XP OEM v. retail on CF-28

Recently received another CF-28 (envy of wife's denied geekitude finally became overwhelming).

I plan to put Linux on this one (eventually on the other too, but using mine for the first trial) but at the moment the Ubuntu 10.10 CD I have here has been un-cooperative, so I want to reload Windows for now. It looks like this machine wasn't reinstalled by the seller, there's various old junk on there and I want to make sure it's clean. There doesn't seem to be a hidden restore partition.

It has a COA sticker for XP Pro, with a Panasonic legend - should a regular retail XP Pro CD install and validate OK on it?

Full model code: CF-28PTJA8KM

 

For the CF-28 this will work. I installed 10.04 last week and found that 512 ram made a significant difference.

For 10.10 read backwards in the 10.10 thread. I think the recent edits are posted on post 1.

Klonsdale is the cf-28 guy for Linux.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/panasonic/524581-ubuntu-10-10-toughbook-version-8.html#post6863423

I really recommend a factory restore cd for xp.

I found these quotes with:
TEST site:forum.notebookreview.com/panasonic - Google Search
Replace test with your query.

Jeff

 

I am possibly wrong, but if I remember correctly, the retail install (COA) key is of a slightly different format and retail install disk will not accept the OEM install keys.

 

I can assure you that a Dell OEM disk will work and validate on a CF-28, CF-29 too for that matter. Look in the stickies for other info or search as mentioned above. The 28 is so simple to load the drivers on I never bothered to even look for a factory restore disk. Just down load the drivers and stick them in, no special order, no hassles. As for the retail disk, I never tried but I'm sure there is some discussion around here somewhere, probably will work, the retail version of Win2K will for sure. I sometimes miss the simplicity of the 27s and 28s.
CAP

 

Thanks for those Linux pointers (I was only searching for XP OEM licence issues at this point). i915.modeset=0 did the trick - I'm writing this in a 10.10 LiveCD environment now (slightly unnerved by both the touchscreen and touchpad working!)

Everyone is possibly wrong. Possibly excepting Mnem
This looks like a (in my understanding) standard 25-char code, I just had a qualm over the Panasonic legend.

Hi Capt D,

That suggests to me that the retail XP CD would work just fine, thanks.

cheers all,

 

The retail disc is supposed to only accept product keys from a retail COA; this is to prevent multiple installs using the same OEM or volume license key. That said, I've used a retail disc to install many times using an OEM key, and only once did it balk on me. Activation via telephone resolved the issue. I've never actually seen an OEM disc refuse ANY valid product key, OEM or Retail; which makes sense. When installing from OEM disk with a retail product key, why would MS mind? You paid retail for a product license when you could have used the OEM license for free. They're getting paid twice; once by the MFR, once by you.

mnem<~~~not authorized~~~<<<