Want to reinstall Windows XP, but no original CD

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I have 3 boxes in desparate need of windows os reinstallation, all due to viruses and/or cruft that builds up on an OS over years of use.

One of them, fortunately, was a Dell with both a Utility partition and an OS partition. Reinstalling a brand-spanking-new OS was as easy as Ctrl-F11 on reboot, and wading through the very clean and simple reinstall process. Couldn’t be happier.

Two of them, though, do not have, and never did have, reinstallation media. They are in the original boxes, and none of the hardware has changed, but the OSs are so bogged down and slow that it’s worth blowing it all away and starting afresh. The problem is how to do it? Without proper reinstall media, starting this kind of refresh would be operating system suicide.

Any help would be graciously received.

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It sounds to me like the two computers your wanting to reinstall are old.
Are they still supported by the manufacturer? Can you replace the disk through them?
Do they have a separate hidden partition with a restore image on them?
If not, your looking at purchasing new XP disks.

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It sounds to me like the two computers your wanting to reinstall are old.
Are they still supported by the manufacturer? Can you replace the disk through them?
Do they have a separate hidden partition with a restore image on them?
If not, your looking at purchasing new XP disks.

One of them is old enough that repeated e-mails to the manufacturer “Wintergreen Systems” have not been returned, and I’m beginning to suspect that although they have a web-site, that they may be out of business (the website hasn’t been updated in quite some time).

The other is newer, but the Certificate doesn’t clearly outline who the Mfg is, so I don’t know who to contact (it just says “Windows XP Home Edition OEM Product”)

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Well, without an installation disk, installation really isn’t possible. And you can’t simply copy an OS from one machine to another. The bottom line is you have one working computer, with two others that would work if you had an OS to install. Of course, you can try Ubuntu, but it isn’t the most user friendly. However, it is open source, meaning it’s free and you can install it on as many copies as you want.

However, I think in your situation, you might try some heavy duty maintenance on your other two machines. By that I mean using a program like Revo Uninstaller to delete all programs except for those that are installed along with Windows. Also uninstall all peripherals, such as printers, scanners, external hard disks, etc. In other words, get the Computer in stand alone factory condition.

I would then recommend you use something like Ccleaner to clean up your registry and junk files, and Advanced Systems Care (look for free versions of each progam) to further optimize and spruce up your system. After that, find yourself a good, free defrag program, such as Auslogics, and defrag your disk. Then see how it’s running. Subsequently, do a thorough virus and spyware check with Avast antivirus, and Adaware (all free). And, again, see how the machines are running. You should notice a huge improvement.

After that you can start installing your hardware and check how the machines run after each installation. If any addition results in a noticeable slowdown, I’d eliminate it unless it was absolutely necessary.

Incidentally, I should also mention that you really ought to check how much RAM you have in your machine as compared to how much the machine can take. There’s no sense in doing all this work until the hardware configuration is the best you can get. You can do a RAM scan on Crucial.com, with recommendations as to what memory to buy from them to bring you machine up to maximum RAM.

And, finally, if you find that all this is just too much work, then you might just want to spring for one of the new computers in the $400 range. There’s good stuff out there now that will satisfy the needs of most people I know that is about as inexpensive as it’s ever been.

So…good luck…and happy decision making…

Bertie

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If you plan on keeping your computers and are definitely set on having XP on them I’d start scouring the
internet for deals on an XP home or pro addition.
Newegg has this right now.

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You don’t need new CD’s – or even 1 per machine – to reinstall.

As long as you have the Product Key for each machine (or at least 3 keys), you can borrow any XP cd from a friend or computer shop, pop in your Product Key when asked, and off you go.

It’s the Key that is “Private”, the CD’s are just carrier media.

No doubt I’ll get flamed for flouting some tiny MS EULA widget, but hey, if their operating systems didn’t require reinstalling every year, we wouldn’t have to waste days jumping through these hoops – although I’d much rather jump through a hoop than reinstall a PC, much quicker and easier!
So I’ll ignore their EULA, and they can ignore wasting days of my time on a regular basis.
Besides, I have perfectly legal Product Keys.

