EMT_RR said:
I need to "rebuild" my WinXP Pro system because a number of
applications have either stopped working properly or have stopped
altogether ... plus my system has gotten extremely slow. (I have
tried addressing the various problems on at a time and feel I'm
spending too much time with too little gain.)
MY CONCERN: I am using WinXP Pro that I purchased many years ago
(to replace XP Home). I have the activation key so that is not a
problem. However, a friend recently had problems reinstalling his
WinXP Pro system because the activation? registration? site was not
up ... or that is what he told me. (I don't remember what his
solution was and he is not available for me to contact.)
Since I plan to reformat my hard drive and then reinstall WinXP
Pro, will I have have a problem with activation and registration?
And, if so, what do I need to do to avoid having a problem with the
reinstall.
John said:
As long as you have the original CD along with the same 25 digit
product key that was used to do the original installation, you
should be fine. Is the XP Pro CD a Full Install CD or an Upgrade
CD? You seem to imply that there was originally XP Home on the
machine and you then upgraded to XP Pro. Is that correct?
If the machine originally came with XP Home, then the sticker
affixed to the case will show XP Home. That's your *original*
Certificate of Authenticity. You then possibly upgraded tp XP Pro
with a different CD.
If that CD is an upgrade CD then you now have *two* Certificates of
Authenticity (the Original XP Home and the Upgrade to XP Pro).
While "technically" you aren't supposed to use an "Upgrade" CD to
do a full install, it can be done (a Google search will find you
plenty of hits) but it is a "misuse" of the license. You would be
"technically" in violation of the EULA by doing so, it will be up
to you to decide if your are violating the "spirit" of the EULA by
simply restoring your computer to it's previous state. Obviously,
you aren't making an attempt to have multiple, simultaneous
instances of XP running on different machines, just getting your
machine back to normal.
EMT_RR said:
My system came with XP Home ... I "upgraded" by buying a new (full)
copy of XP Pro ... back then I didn't understand about the
difference between upgrade and new install. So, when I upgraded, I
used the new CD with a new activation key. So, I have two
certificates for the same machine ... don't believe I am in
violation of the EULA.
But now I come back to my original concern. I remember that part
of the install is that WinXP Pro tries to dial out to register the
new installation. My friend told me that he was unable to make a
connection and that the toll-free voice number provided was no
longer in service.
Will I run into a registration problem? If my machine cannot dial
out, is there a valid toll-free number at Microsoft that I should
call to register my copy?
Registration is optional. Activation is mandatory.
As long as you have the correct product key, you should be fine. *Worst*
case is that you would have to call a 1-800 number to activate. *Best* case
is that you will install, get your Internet working (installing whatever
hardware drivers you need to do so) and it will activate over the Internet.
Your friend was/is likely misinformed or mistaken.
My suggestion to you is that you prepare properly before undertaking this.
- Have your original Windows XP Professional and Windows XP Home
installation CDs handy.
- Have the Windows XP Professional product key handy.
- Have a copy of Windows XP SP3 handy (either download the full installer or
download and burn the ISO image of it to CD.)
- Disconnect (physically) from the Internet.
- Install Windows XP Professional cleanly - using the following step-by-step
guide...
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html
(If you have an Upgrade version of Windows XP Professional, you'll need
the Windows XP Home installation media to prove your upgrade rights.)
- After the install finishes and you logon the first time - install SP3
before ever connecting the machine to a method for connecting to the
Internet.
- Connect the machine to the Internet.
- Get the Internet working, install any hardware device drivers you need to
do so.
- Install any other hardware device drivers you need to (motherboard
chipset, network device, dial-up modem, sound device, video device, wifi
device, etc.)
- Visit
http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/ and install all
Critical/High-Priority updates (Do *none* of the optional updates right
now.)
At any point in there (after the install and first connection to the
Internet) - you can activate Windows XP - likely over the Internet - with no
problems.
Come back - let everyone know how things go!
