XP installation disc

I was looking at some used PC's today and found a couple of Dell computers
with XP Professional installed. These computers were originally owned by
local businesses and I'm certain that the operating system was legitimately
installed. Of course, the origial installation disc is not included so I'm
wondering how I'll be able to add additional Windows components if I need
to. I have several computers with XP Home installed, each with the
installation disc. Will I be able to use one of the XP Home installation
discs to add components on a computer with XP Professional installed?

You can add some components from the Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs/Add
Remove Windows Components. However, some of XP Pro's additional components
may not available from an XP Home cd. What are you wanting to add?

"Bob L" <nospam@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:Ot73BIKhIHA.5296@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>I was looking at some used PC's today and found a couple of Dell computers
>with XP Professional installed. These computers were originally owned by
>local businesses and I'm certain that the operating system was legitimately
>installed. Of course, the origial installation disc is not included so I'm
>wondering how I'll be able to add additional Windows components if I need
>to. I have several computers with XP Home installed, each with the
>installation disc. Will I be able to use one of the XP Home installation
>discs to add components on a computer with XP Professional installed?
>

Bob L wrote:

> I was looking at some used PC's today and found a couple of Dell
> computers with XP Professional installed. These computers were
> originally owned by local businesses and I'm certain that the
> operating system was legitimately installed. Of course, the origial
> installation disc is not included

<snip>

Why do you say, "Of course?" The absence of installation media should
be a dealbreaker. How do you know these PCs didn't have non-transferable
volume license copies of XP Pro on them? Unless you already have an
unused retail version of XP, you should stay away from these Dells if
they do not come along with installation media.

I'm not sure what I'd want to add since I haven't seen what is already
installed. I just don't want to have to cough up another $100 or so to buy
another copy of XP.


"Colin Barnhorst" <c.barnhorst@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:609359B0-A3C5-4771-8AA3-6CE6E4B4C598@microsoft.com...
> You can add some components from the Control Panel, Add/Remove
> Programs/Add Remove Windows Components. However, some of XP Pro's
> additional components may not available from an XP Home cd. What are you
> wanting to add?
>
> "Bob L" <nospam@nospam.com> wrote in message
> news:Ot73BIKhIHA.5296@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>>I was looking at some used PC's today and found a couple of Dell computers
>>with XP Professional installed. These computers were originally owned by
>>local businesses and I'm certain that the operating system was
>>legitimately installed. Of course, the origial installation disc is not
>>included so I'm wondering how I'll be able to add additional Windows
>>components if I need to. I have several computers with XP Home installed,
>>each with the installation disc. Will I be able to use one of the XP Home
>>installation discs to add components on a computer with XP Professional
>>installed?
>>
>

"Daave" <dcwashNOSPAM@myrealboxXYZ.invalid> wrote in message
news:O6gBnQLhIHA.5088@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> Bob L wrote:
>
>> I was looking at some used PC's today and found a couple of Dell
>> computers with XP Professional installed. These computers were
>> originally owned by local businesses and I'm certain that the
>> operating system was legitimately installed. Of course, the origial
>> installation disc is not included
>
> <snip>
>
> Why do you say, "Of course?" The absence of installation media should
> be a dealbreaker. How do you know these PCs didn't have non-transferable
> volume license copies of XP Pro on them? Unless you already have an
> unused retail version of XP, you should stay away from these Dells if
> they do not come along with installation media.
>
>
Thanks for the advice. I suppose they could have a volume license copy of
XP which isn't transferable so I should check this out carefully. I plan to
find out exactly what is installed before I buy so how would I be able to
tell if it has a non-transferable version of XP installed? What should I
look for.

This is pretty reputable place (they recycle computers and other electronic
gear sell some of the stuff that still works) and I did buy a used Dell a
couple of years ago from them but it only had Win 98 installed . I added
some memory, bought a large hard drive and a copy of XP Home and it's worked
great since then.

Cough up the money. It's worth it.

"Bob L" <nospam@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:O1kXhbLhIHA.4740@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
> I'm not sure what I'd want to add since I haven't seen what is already
> installed. I just don't want to have to cough up another $100 or so to
> buy another copy of XP.
>
>
> "Colin Barnhorst" <c.barnhorst@comcast.net> wrote in message
> news:609359B0-A3C5-4771-8AA3-6CE6E4B4C598@microsoft.com...
>> You can add some components from the Control Panel, Add/Remove
>> Programs/Add Remove Windows Components. However, some of XP Pro's
>> additional components may not available from an XP Home cd. What are you
>> wanting to add?
>>
>> "Bob L" <nospam@nospam.com> wrote in message
>> news:Ot73BIKhIHA.5296@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>>>I was looking at some used PC's today and found a couple of Dell
>>>computers with XP Professional installed. These computers were
>>>originally owned by local businesses and I'm certain that the operating
>>>system was legitimately installed. Of course, the origial installation
>>>disc is not included so I'm wondering how I'll be able to add additional
>>>Windows components if I need to. I have several computers with XP Home
>>>installed, each with the installation disc. Will I be able to use one of
>>>the XP Home installation discs to add components on a computer with XP
>>>Professional installed?
>>>
>>
>
>

Simply ask them.

