Foo - Windows XP reformatting cd. Where do I find one??

So I figured I'd post my first foo thread with something i really need. Since my laptop committed suicide again, and won't let me start it up in any way in any mode, i figure i'd just reformat it again. i lost my Windows XP cd (the one computers just come with to reformat it) since the last reformat in January, and the place i got it before (the IT desk at my school) no longer has a way of getting them. so how in the hell do i get this thing?? it seems i could get ahold of a nuclear warhead easier than i can get one of these.

Called Microsoft and they told me to talk to the computer manufacturer. Okay. Called Dell and they are the worst company ive ever had to deal with for anything. hung up on twice after wandering around the ridiculous automated directory, each time around the 8 minute mark. they want to charge me $159 just to talk to a technician since my computer's out of date.

So can anyone here help me?? a way to get one?? send me an old/extra one?? maybe by providing me with the service tag of a dell computer still under warranty so i can penetrate their iron-clad wall of defense which keeps me from in any way talking to a human being. The cd is just he one i can boot my computer from to totally wipe out everything and start from scratch to get rid of whatever killed my computer. Thanks for the help. and sorry, i just hate things like this....

Just so you know....if you bought a DELL that came with Windows XP and have a key (usually on a sticker on the laptop), getting a copy of Windows XP is NOT illegal. You are legally allowed to copy a Windows XP disc.

So if you can find somebody local who has one, you can get them to make a copy and it is legit as long as you use YOUR CD-key when you install.

By the way, this is Foo. The discussion must now go offtopic.

But KT is right.

Just so you know....if you bought a DELL that came with Windows XP and have a key (usually on a sticker on the laptop), getting a copy of Windows XP is NOT illegal. You are legally allowed to copy a Windows XP disc.

So if you can find somebody local who has one, you can get them to make a copy and it is legit as long as you use YOUR CD-key when you install.

You can just borrow the CD and reformat too. Make sure it's the same version (Pro, Home, etc.).

Interesting. I did not know that. The problem remains in the fact that i seem to be the 'poor guy' in the group, and everyone has moved on to Macs or vista, i really cannot find one at all... Is that my only logical hope?? No chance from the corporate bastards??

Interesting. I did not know that. The problem remains in the fact that i seem to be the 'poor guy' in the group, and everyone has moved on to Macs or vista, i really cannot find one at all... Is that my only logical hope?? No chance from the corporate bastards??

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Full-WINDOWS-XP-PROFESSIONAL-SP2-INSTALL-CD_W0QQitemZ170386828828QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Software?hash=item27abd8ae1c&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

A local shop here is selling oem XP discs relatively cheap, I guess they still have a bunch left over or whatever. Have to buy a cable or something along w/ the disc to make it legit(-ish)

You can download Windows XP through a thing called "Torrents". Or so I'm told.

OK, this is Foo but I'm still wondering WHY anyone would go through this again. There are much better (and more fun) ways to flog yourself that trying to resuscitate a dying Windows machine.

I just downloaded Ubuntu and loaded it onto an old desktop I have from back in 2000. A FREE O/S is hard to refuse. Especially if it makes old hardware usable again. And, doesn't need an anti-virus. And, doesn't crash. And, there are lots of FREE software programs for home and business use. AND, did I mention it's FREE with FREE upgrades as they are released?

There's a laptop version as well.

Installing Ubuntu took me around 4 hours from start to finish while working at another PC doing work-type stuff. I had to use the "alternate CD" installer as the graphic one wouldn't recognize the CD the disk was in during the install. But, it was simple enough to DL the alternate CD installer and burn it to a disk and use that instead. Once installed I had to find out why no internet connection. That was a bad cable to my router but once I fixed that I was up and running and on the 'net. Even have email already set up.

Ubuntu looks and feels like Windows. ONLY difference in that Windows has the task bar at the bottom and Ubuntu has it both top and bottom and instead of a START button, Ubuntu uses drop-down menus like on your browser.

Do some reading about how to download the OS and burn it to a CD. It's NOT like burning a normal CD and requires a small DL program called "Infra recorder" to do it right. Save both to your desktop, install & open the recorder, burn the OS at the lowest speed, and you're done when the drive pops open. Delete the 2 programs from your desktop and empty the trash to get your disk space back. Use the CD to boot the laptop and install the new operating system.

It really IS that easy.

Why isd it whenever someone asks a Windows-specific question, the answer is always Ubuntu?

Is the answer to parenting issues to get a dog?

Do dogs eat Ubuntu?

Is the answer to parenting issues to get a dog?

Selecting the right sheepdog could definitely get you a suitable lieutenant for some of the thornier discipline/herding issues.

