Windows XP: Help, I need to make my Windows XP system legit again
- 2/20/09 2:27 PM
confused (2)
by charls88 - 3/7/09 3:33 AM In reply to: Mystery by Joe M. Wintersi dont get what you mean,so should i choose the repair? or not to repair?bcoz i have a plan to reformat my machine but with so many dos and donts im really really confused
You would do better
by MarkFlax - 3/7/09 4:01 AM
In reply to: confused (2) by charls88
to start your own thread, give full details of your computer and what the problem is, so that others here can help you.
Posting questions in a discussion like this, (over 300 replies to date), means that most members here will just pass by and miss your post.
Mark
start up problem
by charls88 - 3/7/09 4:32 AM In reply to: You would do better by MarkFlax
the problem actually started when i try to install my printer to my computer,(im using windows xp home edition,)after installing it prompt me to restart my com before it effect the installation i did what it ask to do so but what happen next is it just keep on rebooting and it does not start there's a few times that it manage to start but in the midle of my work it will restart and it will not stop rebooting it never happen before only after installing the printer
im hoping to get the best help thanks guys
Start a new discussion.
by MarkFlax - 3/7/09 11:55 AM
In reply to: start up problem by charls88
Click this link. This will open a new "Post" window for a new discussion. Give full details, including the information required below.
<b style="font-weight:normal; color:red">Note: If you're asking for technical help, please be sure to include all your system info, including operating system, model number, and any other specifics related to the problem. Also please exercise your best judgment when posting in the forums--revealing personal information such as your e-mail address, telephone number, and address is not recommended.</b>
Mark
Only about RED-PRINT!
by Good-PC.Guy! - 3/7/09 2:28 PM In reply to: Start a new discussion. by MarkFlax
Hey Mark, it'd be great if all you Staff-People always put your writings in that RED-print!
CONSTANTLY REPEATING REBOOT
by Good-PC.Guy! - 3/7/09 6:07 PM In reply to: start up problem by charls88Not positive that this will solve your problem but, I had the same problem about 6 years ago...
I couldn't get my PC to stay booted long enough to uninstall the newly installed software (which seemed to be the start of the problem), so I replaced the main hard-drive and reinstalled my OS - (TWICE, for dual-booting), and then reinstalled the printer/scanner software.
At that point, all was fine! _ That is, until I then also reinstalled all my other software programs... after that, the problem came back!
It was a really great idea to have set-up my PC for dual-booting! ... As that saved me from having to start all over, again!
By choosing to boot to the alternate (2nd) OS-installation (which had been left virgin), I was then able to delete one program at a time from the 'Program Files' (of the 1st OS-installation), until I found that deleting my Anti-Virus program then allowed my 1st OS-intallation to boot & stay booted!!
It seemed that the A-V program & the printer/scanner software would not work together for some reason.
That problem had then become very simple to deal with & solve!! ... I simply installed the A-V program onto (only) the alternate OS-installation!
Thus I had the printer/scanner software on the 1st OS-installation, and the A-V program installed on the 2nd OS-installation, of my 'dual-boot' PC.
While the A-V program couldn't 'PROTECT' the 1st OS-installation when-ever it was booted, the A-V program could still run checks on both OS installations! _ So the only real downside was that I could then not run the printer/scanner while booted to the alternate/2nd OS-installation.
Even though the A-V program (on the alternate OS-installation) could not protect the 1st OS-installation (in real-time) while it was booted, the A-V wasn't really needed for that anyway, as I would avoid web-surfing when-ever booted to that 1st OS-installation.
Thus that OS-installation was always kept clean of malware & such! _ So it was always good-to-go when-ever I needed to do anything important on my PC!
('SpyBot S&D' was all the protection I ever used on the 1st OS-installation.)
In your case, it may not be necessary to do all that but, I really recommend that if you reinstall your XP OS, that you then choose to install it twice, because a dual-boot PC has many other advantages as well!!
Indeed, I think all PCs should come that way when first sold!
GoodLuck!
To REPAIR or NOT to Repair...
by Good-PC.Guy! - 3/8/09 9:31 AM In reply to: confused (2) by charls88Yes, that post did seem to contradict itself; [choose "yes" to repair, & "(don't do this)"]; thus we can't be sure what was actually meant.
From what I gather was meant, you're asked if you want to do a repair at two different points... "early on", which you're advised: "don't do", AND also, "near the end of the process", which you're advised to choose "yes" .
I believe that clears-up the confusion, however I myself cannot confirm that that's all correct.
I would not care to try to do that to a drive that has any unbacked-up data which I really don't want to take the chance of loosing!
On the other hand, if you have nothing to loose on that drive, then you might as well give that a try, (as that would be the easiest way to go).
For the BEST way to go, look for & read my response to your 2nd post (on your booting problem).
Want to DUAL-BOOT !?
by Good-PC.Guy! - 3/8/09 10:08 AM In reply to: Mystery by Joe M. WintersSo why does it seem that you advise that he does not want to dual boot ?
I think that doing that option would be useful to him!
As he could then keep his own personal (new) OS-installation for just his important PC work, AND, he could then still possibly use the original OS for web-surfing (and thus keep his own personal data safer).
Anybody out there know of any downside to having your PC dual-bootable ?
Illegal xp on machine
by jdbarton - 2/13/09 7:31 PM In reply to: Help, I need to make my Windows XP system legit again by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Does your machine have a XP Pro sticker with id numbers? If so, then we will just have to borrow a Pro disc and use that id number. If you are going to have to buy an OS copy be sure your machine can handle Vista first. XP Home in my opinion is plenty powerful. See if you can find a person who went to Vista who would like to sell their XP disc and sticker. Microsoft does NOT like that and that's tough in my book. If you reinstall Pro it won't mess up your machine PROBABLY. Back up all your data first. Good luck.