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You don’t need new CD’s – or even 1 per machine – to reinstall.

As long as you have the Product Key for each machine (or at least 3 keys), you can borrow any XP cd from a friend or computer shop, pop in your Product Key when asked, and off you go.

It’s the Key that is “Private”, the CD’s are just carrier media.

No doubt I’ll get flamed for flouting some tiny MS EULA widget, but hey, if their operating systems didn’t require reinstalling every year, we wouldn’t have to waste days jumping through these hoops – although I’d much rather jump through a hoop than reinstall a PC, much quicker and easier!
So I’ll ignore their EULA, and they can ignore wasting days of my time on a regular basis.
Besides, I have perfectly legal Product Keys.

I don’t think there is even anything in the EULA to prevent this (I haven’t read it through for a few days though ) The “right to use” is carried in that little sticker called the COA (certificate of authenticity) and media is only a carrier. This may be getting a little more on the edge but I would burn myself a copy of that disk while I had it……If the media were an issue how could slipstreamed installs be a recommended practice?

If you would ever be so lucky as to get audited, they will compare the installed systems to the license certificates. I would very much doubt that media would be an issue if the licenses are in order.

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You don’t need new CD’s – or even 1 per machine – to reinstall.

As long as you have the Product Key for each machine (or at least 3 keys), you can borrow any XP cd from a friend or computer shop, pop in your Product Key when asked, and off you go.

Thanks — I’ll try to locate a tried-and-true disc (I believe I have one still from my home comp) and give ths a shot, and report back with my findings.

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I’d say it’s worth a try

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The only problem that you’re likely to meet when using an arbitrary Windows Install CD is getting the drivers which are specific to the hardware in the PC. So after the installation ‘check out’ Device Management and look for the dreaded yellow exclamation marks, and try and get the latest driver for each device…

On the other hand it may all work like a dream! …

BATcher

Plethora means a lot to me.

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Your CD for the Dell machine will work on your other machines. All you need is the product keys, which presumably will be on a label somewhere on the machine.
I know the Dell disc will work as I have done the same thing myself in the past.
Ian

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Your CD for the Dell machine will work on your other machines.

This is most likely true only if the other machines are Dells also. I once tried refreshing a non-Dell machine with the Dell XP installation media and the media complained about it being a non-Dell machine. But using any retail media should work, though you might have to initially use the CD owner’s key to get the install to go through and then change the key after installation but before running activation – the keys printed on store-bought machines are usually tied to OEM versions of the operating system CDs and will not work with retail versions.

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This is most likely true only if the other machines are Dells also. I once tried refreshing a non-Dell machine with the Dell XP installation media and the media complained about it being a non-Dell machine. But using any retail media should work, though you might have to initially use the CD owner’s key to get the install to go through and then change the key after installation but before running activation – the keys printed on store-bought machines are usually tied to OEM versions of the operating system CDs and will not work with retail versions.

On my Sony laptops, the Sony disc reconizes if you attempt to install to a non-Sony PC and will not work. Yes, Peter is correct in that the OEM keys printed on a label on the various PCs are only workable on that particular PC. That is the limitation with OEM product keys, they must follow the particular PC. If a PC is substantially altered, new HD for example, I believe a call to MS would be neccesary to reactivate the OS even with a re-install on the same PC.

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Your CD for the Dell machine will work on your other machines. All you need is the product keys, which presumably will be on a label somewhere on the machine.
I know the Dell disc will work as I have done the same thing myself in the past.
Ian

Well, it worked like a dream. Just one main step I needed to address.

The installation didn’t prompt me for the Key, so when I went to Authenticate, I chose to do it over the telephone, and on that screen there’s an option to change the Product Key. I entered my valid key in there, and then I cancelled the process. I rebooted, Authenticated over the Internet, and everything went swimmingly!

