Re: Lifting XP from Old Dell Laptop

A copy of XP Home or Pro is tied to the computer to which a matching Certificate
of Authentication is attached. In other words, the laptop has an XP Pro COA,
and that is the exact system for which XP Pro is licensed by Dell from Micro$oft
for you to use.

However, a Dell XP install CD is a Dell XP install CD is a Dell XP install CD,
to paraphrase loosely the words of Gertrude Stein. You can take a Dell XP
install CD and install it on any Dell with a matching XP COA, Home or Pro. Of
course, there are different generations of XP install CDs, corresponding to the
classic XP (much worse than classic Coke), XP with SP1 and XP with SP2.

If your other computer has an XP COA, you would be best to install XP from a
non-Dell OEM verison of XP.

There may be some argument for obtaining a Dell XP Pro install CD, blowing away
everything on the laptop, and starting from scratch with a fresh install of XP.
A "buggy" laptop could me messed up by ad-ware, spyware, malware, etc etc etc,
and a fresh install would make it work right again... Ben Myers

On Tue, 21 Aug 2007 07:56:14 -0700, mattgarvin@xxxxxxxxx wrote:

Hello,
three years ago my brother ordered a Dell laptop that had XP Pro on
it, with no separate CD with the OS, just what was pre-installed. He
has "permanently" loaned the Laptop to me, but it is very buggy, so I
don't use it much. But! I would like to get the OS from it, since I
can put that on another computer, and he paid for it afterall.

How can I do this?

I phoned Dell, but they told me they couldn't help because they don't
keep records for more than 2 years, so couldn't even find the original
order with necessary info to begin the process.

Am I entitled to this OS? If yes, from Dell? From Microsoft?

Any insight is appreciated,
Matt Garvin
.