Windows XP

[dbc]

A friend gave me an old dell that the HDD totally crashed. I have a 60G hdd that i want to put in and reload everything. Now he can't find his disk and my question is this. I have a dell disk that came with my laptop, can I use it to install winxp and then use the COA on the old one to activate it?
If not how do you get xp in order to install without buying another lisc.

Thanks in advance.

[bucksfanjimj1]

Contact Dell for a set of recovery discs for the old Dell. The discs from your laptop won't work with the key from the other Dell. There will also be driver issues involved as well.

http://support.dell.com/support/index.aspx?~ck=pn

[glc]

You are incorrect, bucksfan. This is a DELL, not a HP or other brand where you have a proprietary recovery CD with drivers and apps all ready to go.

*ANY* Dell reinstall CD will work on *ANY* Dell. All it is looking for is a Dell bios. It does not prompt for a key, it will not require activation, just install it and go. It is a generic Windows load with *NO* Dell-specific drivers. You will have to download needed drivers.

LEGALLY, it should be the same version of Windows as the COA (i.e. if the COA is for XP Home, you can use any Dell XP Home reinstall CD). In the real world, it doesn't matter. I installed XP Pro illegally on a Dell that came with Vista Basic, no problem, with a XP Pro reinstall CD that came with a different Dell.

[shadowpr]

Hmmm.

I thought you could use any dell xp disc on any other dell as long as the COA was for the same version. So you would be able to use your xp pro disc from your dell to install it on another dell that has a activation code for xp pro on it.

And then you would just go to the dell website, and download and install all the drivers related to that particular computer.

EDIT: G beat me to it.

[dbc]

Thanks glc, I was told that from a friend but wanted to make sure.

I did go ahead and request the disk from Dell. The XP I have on the laptop is XP Media edition and what was on the old one was XP Home. I would rather have the media edition so I'll go that route.

Thanks again to all

[Khalil]

XP Pro activation key will work with Media Center since it is an XP pro however an XP Home Edition Key will not work with a Media Center installation CD.

[glc]

That does not apply with Dell computers and Dell reinstall media. They do not require a key or activation.

[dbc]

OK..I wiped the 60G drive with EZ gig II and installed it in the old dell. Now it won't boot to the dell XP disk. I have the boot order to boot to cd first.
It shows Dell startup the gives error "NTLDR is Missing" Press Ctrl-Alt-Del to restart. Tried that several times, no luck. I can boot if I put in the ubcd disk.

I must be doing something wrong, what is it?

Thanks in advance

[glc]

Will that CD boot in another machine? It may be damaged or dirty.

[dbc]

It was still in the sealed wraper and I put it in my laptop and it ran. Asking me what I wanted to do. Install windows XP was the first choice and there were several others.

What is stated above is with comp already running. I have now actually booted from the cd-drive on both laptop and another dell desk top and both booted from cd. They both booted in more of a DOS format then when it ran when WIndows was already running.

Still can't get it boot on the old dell...I say old but it did have XP on it originally.

Any help is greatly appreciated....Thanks

[glc]

Try a different CD drive.

[dbc]

Originally Posted by glc Try a different CD drive.

OK..Did this and still the same msg.. The cd runs and the light blinks as if it is trying but same thing???????

Any other ideas????

Thanks

[glc]

Check your IDE cabling and jumpering carefully. Dell cables are almost always cable select.

[dbc]

Originally Posted by glc Check your IDE cabling and jumpering carefully. Dell cables are almost always cable select.

The HDD is jumpered cable select and plugged into the last connector. The CD was jumpered master, changed to CS and there is only one connector on it's cable.

Same msg.....AGH!!!!!!

Would it make any difference that I wiped the HDD from my laptop with a USB Adapter?

[glc]

Well, you said you wiped it with EZ-Gig II - I gotta wonder how you did that. That is cloning and imaging software.

[dbc]

Originally Posted by glc Well, you said you wiped it with EZ-Gig II - I gotta wonder how you did that. That is cloning and imaging software.

I mentioned this in post #8.
What I did is from the menu selected add new drive where it stated I could partition and format the drive....Wrong?????