Please do not make Ubuntu angry!

Ubuntu sucks for ANY office related work.

OpenOffice is absolute garbage.

edited.

OP, expect a PM.

Just so you know....if you bought a DELL that came with Windows XP and have a key (usually on a sticker on the laptop), getting a copy of Windows XP is NOT illegal. You are legally allowed to copy a Windows XP disc.

So if you can find somebody local who has one, you can get them to make a copy and it is legit as long as you use YOUR CD-key when you install.

The illegal part of copying with respect to copyrights is in the distribution. You and your friend can copy all the cds you want but you can't give any to each other.

The computer may have hidden partition with a copy of the installation disk on it. A search for your computer model may tell you if a hidden partition exists. Since you have a OEM license key, you need copy of Windows XP OEM for your computer model. Not all OEM disks are the same; there are different disks for different computer manufacturers and models.

Why isd it whenever someone asks a Windows-specific question, the answer is always Ubuntu?

Is the answer to parenting issues to get a dog?

Probably because I personally got tired of the MS pay-out-the-nose-for-nothing treadmill I decided to exit that drama production. Thus, MY answer to the EXACT SAME issue is/was to dump Windows for another product which performs as well, costs less, and is easier to work with when problems DO occur. I decided to do this in the mid-1990's but was unable because the then current workability of Linux was worse than MS's problems.

That changed recently. And I JUMPED at the opportunity to get the hell away from MS and the required nanny and band aid fixit software.

Perhaps it is time to start being a parent and solve the problems instead of ignoring them & hoping they will either go away or that someone will come along and save you. IOW, the DOG is windows and you have the analogy backwards.

BTW, I like Ubuntu. Unlike a lot of Linux distributions, Ubuntu is clean & easy to transition to & work with for Windows users. It installs cleanly and easily with no "tweaking" required in most cases. This means you don't have to be a software engineer to install or use it.

There are other "branded" versions of Linux out there. Red Hat is one. Suse is another. Both are nice but either will cost you money for the same OS while Ubuntu is free. Besides the Ubuntu desktop wallpaper is pretty and the releases have catchy names.

Probably because I personally got tired of the MS pay-out-the-nose-for-nothing treadmill I decided to exit that drama production. Thus, MY answer to the EXACT SAME issue is/was to dump Windows for another product which performs as well, costs less, and is easier to work with when problems DO occur. I decided to do this in the mid-1990's but was unable because the then current workability of Linux was worse than MS's problems.

That changed recently. And I JUMPED at the opportunity to get the hell away from MS and the required nanny and band aid fixit software.

Perhaps it is time to start being a parent and solve the problems instead of ignoring them & hoping they will either go away or that someone will come along and save you. IOW, the DOG is windows and you have the analogy backwards.

BTW, I like Ubuntu. Unlike a lot of Linux distributions, Ubuntu is clean & easy to transition to & work with for Windows users. It installs cleanly and easily with no "tweaking" required in most cases. This means you don't have to be a software engineer to install or use it.

There are other "branded" versions of Linux out there. Red Hat is one. Suse is another. Both are nice but either will cost you money for the same OS while Ubuntu is free. Besides the Ubuntu desktop wallpaper is pretty and the releases have catchy names.

Ah, so you're just cheap and oppose capitalism.

No.

I'm cheap and oppose cataclysms.

Cataclysm. Wow, you must really hate Windows.

I can't say I hate Linux. It's more like I feel about gay sex: No matter how many folks tell me how great it is, I just know it's not for me.

Um, the OP wants the actual install disk 'cause his O/S won't boot.

And this being Foo, I'm surprised that nobody has told him to partake of the Forbidden Fruit.:innocent:

Also, OP- if you can get to Tulsa, go to Wholesale Computer Supply. They refurb PC's and laptops and they put XP on every box, even if it originally shipped with something else.

Thanks for all the responses.. Foo is quite the busy little hive.. I may try another OS at some point, but as of now I can't start up the computer to get any other OS, and I don't have consistent access to another machine to do anything on. Currently snuck onto my roommates Mac while he's not here. I'll get another computer early next year, so i just need everything to last until then. Thanks again, I think its time to 'get my torrent on'... or something..

Use your friends Mac to download the Ubuntu and burn it onto a disk. Heck, I'd bet you could even use the computer at the library if it has a CD drive.

The CD will boot the computer as well as install the new OS. You will likely have to repartition the HDD and this will wipe anything you have on the portion of the HDD that will be part of the new partition.

You can install Ubuntu without having to remove windows so you can always boot into windows down the road if you eventually find a CD for it.

Hello, my name is Rob...and I'm an unabashed ubuntu evangelist...