"Bob L" <nospam@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:uvJPTgLhIHA.3352@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>
> "Daave" <dcwashNOSPAM@myrealboxXYZ.invalid> wrote in message
> news:O6gBnQLhIHA.5088@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>> Bob L wrote:
>>
>>> I was looking at some used PC's today and found a couple of Dell
>>> computers with XP Professional installed. These computers were
>>> originally owned by local businesses and I'm certain that the
>>> operating system was legitimately installed. Of course, the origial
>>> installation disc is not included
>>
>> <snip>
>>
>> Why do you say, "Of course?" The absence of installation media should
>> be a dealbreaker. How do you know these PCs didn't have non-transferable
>> volume license copies of XP Pro on them? Unless you already have an
>> unused retail version of XP, you should stay away from these Dells if
>> they do not come along with installation media.
>>
>>
> Thanks for the advice. I suppose they could have a volume license copy
> of XP which isn't transferable so I should check this out carefully. I
> plan to find out exactly what is installed before I buy so how would I be
> able to tell if it has a non-transferable version of XP installed? What
> should I look for.
>
> This is pretty reputable place (they recycle computers and other
> electronic gear sell some of the stuff that still works) and I did buy a
> used Dell a couple of years ago from them but it only had Win 98 installed
> . I added some memory, bought a large hard drive and a copy of XP Home
> and it's worked great since then.
>

And get it while you can. It won't likely be available in a few more
months, and it definitely will not be available for OEMs come June (unless
MS backs down again).

Colin Barnhorst wrote:
> Cough up the money. It's worth it.
>
> "Bob L" <nospam@nospam.com> wrote in message
> news:O1kXhbLhIHA.4740@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>> I'm not sure what I'd want to add since I haven't seen what is already
>> installed. I just don't want to have to cough up another $100 or so to
>> buy another copy of XP.
>>
>>
>> "Colin Barnhorst" <c.barnhorst@comcast.net> wrote in message
>> news:609359B0-A3C5-4771-8AA3-6CE6E4B4C598@microsoft.com...
>>> You can add some components from the Control Panel, Add/Remove
>>> Programs/Add Remove Windows Components. However, some of XP Pro's
>>> additional components may not available from an XP Home cd. What are
>>> you
>>> wanting to add?
>>>
>>> "Bob L" <nospam@nospam.com> wrote in message
>>> news:Ot73BIKhIHA.5296@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>>>> I was looking at some used PC's today and found a couple of Dell
>>>> computers with XP Professional installed. These computers were
>>>> originally owned by local businesses and I'm certain that the operating
>>>> system was legitimately installed. Of course, the origial installation
>>>> disc is not included so I'm wondering how I'll be able to add
>>>> additional
>>>> Windows components if I need to. I have several computers with XP Home
>>>> installed, each with the installation disc. Will I be able to use one
>>>> of
>>>> the XP Home installation discs to add components on a computer with XP
>>>> Professional installed?

it that PC come with a sticker on one side of the back with a product key? I
asking you this because, the company that I'm been working with, they gave me
one computer dell with windows XP profesionnal, but they told me to wipe out
the hard drive in order to use that PC, and the sticker at the back of the PC
say windows XP home edition with the product key, so I just used my OEM
version of windows from my gateway, to make a clean installation of windows,
when microsoft told me to retype a valid key I used the number of the sticker
and windows was succesfuly validated

"Bob L" wrote:

> I was looking at some used PC's today and found a couple of Dell computers
> with XP Professional installed. These computers were originally owned by
> local businesses and I'm certain that the operating system was legitimately
> installed. Of course, the origial installation disc is not included so I'm
> wondering how I'll be able to add additional Windows components if I need
> to. I have several computers with XP Home installed, each with the
> installation disc. Will I be able to use one of the XP Home installation
> discs to add components on a computer with XP Professional installed?
>
>
>

Bob L wrote:
> "Daave" <dcwashNOSPAM@myrealboxXYZ.invalid> wrote in message
> news:O6gBnQLhIHA.5088@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>> Bob L wrote:
>>
>>> I was looking at some used PC's today and found a couple of Dell
>>> computers with XP Professional installed. These computers were
>>> originally owned by local businesses and I'm certain that the
>>> operating system was legitimately installed. Of course, the origial
>>> installation disc is not included
>>
>> <snip>
>>
>> Why do you say, "Of course?" The absence of installation media
>> should
>> be a dealbreaker. How do you know these PCs didn't have
>> non-transferable volume license copies of XP Pro on them? Unless you
>> already have an unused retail version of XP, you should stay away
>> from these Dells if they do not come along with installation media.
>>
>>
> Thanks for the advice. I suppose they could have a volume license
> copy of XP which isn't transferable so I should check this out
> carefully. I plan to find out exactly what is installed before I buy
> so how would I be able to tell if it has a non-transferable version
> of XP installed? What should I look for.

As Colin said, you need to ask them.

Also, look to see if there is a Certificate of Authenticity sticker
affixed to the computer case. If so, you will see the product key
printed on it.

In the event that this PC does have a valid, transferable XP license,
know that all PC manufacturers are required to provide users with a
method of reinstalling the operating system. There are three methods:

1. Installation disk (Dell calls these "Reinstallation" disks)
2. Recovery or Restore Disk
3. Hidden recovery partition on the hard drive

Methods 2 and 3 are similar; they allow you to revert to the same exact
image your hard drive had on day one (but Method 3 has the added
disadvantage of losing the ability to restore if the hard drive is
shot). Method 1 is preferred because it gives one the flexibility of
performing a repair install in addition to a clean install. In fact, if
it were me, I would only buy a PC if it came with this type of disk.
Also, if you use Method 1, you will also need to have the correct
drivers which will already be on an accompanying disk the store should
include with the purchase of the PC. If not, they may be downloaded from
Dell's Web site. Methods 2 and 3 already have the drivers on the hard
drive image itself.