Where to Locate a Legit Xp Disc online.

While I have tried most online shops for a legitimate Xp disc, am yet to find one that offers it withut a key (I have a key of my own). Can someone Please help me out? My old HP badly needs a clean install and my xp disc that came with it has been long lost.

 

Have you tried calling HP? Also check out Ebay, you can get XP disc there for peanuts.

Here you go an HP Disc with your name on it. It's $17.50 with free shipping

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-HP-Microsof...137?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5ae0b980b9

 

yeah .... i have tried calling Hp, but they insist that i buy a new disk. E bay am not sure if i would find legitimate ones. IS there something like a MSDN or tech support from where i can get a copy of the disk?

 

Here you go an HP Disc with your name on it. It's $17.50 with free shipping

New HP Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition CD 358213-001 | eBay

 

Is it Home or Pro? I don't think you'll find a place offering a free legitimate download of Windows XP. Like Rodster has said, eBay would probably be your only source for legitimate discs. As long as you buy it from a high rating seller, you should be good.

 

Well you can download windows OS discs if you already have a key. No need to have to repurchase.

 

If you still have the i386 folder intact on C: you can create an install disc from it.

The folder should be about 400 MB or larger. Here's how.

About #5, you should click the check box if you add a service pack.

Before reinstalling you MUST find out the [other] license key, since you can't use the one on the sticker. Use this program.

Edit: Oh, you're the one in that thread..

 

afaik Windows OS CD, DVD, ISO whatever can be distributed because it is of no use without a key. I already PM'd the OP and said I'd do just that, but haven't heard back.

 

I have about 200 WinXP Pro SP3 CD's sitting in my office. Unopened in OEM packaging (No Key). Not sure what the legality is on reselling them though.

Its a bit of a grey area. MS doesnt really like people redistributing their property.

 

Reselling original physical media should be fine, probably reads in the EULA.txt somewhere but "making copies" as in providing them as downloadables is a no-no.

 

You can always use a PM instead.

 

With XP SP3 you can also install it without a key (and get a 30 day trial).

 

Nope, anyone can still combine your copy with a crack and make it illegal.

Because MS sells W7 online as a direct download, which they don't do with XP as far as I know.

 

For all time time and heartburn invested here the OP could have bought a copy of Win7 and updated.

If your 'old HP' has an accelerated video chip (IGP, etc), a cpu running at 1Gz+, and a min of 1 Gb ram (2gb is better), Win7 will run just fine.

 

Not everyone has $100 to splurge on an OS, or wants to for that matter when they have an older machine with a perfectly legit key.

 

It makes no difference with the Windows 7 situation either, anybody can just download the links via Digital River and combine it with certain mods to make it illegal.

One problem with the Windows XP situation is that you have to have the correct version in relation to your product key. Say you got an OEM XP key, you can't use it on a Retail version of Windows XP and vice versa, theoretically this means you have to upload separate versions of Windows XP to cater everybody. This isn't much of a problem on Vista or 7 as you can use either Retail/OEM key on the same disc.

 

i had the same headache with my old vaio and dell. cd's long gone and no way to reinstall. in the end i just gave up and put ubuntu on them

it certainly is frustrating when you have a old machine that runs perfectly well and you'd like to pass it to someone else who just needs it to check email/use word so there is no point spending money on a new OS.


added to the problem is as hearst said the OEM license keys will not work with retail copies

 

I surprised that people won't even consider using the i386 folder.

The method I linked to is very useful since it will give you the version you need.

Tell that to MS, not me.

 

Those Digital River links are practically Microsoft's own webshop. MS can do whatever it wants with its own products.

I'm too lazy to look for the eula/license texts myself but I know they have a line saying that any method to redistribute patch/image files is not allowed by anyone else than Microsoft or its partners themselves.

This topic was discussed on another forum ~year ago, resulted quite a few links being deleted there.

 

i would complain that i had the same problem with vista-- except that i lost the license key too dell replaced the base of my laptop and i didnt realise the license sticker would go too.

didnt really affect me as i'd already bought windows 7 though.

needless to say, i now have a dedicated USB key,with win7 and my license key on it for windows 7 to avoid history repeating itself....

 

Are you certain of that? I used a standard XP CD all the time one OEM machines like Dell, HP, Gateway. You just have to call and activate.

 

I'm pretty certain as I got 3 Windows XP Professional discs with me (Retail, OEM & VLK - oh the joys of MSDN) and from past experience you can't use certain keys that aren't matched to the disc version (i.e. OEM key on Retail CD).

However you can edit the setup file to change the version of the disc so it can accept a particular key, there's a blog which tells you on how to change this file on the CD so it can accept your particular XP key in the installation.

 

I have 2 old pc's that are just used for internet and emails. When I formatted them to give them a fresh install i could not find the XP PRO OEM disk. I looked online expecting to be able to download an ISO from ms website. After i could not find one i just had to install win 2000.

 

Maybe it's time to switch those old machines to linux? Put Crunchbang on there and you won't miss XP at all. (ChromeOS might be even better suited! Only use email and web? Well that's all it has! Google only released the source, but I tried this guys build and it worked. Chromium OS builds by Hexxeh )