Re: Windows XP *special and legal time saver install*

bman wrote:
I used to have a Windows XP SP2 install CD that was made for me.

It was made or ? by a co worker when we had to install on many
machines (differn't kinds no ghost). This CD allowed install and use
of the COA listed on the computer, no matter the model or type.

I am going to need to do this again soon but i lost the CD. Any ideas
on how it was made, or where it came from?

It may well have just been a copy of an OEM installer. Basically there are two types of Windows XP installers, for a given edition (Home, Pro), OEM and Retail. You cannot use an OEM key with a Retail installer, and vice versa. I don't doubt that there are some OEM installers that make additional hardware checks, say limiting a Dell OEM installer from working on a Gateway machine, but there are plenty that are not parochial.

If I had to guess, your coworker may have taken one of the OEM installers that he/she had and slipstreamed service packs and updates into it, so that you could install a reasonably update version of XP in one shot. This can possibly bring up some issues with missing drivers, but that was apparently not a concern.

Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanx

You can find many different system installers on peer-to-peer networks. Ethically, I don't think it's a problem using one of those because you will, after all, be using the product key you bought and paid for. Make sure you get the right edition (Home or Pro) and type (OEM or Retail) installer for your key. Also, you might as well shoot for one that has SP2 integrated.

Be aware, though, that if someone wanted to sneak spyware/virus into systems, it wouldn't be terribly difficult for them to wrap it up in an installer they dumped into the p2p networks.
.

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