I've got an XP Pro OEM cd if you want to borrow it.

The CD will boot the computer as well as install the new OS. You will likely have to repartition the HDD and this will wipe anything you have on the portion of the HDD that will be part of the new partition.


Nothing against ubuntu....I've got an extra hard drive for a perfectly good 6 yo laptop that I'm going to use to jump on the linux wagon.

But can you tell the OP how he/she can save his pictures, songs, video, school thesis, or whatever that will get wiped out during your proposed process? I don't think anyone is trying argue that WinXP is better than Linux/Ubuntu. But the OP would need to get into Windows and back up his data before making that switch.

Nothing against ubuntu....I've got an extra hard drive for a perfectly good 6 yo laptop that I'm going to use to jump on the linux wagon.

But can you tell the OP how he/she can save his pictures, songs, video, school thesis, or whatever that will get wiped out during your proposed process? I don't think anyone is trying argue that WinXP is better than Linux/Ubuntu. But the OP would need to get into Windows and back up his data before making that switch.

Most Windows recovery disk reformat the drive and reinstalls everything so it looks same as when it was shipped so in either case a backup is necessary.

Here's what he needs: UBCD4win (http://www.ubcd4win.com/).

Basically you the utility to build a boot-CD with the specific set of drivers needed for your computer. Download drivers for your laptop from Dell (http://support.dell.com). Then use the boot-CD to boot your computer. Attach an external USB drive and copy all your data off. Now you've got your data retrieved and can plug the USB drive into any other computer out there and get your work done as you figure out what to do with the old laptop.

The illegal part of copying with respect to copyrights is in the distribution. You and your friend can copy all the cds you want but you can't give any to each other.

Untrue. It is perfectly legal to do so. The catch is USING the software...you have to have a license to USE the software. If he has a legit Cd-KEY that he owns, he's perfectly legal to do so.



That's the reason there are so many distributors that just sell licenses of Windows, but not the software itself. How could anybody sell a license of the software without the CD if it were illegal to copy or use another CD?

Hello, my name is Rob...and I'm an unabashed ubuntu evangelist...

Really? What a coincidence, I'm also named Rob. :roflmao2:

I'm not an evangelist though. I'm antagonistic. :D Perhaps, with you being evangelical, you could wander over the the hostile takeover thread. I hear that there are positions available in the Couchology hierarchy.

Nothing against ubuntu....I've got an extra hard drive for a perfectly good 6 yo laptop that I'm going to use to jump on the linux wagon.

But can you tell the OP how he/she can save his pictures, songs, video, school thesis, or whatever that will get wiped out during your proposed process? I don't think anyone is trying argue that WinXP is better than Linux/Ubuntu. But the OP would need to get into Windows and back up his data before making that switch.

You only need to boot the computer with a CD. You can use the Ubuntu in "trial mode" to get the PC up and running and it will recognize your hardware & configuration. Then just copy everything to an internet based backup file. Once it's there, you can wipe the HDD and reinstall any OS you want to. Then download the files (after scanning them for malware first).

Another question: I have a license for the XP Home edition, will this license also work for the pro edition? The tech guy I usually talk to says yes, another tech savvy person doubts it. Anyone know for sure??

Rob P., I initially was just gonna give up and wipe everything clean, but you've intrigued me. So i can download this 'ubuntu' thing on my buddy's Mac, burn it onto a cd and boot my computer up on it using 'trial mode', and it will recognize all old stored data from Windows and allow me to save it, correct? Can I just save my music (only thing i care about) from ubuntu onto a flash drive and it will run, and be recognized, by windows??

If no one's figured out, im sorta tech ********... It's a curse...

Really? What a coincidence, I'm also named Rob. :roflmao2:

I'm not an evangelist though. I'm antagonistic. :D Perhaps, with you being evangelical, you could wander over the the hostile takeover thread. I hear that there are positions available in the Couchology hierarchy.You're fighting a losing battle bud.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b5/Operating_system_usage_share.svg/600px-Operating_system_usage_share.svg.png
See that tiny sliver? That's you. ;)

Another question: I have a license for the XP Home edition, will this license also work for the pro edition? The tech guy I usually talk to says yes, another tech savvy person doubts it. Anyone know for sure??

Rob P., I initially was just gonna give up and wipe everything clean, but you've intrigued me. So i can download this 'ubuntu' thing on my buddy's Mac, burn it onto a cd and boot my computer up on it using 'trial mode', and it will recognize all old stored data from Windows and allow me to save it, correct? Can I just save my music (only thing i care about) from ubuntu onto a flash drive and it will run, and be recognized, by windows??

