Botched Upgrade

[Guest]

Running Gateway Solo Pro 9300, with mfg installed Windows 98 which would not
support new software, so needed to upgrade to Windows XP.

Used "reinstall" Windows XP facility that was provided by Dell when I
purchased my a new laptop. Completed a "clean install" and reinstalled
applications and files which worked OK for several weeks and then asked for
Internet registration which I could not complete??

Purchased Windows Upgrade incld Service Pack 2 assuming that I was ill
advised with respect to using the XP copy form Dell. Attempted to install
using new Product Key.

The system booted from CD but was not given option to upgrade and the
install sequence programed wants to do a full installation on the same disk
partition with the existing copy of the incumbent Windows XP system. In the
present circumstance, I can not access any files on the hard drive to perform
a backup that would give me a fresh "clean install" option.

Please provide some info as to how I can unlock my situation.

Thanks in advance!

Tom

 

[Shenan Stanley]

Running Gateway Solo Pro 9300, with mfg installed Windows 98 which
would not support new software, so needed to upgrade to Windows XP.

Used "reinstall" Windows XP facility that was provided by Dell when
I purchased my a new laptop.

Oops.
Dell OEM install on a Gateway computer...

Completed a "clean install" and
reinstalled applications and files which worked OK for several
weeks and then asked for Internet registration which I could not
complete??
Yeah...

Purchased Windows Upgrade incld Service Pack 2 assuming that I was
ill advised with respect to using the XP copy form Dell. Attempted
to install using new Product Key.

You were correct - to say the least.

The system booted from CD but was not given option to upgrade and
the install sequence programed wants to do a full installation on
the same disk partition with the existing copy of the incumbent
Windows XP system. In the present circumstance, I can not access
any files on the hard drive to perform a backup that would give me
a fresh "clean install" option.

Yeah - you *may* be able to do a repair install to fix your product key -
but no promises.

How to Perform a Windows XP Repair Install
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

How to perform an in-place upgrade (reinstallation) of Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315341

The problem is that you tried to transfer an OEM license. That would be
against the EULA at least - although it might technically work. In this
case - I suppose it did not. However - you said register... There is no
registration requirement - did you mean activation?

 

[Bill Ridgeway]

Not only is there the technical question of whether or not a Dell OEM
Windows XP will install on a Gateway computer but the legal question. What
OS are you running on your Dell? You really should have a separated Windows
XP CD (and licence) for each computer. I appreciate it costs more doing it
that way but, in a way, it could be argued that you are now paying for
trying to cut corners!

To be brutally frank if anyone botched the upgrade ...

Regards.

Bill Ridgeway
Computer Solutions

 

[Shenan Stanley]

Oops.
Dell OEM install on a Gateway computer...


You were correct - to say the least.


Yeah - you *may* be able to do a repair install to fix your product
key - but no promises.

How to Perform a Windows XP Repair Install
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

How to perform an in-place upgrade (reinstallation) of Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315341

The problem is that you tried to transfer an OEM license. That
would be against the EULA at least - although it might technically
work. In this case - I suppose it did not. However - you said
register... There is no registration requirement - did you mean
activation?

Not only is there the technical question of whether or not a Dell
OEM Windows XP will install on a Gateway computer but the legal
question. What OS are you running on your Dell? You really should
have a separated Windows XP CD (and licence) for each computer. I
appreciate it costs more doing it that way but, in a way, it could
be argued that you are now paying for trying to cut corners!

To be brutally frank if anyone botched the upgrade ...

....