I've found my solution to MS copy protection.
by deowll - 2/13/09 7:37 PM In reply to: Help, I need to make my Windows XP system legit again by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
It may not work for you but I've found that I can live with ubuntu. It's free. Updates are free. Down load and burn or just get a CD from somebody and take it for a test run. If it works for you then you're fine.
If not prepare to spend some money if you even can get a legal copy of XP and nothing younger is likely to work on an old system.
Yes...but
by gmccbi - 2/13/09 7:39 PM In reply to: Help, I need to make my Windows XP system legit again by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Yes. You can make your copy legitimate again. One way is contacting Microsot and purchasing a license.
I like the second way better. Retail, and OEM, versions of XP Home/Pro are still available. My choice would be to purchase a new version because of two reasons. (1) The cost of a license from MS is almost as much as a new OEM version and (2), I like to have the actual Windows CD.
Of course, you will probably need your motherboard's driver cd and drivers for any add-on boards you have installed. Using the second method, to me, is faster, cleaner and more efficient.
You should be able to get the drivers for your motherboard from its web site, ie ASUS.COM, Intel.com, etc. Same for your add-on video card and any other add-on boards you have installed.
Windows drivers for your computer "will work" but...I am a gamer and I find that I get better results using drivers from the actual manufacturers rather than the generic drivers supplied with win XP
Good luck...
Yes you can.
by mdaneker - 2/13/09 7:43 PM In reply to: Help, I need to make my Windows XP system legit again by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
All you need do is buy a license key from Microsoft, I recommend going to e-bay and searching for XP, buy only sealed disk. You don't need to re-install, just go to "system" and enter a new serial number.
You can try running the XP activation assistant, it should tell you your serial is invalid and offer you the option of entering a new one or purchasing one.
If you re-install XP you have to back-up everything! It will wipe out all your personal files -- if you use a program like Outlook you have to export all your files (inbox, contacts, etc.) and save them separately and re-import them when you have everything re-installed.
But, mostly likely you just need a new key, so go through Microsoft or buy a copy from somewhere else, just remember, you have to have the right version. If you have XP Home, an XP Pro key won't work, you'd have to install as an update.
Just buy Windows XP Pro from a store shelf
by Spastic Newman - 2/13/09 7:43 PM In reply to: Help, I need to make my Windows XP system legit again by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Buying something like that from a site like craigs list is not a great idea. You should just go to circuit city since they are going out of business you might be able to get your hands on a really cheap XP pro disk. Or if you wanna wait you can get the new version of windows (version 7) when it comes out later this year. If you go for the XP I would stay with the pro version. When you put the disk in and restart you want to clear all partitions and make one partition on one drive to install windows on. It is best to have your documents on a 2nd internal harddrive just in case you have to reinstall windows in the future. That way you can reinstall windows on the first drive while your documents are safe and waiting to be used by windows again on he 2nd drive. But in the future. Make sure you get the CD Key to all microsoft software. It protects you and leaves no doubt that you can install all updates to keep your computer secured.
Going legit...
by Wolfie2k5 - 2/13/09 7:58 PM In reply to: Help, I need to make my Windows XP system legit again by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
There ARE a number of ways to handle this. But there's at least SOME good news on the horizon.
You can simply ignore the problem - which isn't the smartest thing to do given there are a number of patches out there that really SHOULD be applied. Odds are also quite good that if it wasn't "legit" to begin with, it's not likely to have ever been updated and that is not a good thing.
OR.. You can find a cheap copy of XP Pro on eBay or some other source. The good news is, you probably won't have to reinstall anything. If you go to Start | All Programs | Accessories |System Tools and click on the dreaded Activation utility, there's an option to activate it over the phone. If you click on that and go to the next screen, there's a button there that allows you to change the product key. If you click that, and type in the newly purchased product key, and then activate it, and if that product key is good, then you should be able to go about your business without having to back up your data, reinstall everything, etc...
OR... You can go ahead and upgrade to Vista. For what it's worth, Vista isn't nearly as bad as the FUD machine would have people believe - especially since SP 1 was released. If you do go this route, be sure to buy the upgrade version - not the full retail version! This way you can save yourself a bundle of money. Be sure to back up your data properly before you begin any sort of upgrade procedure. Note - it's ALWAYS best to do a clean install upgrade than to try an in place upgrade. Vista is NOT a service pack to XP and if it goes wrong - it will do so spectacularly.
Before you go up this route, be sure to visit Microsoft.com and grab a copy of the Vista Upgrade Advisor and run it. It will tell you if your system will work properly with Vista, what areas (if any) are lacking and if there are any programs you have that may not work properly under Vista. You can download the Vista Upgrade Advisor here:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=42B5AC83-C24F-4863-A389-3FFC194924F8&displaylang=en
OR... You can wait a while on it and grab a copy of Windows 7's Release Candidate - when it's released. While XP is a pretty good OS, and Vista was fairly good, Windows 7 will be even better.
Illegal programme.
by okcaj - 2/13/09 8:18 PM In reply to: Help, I need to make my Windows XP system legit again by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hi Gary. I fell into the same trap a few weeks ago also.I was told it was the real thing,Only when I came to download updates, did I find out,A message kept appearing saying this was a illegal copy of Windows XP.But all is not lost,I got hold of a true copy of XP with the correct code on it.I just put the disc in and it started to download,So if you have to buy the real thing and costs you more money,nothing lost,But make sure the comp will take the programme,and leave you enough free disc space for otherthings.The best of luck.
James H.
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