I’m planning on trying the same with my other product key, but I haven’t done so yet. I’m hoping for the same good fortune there as well.

Thanks all!

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If the disk your using is an OEM factory image of XP, there’s a good chance you will not succeed.
Use a friends Genuine XP os disk and then punch your own product key in.
I’m doubtful, but it’s certainly worth a try.

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If the disk your using is an OEM factory image of XP,

Clint is absolutely right in this post. The key word here is IMAGE. Many machines ship with an IMAGE of the installed harddrive instead of the windows install disk. These image disks will not work on another brand/model machine.

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As I noted in another post, when my daughter accidentally wiped out the disk on her HP laptop, including the recovery partition, she borrowed one of my Vista Home Premium CDs, installed Vista but did not enter the product key (I don’t think this option is possible in XP, you have to enter a key in which case the key that came with the CD is the best bet because the OEM key probably will not work) nor went through activation. After installation, she changed the product key to the one stamped on the bottom of her laptop. Then she activated without any problems.

The main point is that the product key that comes with a store-bought PC gives you the right to run that particular version of the OS on that particular PC. If you run into problems and have to reinstall the OS, how you do that does not matter as long as when you activate you have entered the original product key.

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Don’t forget to image the drive(s)

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Just checked Wintergreen. They’re not manufacturers but parts vendors: http://www.wintergreensys.com/

Website says Copyright 2010. Possibly you started with a barebone kit from them.

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For those who can’t find any CD to install from, you could always try http://bootdisk.com/

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For those who can’t find any CD to install from, you could always try http://bootdisk.com/

James–those are bootdisks for an existing system, not the system itself. The OP wants to clean-install or repair-install.

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Do a search on your machine for winnt32.exe file. It’s usually in the I386 folder but may reside elsewhere on your machine. You can double click the file and it will reinstall your system but you need your Windows key. If you don’t have the key download Belarc advisor (free), run it and your key will be in the Windows section.

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You can get all recovery CDs for any computer at:
http://recovery-cd.com/default.asp

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As Daniel has figured out, any normal Windows XP disk from an OEM (original Equipment Manufacturer) will install Windows XP on any machine licensed for an OEM version of XP. All that is required is that you have a copy of the specific version on that disk, i.e. XP Pro requires an XP Pro key, XP Home requires an XP Home key. Further, if you have an OEM key, you CANNOT use it with a RETAIL version of XP, that is one that has been purchased at a retail outlet, Staples, NewEgg, Tiger Direct, etc. The only problem is that the disk may not contain all of the OEM drivers for your machine. This is usually not a problem if your machine is from a first or second line company (HP, Dell, Lenovo, etc), since they usually maintain a website where you can download an installation file for any missing drivers in the form of a self extracting ZIP or regular ZIP file. It is best, however, if you make a note of the major drivers that vary most from one machine to another. These include, Audio, Video, Chip Set, Touchpad (laptops), Modem. Network, Wireless, and other unique hardware such as card readers or other media hardware.

I have installed many systems and often you can reinstall using the same key on the same system again and again with no problem if it is a fresh wipe and install. Only if you change the hardware WITHOUT doing a reinstall will it trigger the necessity to call up Microsoft to reconfirm the activation. I have replaced many crashed hard drives. Most reinstalls go without any problem. Just remember, OEM key, OEM disk, Retail Key, Retail Disk.

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Drivers won’t be a problem if you back up your drivers to a single folder (also known as exporting them) and save that folder to a flash drive before doing a reinstall using any generic Windows XP Install CD. I use DriverMax to do this, but there are tons of other driver backup utilities out there.

-- rc primak

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Most “restore” disks from Dell, HP, and so on are model specific. If it’s not the right restore disk for that specific computer, you might end up with a brick. Using the wrong restore disk can wipe out the bios, sometimes permanently, and not repairable by anyone other than a factory authorized tech for that make. I was an HP Authorized Service Provider for over 6 years and ran into many machines where people had used the wrong restore disks and made the computers completely unusable. On some the motherboard just had to be replaced and on some I was able to rewrite the bios with a special program written by HP. I can not go into any detail about how the program works, but is is also used to write into it the make, model, serial number, and so on.