If no one's figured out, im sorta tech ********... It's a curse...As I said earlier, get the correct version CD. A "tech guy" may have a multi-version XP DVD that covers all the variations, but if it's a CD, it needs to be the right version.

There are many boot CDs that will allow you to run an OS in RAM and get your data off the drive, not just Ubuntu. There's also OSes that will run off a thumbdrive if the PC and the thumbdrive are capable. Here's (http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/) one that does both.

Another question: I have a license for the XP Home edition, will this license also work for the pro edition? The tech guy I usually talk to says yes, another tech savvy person doubts it. Anyone know for sure??

Rob P., I initially was just gonna give up and wipe everything clean, but you've intrigued me. So i can download this 'ubuntu' thing on my buddy's Mac, burn it onto a cd and boot my computer up on it using 'trial mode', and it will recognize all old stored data from Windows and allow me to save it, correct? Can I just save my music (only thing i care about) from ubuntu onto a flash drive and it will run, and be recognized, by windows??

If no one's figured out, im sorta tech ********... It's a curse...

XP Home key absolutely will NOT work w/ an XP Pro CD.

Yes, you can boot Ubuntu (Or any other 'live' cd distro) and copy your files from the hard drive to a USB drive no problem, then copy them back to whatever OS you decide to use.

Ubuntu was on my laptop about 24 hours. Way too long.

Hell.

You will find one when you get to Hell.

Say hi to botto.

If you don't have Technet or MSDN access, Windows 7 releases on October 22. It may not be as lean as XP, but it is an OS that is made to combat the security threats of today, and not the security issues of 2001. W7 is what Vista should have been, OS-wise, as it runs with decent performance on a lot less hardware than Vista needs. To boot, any drivers that are compatible with Vista will work on W7. The only exception to this are poorly coded ones which have to have an exact version number to work, such as some motherboard drivers.

http://cgi.ebay.com/MICROSOFT-WINDOWS-XP-w-SP2-HOME-BOOT-DISKS_W0QQitemZ380146970807QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Software?hash=item58828670b7&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14#ht_848wt_1064

What I'm looking for?? What's SP2?? Thanks for everyones input, btw... And thanks for the offer, HickeyDog (interesting name), but my license is for Home Edition, which apparently will not work..

SP2 = service pack 2, the second major package of updates MS released for the operating system.

See that tiny sliver? That's you. ;)

The Linux community has never been very large. Mostly because MS and MAC have the major share of the marketplace in software apps. And, because the Linux community was originally a buncha programmers who didn't have the marketing brains to understand that people LIKE "pretty colors" and "easy to use without needing to learn techspeak." These days, most Linux distros are as easy to use as Windows or Mac.

The fact that Linux has a small market share is going to change with the advent of internet based "suites." With the internet being the gateway to whatever app you need, the compatibility of the OS with the app is going to go away. At that point people will begin to ask WHY they need to pay money for an OS when there is a free one that is just as easy to use available just for asking.

If you think I'm wrong, why has MS been trying to get in on the Linux bandwagon? Either they want to find a way to stop it, or they are trying to find a way to SELL it under the MS label. Given the history of MS and the way it acquires licenses, I'd think that option #2 is what they are coveting.

I have been waiting 10 years for Linux to catch up to the real world. It has finally done so in an elemental way. In 2-5 years, Linux will be the leader is desktop OS's as much as Unix is the leader in server applications.

The Linux community has never been very large. Mostly because MS and MAC have the major share of the marketplace in software apps. And, because the Linux community was originally a buncha programmers who didn't have the marketing brains to understand that people LIKE "pretty colors" and "easy to use without needing to learn techspeak." These days, most Linux distros are as easy to use as Windows or Mac.

The fact that Linux has a small market share is going to change with the advent of internet based "suites." With the internet being the gateway to whatever app you need, the compatibility of the OS with the app is going to go away. At that point people will begin to ask WHY they need to pay money for an OS when there is a free one that is just as easy to use available just for asking.

If you think I'm wrong, why has MS been trying to get in on the Linux bandwagon? Either they want to find a way to stop it, or they are trying to find a way to SELL it under the MS label. Given the history of MS and the way it acquires licenses, I'd think that option #2 is what they are coveting.

I have been waiting 10 years for Linux to catch up to the real world. It has finally done so in an elemental way. In 2-5 years, Linux will be the leader is desktop OS's as much as Unix is the leader in server applications.

I have been using Linux since Slackware split from SLS, and have seen it go from a hobbyist OS [1], to running a Web server or two in universities, to being snuck into companies via the back door (at the time, PCs were inexpensive, but SPARC hardware was pricy), and eventually became a mainstream server OS. What made Linux perfectly acceptable by bean counters on the server side was IBM's release of AIX 5L, which was completely binary compatible with Linux (although the binaries had to be on the POWER architecture).

