79
    DCFC79 Posts: 40,611 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    How is the laptop damaged,
  • Alias_Omega
    Alias_Omega Posts: 7,917 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Laptop is beyond repair,

    Initially the power connector on the motherboard was damaged, the hole enlarged. You could wedge the power cord to get it to work.

    Then the little one pulled it off the sofa, so that they cracked the screen.

    Then we gave it to the little one to play with, so now he has pulled most of the keys from the keyboard.

    So you could say its well beyond repair now, but the HD, the memory, invertor etc are all good.

    The plan was to take either a mirror of the HD, or use the disks to source the operating system for the desktop tower, as its registered and a genuine copy.

    Unsure how to find out what version of software it was, i think its XP Pro, but it might be without SP1.

    I like the idea of picking up a XP Disk from eBay etc & using the key. But how would you get the right version to accept the key.?
  • Jaffa.
    Jaffa. Posts: 1,193 Forumite
    There's only home and professional, because the cd's don't store the keys you can use any key you want so long as it's the right version for the cd. Does not matter about Service Packs' :)
  • Fonz_2
    Fonz_2 Posts: 393 Forumite
    No, this is not permitted - the OEM version which came with your laptop is tied to that laptop.
  • officially no its not permitted, but thats not to say that i wont work, i use a few compaq/HP cd keys from the labels stuck on the machines that are now in the bin, used them in the past on my home builds and worked ok, now on vista so dunno how they'd go with the latest SP3 but imagine they would be ok.

    in short ... just try it and see what happens, if you do need to phone microsoft to activate (unlikly) just tell them you have replaced the hard drive as it was faulty
  • Marty_J
    Marty_J Posts: 6,594 Forumite
    It will be patently obvious to Microsoft when he calls to activate it (likely) that it's a completely different computer.
  • andy2004
    andy2004 Posts: 1,309 Forumite
    you can remove the 2.5in hard drive from the laptop and use it in the PC, all you need is an adapter, which would plug into the 2.5in drive and have a 3.5in ide male connector on it to connect from the pc motherboard to the adapter, or you could buy an 2.5in external case for the laptop hd and use it as a backup drive, portable drive <2.5in external case about £7 from ebay. then it would connect via USB. This would allow you to read the harddrive on the PC.
    On the Operating System side of things if you have XP HOME on both the laptop and PC and the laptop is broken and therefore your no longer using it you can by law use it on another pc/laptop. you cant however use it on more than 1 PC/Laptop at a time.
    if you PC is a non-genuine xp home you only need to use the laptop code to make it genuine. google > Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder 1.5 and use this to change the 25digit code, magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder/old.shtml <add www. and then reboot,
    as someone mentioned if they are xp home laptop and xp pro on the pc then the key/code will NOT work.

    A quick how to on using the keyfinder to change the key

    run keyfinder.exe when running it will tell you your OS and the CD key you are currently using.
    Click on OPTIONS then on CHANGE WINDOWS KEY and popup window will show, type in the 25 digit code and click CHANGE. thats it your done. Close the keyfinder and re-run it, it should now show you the new key that you just typed in. reboot, aka start, shutdown and restart.
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