On every computer I have put a raw copy of windows onto instead of using the factory restore disks, the key on the label worked, BUT it has to be the correct operating system, build version, and etc. In other words, If it was xp home build 2600 service pack 2, you have to have the matching copy of windows to match the tag or the key will not work. Some keys are primarily blue, some pink, and etc. Microsoft requires the manufacturers to provide a key that will work with a Microsoft made disk without using the manufacturer’s restore disk, the drivers will not all be there and sometimes it is a real pain in the neck to get them if the previous installation is gone, but the trick is to use the right Microsoft disk that matches the key. The greatest benefit to doing this is that the bloatware was never there to begin with, and after the drivers are installed, will run the fastest it ever has. Borrow a real microsoft disk from someone, most pc shops have them and can loan you one. This is perfectly legal, it is that key that is the “owned” non-tranferrable part. DO NOT download a copy from anywhere except from Microsoft.com, but I don’t think they still have it available for download. They might though, wouldn’t hurt to look. I’ve seen many computers running things like XP Pro Dark Edition and some others, but they are bogus and dangerous. They can’t do updates and most of them have permanently installed viruses to steal any personal info they can and spam-bots to use your machine as a bot to do whoever’s evil bidding. It could even be used to pass around kiddie porn without your knowledge, until the FBI breaks down your door, arrests you and maybe your family, takes all your computer gear and charges you with distribution of kiddie porn. If they ever figure out that you were an unknowing dupe, you will still be paying off some lawyer for the next 20 years. That scenerio has happened and continues to happen, but more often in third world countries where bootlegs and counterfeits are more prevelant. There are also viruses out there that create hidden files to store kiddie porn on unsuspecting people’s computers so that the bad guys don’t have to store them on their computer. McGrewSecurity.com had quite an article on this a couple years ago. The computer’s owner spent hundreds of thousands of dollars defending himself against it before an expert verified that the files were in fact never touched or seen by the owner and had been sent and manipulated by a remote user using a virus followed by crafty hacking. All of you who use file sharing programs need to think about this too. One infected file and your computer could be used to distribute all sorts of evil. Maybe your Anti-virus program will stop it in time or your firewall will catch it, but are some free movies and free music really worth it? I am not suggesting that the question poster would use a bootleg, just providing some things to think about.

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Most “restore” disks from Dell, HP, and so on are model specific. If it’s not the right restore disk for that specific computer, you might end up with a brick. Using the wrong restore disk can wipe out the bios, sometimes permanently, and not repairable by anyone other than a factory authorized tech for that make.

??????

A restore disk that can wipe the bios?……

I would understand that a bios update disk could do what you describe but an OS restore disk?

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One of the things I run into as a working computer tech, is the older PC that is loaded with years of documents, pictures and saved emails that the customer does not want to loose. And in many cases, the PC was made by some #$%@#& that took the money and ran. Finding drivers for the off the wall hardware that was put into that PC can be difficult to impossible. And usually the owner has some program that they think they can’t do without, but the author is long since Gone.
As we know, windows can really get packed up with junk in almost no time at all and in several years, it can be a real mess.

So for the sake of file preservation, I just sit down, take a deep breath and start cleaning out the junk.

I have several programs, some that I wrote myself, that can go in and remove all that junk and bring the PC back to like-new condition again.
Then I tweak and tune Windows for the maximum speed and efficiency and show the user how to keep their PC clean and defragged.

When I’m done, I usually get something like, “WOW! It never ran that good when it was new!”. I can’t remember the last time I reinstalled windows on a PC that was still running, regardless of how slow it seemed to be running.
So my best advice to anyone is, if the PC still runs, get busy cleaning it up. There’s a lot of software out there to aid in that job and tech’s like me that will be glad to help too.

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