Server-wise, Linux is there to stay. Desktop wise, Linux has three battles. The first are apps. Yes, you can do the basics with Open Office.org, but there are more elaborate apps such as video production, music production, and other items that really don't exist, or if they do, they are not that approachable for Joe User.

The second (and this applies to companies) is managebility. One selling point of Windows is that with a click from an Active directory server, new policies can be pushed out that can block USB flash drives, even lock down the wallpaper on the background.

Finally, there is the issue of Linux gaming. There are a number of OSS projects, but for most users, they want to buy (or download from Steam or another service) something cool, and start blowing new holes in monsters. Right now, I think there is a vast untapped market here, but most Linux users are not used to commercial products on their OS.

[1]: In 1991-1993, there were no UNIXes available to students or hobbists for a reasonable cost. If you wanted one, you paid $1000 for a copy of mtXinu which came with source code, or paid $500 for Dell UNIX (yes, Dell computer had their own SVR4 variant). In middle of 1991, Bill Jolitz released 386BSD, which had a core compressed install disk, and about 10 disks for the binaries. The source took about 20 3.5" floppies. At the same time, Linus Torvalds released his first kernel. People borrowed code from Minix (the alt-f1/alt/f2 console switching is a concept from that OS) to get a complete OS running.

386BSD eventually split into FreeBSD and NetBSD. Linux had various distributions form around it (SLS, MCC, TAMU, then Slackware and after that, Debian, RedHat, SuSE, and so on.)

I have been waiting 10 years for Linux to catch up to the real world. It has finally done so in an elemental way. In 2-5 years, Linux will be the leader is desktop OS's as much as Unix is the leader in server applications.

Are you also a Cubs fan? :rolleyes:

On the enterprize level (+$1-billion/yr companies), Linux is making tremendous inroads and gaining market-share at a rapid pace. I've been dealing with a lot of Oracle Unbreakable Linux boxes running OracleDB and Peoplesoft for managing databases. We're talking about managing +10TB of databases from a single box serving +1000 clients without batting an eyelash. Nothing else comes close in terms of performance per dollar-spent in this market.

But for the desktop... well, with more apps being web-based, we might be going back to the terminal-mainframe model of computing.

Neat... But in reference to the link in post #39, is that what I need?? It was the cheapest thing on ebay that seemed to fit the bill, but is it just the service pack and junk, or appear to be what I need to reformat XP?? Thanks...

No! That ebay item is a set of boot floppies for Windows XP. The listing did not say it included the CD, so most likely for the cost of that, you will get two 3.5" floppies in the mail and nothing else.

What you need is an XP CD.

Neat... But in reference to the link in post #39, is that what I need?? It was the cheapest thing on ebay that seemed to fit the bill, but is it just the service pack and junk, or appear to be what I need to reformat XP?? Thanks...

No. The ebay link is not what you need.

This (http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Microsoft-Windows-XP-Home-Full-SP3-FREE-S-H_W0QQitemZ220396246530QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Software?hash=item3350a3d602&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14)

or this (http://cgi.ebay.com/Gateway-Microsoft-Windows-XP-Home-Edition-CD-New-Sealed_W0QQitemZ140347218867QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Software?hash=item20ad589bb3&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14) if you have a key for windows XP home edition.

There's also a very good chance that the OP's hard-drive has died. In which case, having a legitimate XP install CD won't do him any good...

There's also a very good chance that the OP's hard-drive has died. In which case, having a legitimate XP install CD won't do him any good...

Best answer

ALSO .. xp pro is more available & costs just a little less
having someone lend you a disc will work for a few months or a year but M. soft WILL torpedo you enventually VIA an update, it's what they do.

As far as service packs and much else I've read here... get a new PC or LT, it's only a matter of time. I'm still strrugling with all of this. That too will change when I spring for a brand new one.

Best answer

ALSO .. xp pro is more available & costs just a little less
having someone lend you a disc will work for a few months or a year but M. soft WILL torpedo you enventually VIA an update, it's what they do.

As far as service packs and much else I've read here... get a new PC or LT, it's only a matter of time. I'm still strrugling with all of this. That too will change when I spring for a brand new one.

*yawn*

You obviously have NO idea what you're talking about. But thanks for playing.

If he borrows a CD and uses his own legitimate Win XP Home key then there's nothing wrong with that at all and Microsoft could care less, nor will an update 'torpedo' him.

Remember, you DON'T own software (unless you wrote the software yourself!). You own a license to use said software. BIG difference.