BTW: glc I really appreciate your patience as this seems to a conservation between you and me.

Thanks again.

[glc]

Try a different known bootable CD, doesn't matter what it is. The EZ-Gig II CD should be bootable.

[dbc]

Originally Posted by glc Try a different known bootable CD, doesn't matter what it is. The EZ-Gig II CD should be bootable.

Don't know if this will matter or work, but I have the HDD in the old Dell and booted from the UBCD and am currently running DABN on it to see if it makes a difference..Still have about 3/4 hour to go go. WIll let you know and will try to boot from EX-Gig.

Thanks glc

[glc]

Wait a minute - the UBCD booted, but the XP CD didn't? The XP CD is defective.

[dbc]

But glc....the XP cd will boot from my Dell, Inspiron 1501 laptop and my Dell desk top, Mod DCCY, S/N JS7B291.

What gives..Now I'm really confused??????

[glc]

So am I.

JS7B291 is an Optiplex GX620, what model is the broken one?

[rjfvillarosa]

Originally Posted by dbc OK..I wiped the 60G drive with EZ gig II

Originally Posted by glc Well, you said you wiped it with EZ-Gig II - I gotta wonder how you did that. That is cloning and imaging software.

You cannot wipe a harddrive clean with EZgig. How did you get on after using Dban?

Originally Posted by dbc It shows Dell startup the gives error "NTLDR is Missing" Press Ctrl-Alt-Del to restart.

If you look in the tools section of one or two of the harddrive utilities on the UBCD they give you an option to setup a harddrive prior to a fresh install. I am not sure if it will help but maybe that Dell install CD needs to see the file tables before it can proceed with the install.

[glc]

maybe that Dell install CD needs to see the file tables before it can proceed with the install.

I doubt it - I have used Dell CD's to install XP on blank drives and drives with stuff already on them. The only difference between a Dell CD and a OEM XP CD that you would buy at Newegg is it's locked to a Dell bios.

[rjfvillarosa]

Originally Posted by glc I doubt it .

So do I, just a stab in the dark because from what I have read so far it doesn't make sense.

[dbc]

Originally Posted by glc So am I. JS7B291 is an Optiplex GX620, what model is the broken one?

The model of the broken one is Dimension 4500S.

After I ran Dban when it tries to boot it give me thiis msg.
"Hit F1 to retry boot, F2 for setup"

I can still boot with UBCD but not the XP CD..tried it again in my GX620 and boots fine.

So So Confused?????

[rjfvillarosa]

Can you switch the optical drives between the two machines and try booting from the optical drive that you know recognises the XPcd?
You don't have to physically install it if the cables will reach.

[glc]

Originally Posted by glc Try a different CD drive.

How did you do that on a 4500S? That's a tough one to swap because of the little "pizza box" form factor.

[dbc]

Originally Posted by rjfvillarosa Can you switch the optical drives between the two machines and try booting from the optical drive that you know recognises the XPcd? You don't have to physically install it if the cables will reach.

Yes I can do that......The other CD Drive I didn't actually install in the case just hooked up cables.

It wouldn't fit anyway.

[glc]

Gotcha.

[dbc]

OK, here's where I am. I booted from the GX620 with the XPCD to make sure it would, worked fine. Opened up to pull the optical drive and it is something I haven't seen. I assume it is a SATA as the HDD is. What is different from what I've seen with SATA where you have a data cable and a power cable this only has a small gold ribbon about 1 1/2" wide, no other cable.
(Toshiba/Samsung Mod: TS-L462) I guess it gets it power from the same cable.

Anyway I tried what rjfvillarosa suggested...no luck..just for s...s and giggles even tried to boot with no HDD hooked up..Know that wouldn't work but running out of ideas.

The 4500S will boot UBCD and EZ-Gig but not the XPCD.

Tried another CD-Drive, last one I have, same thing, all will boot with UBCD and EZ-GIG but not XPCD.

I even tried another HDD (a 10G that has win95 on it working) and it bypasses the CD-ROM and boots 95. Yet I put UBCD or EZ-GIG in and it boots from CD.

This thing is getting on my last nerve for something that should be so simple.

Where to now, I'm at my wits end.

Thanks