Installing XP over Linux
in [Help and Support]
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From: Daave on 17 Jun 2010 16:19 Kev wrote: >> What is your goal? Do you truly want to install Windows XP "over" >> Ubuntu (as indicated in your Subject line, implying wiping the disk, >> getting rid of Unbuntu, and performing a Clean Install of XP)? Or do >> you wish to configure a dual-boot (which seems to be the gist of the >> message, maybe)? > > I am intending to get rid of Ubuntu and install Windows only. Do you have a Dell-branded XP Reinstallation CD? Or a different kind of CD (like a recovery or restore CD)? Or perhaps a hidden recovery partition on the hard drive?
From: Kev on 18 Jun 2010 02:46 > Before you wipe the disk, have you copied all your important data? There is nothing on it other than the o/s. I purchased this reconditioned laptop only recently and have not put it to use yet. Similar models were available with Vista installed, but Ubuntu ones were significantly cheaper, hence my choice. I wanted to run XP rather than Vista anyway and I already have an XP Pro disk. It's a Dell Studio 1537 and evidently it had Vista installed originally (as indicated by a surviving sticker).
From: Kev on 18 Jun 2010 02:50 > Do you have a Dell-branded XP Reinstallation CD? Or a different kind of CD > (like a recovery or restore CD)? Or perhaps a hidden recovery partition on > the hard drive? If there is a hidden partition, how can I reveal it? I may be able to get hold of a disk from different model of Dell. Would that work?
From: Daave on 18 Jun 2010 11:03 Inline. Kev wrote: >> Before you wipe the disk, have you copied all your important data? > > There is nothing on it other than the o/s. I purchased this > reconditioned laptop only recently and have not put it to use yet. This is important information, too! Who reconditioned it? Dell? If not, perhaps it still has a Windows XP (Home or Pro) Certificate of Autthenticity sticker on it. That COA sticker is your license and contains a useful Product Key should you use a *generic* OEM XP (must match the type -- that is, Home or Pro) installation CD. If you are able to use the *Dell-branded* XP reinstallation CD, there will be no need to enter the Product Key because of their System-Locked Preinstallation method they use. Then again, if Dell reconditioned it and there is no XP COA sticker on it, then you do not have a license to run XP on it. I am sure others have successfully used Dell-branded XP installation CDs in this kind of situation, but it does violate the terms of the license agreement. > Similar models were available with Vista installed, but Ubuntu ones > were significantly cheaper, hence my choice. I wanted to run XP > rather than Vista anyway and I already have an XP Pro disk. It's a > Dell Studio 1537 and evidently it had Vista installed originally (as > indicated by a surviving sticker). Oops. Should have read that part first! You only have a license to run Windows Vista on it. As long as XP-specific hardware drivers exist for this laptop, then it is probably possible to run XP on it. But it will violate your license agreement. Kev also wrote: > If there is a hidden partition, how can I reveal it? Even if there is a hidden partition on it, Vista (not XP) would be installed when you perform the "recovery" operation. It is normally accessed by Control + F11 at bootup. If it was reconditioned, even if there was a recovery partition on it at one time, it may be gone by now. Do you have a Dell-branded Vista installation CD? If so, it's not radically different from XP. With some tweaks, you would probably grow to like it. There are newsgroups and Web forums where people can guide you. > I may be able to get hold of a disk from different model of Dell. > Would that work? Assuming that the XP drivers exist, yes (the Dell website has this information). Then again, it would violate your license agreement.
From: Kev on 18 Jun 2010 14:06
> Who reconditioned it? Dell? If not, perhaps it still has a Windows XP > (Home or Pro) Certificate of Autthenticity sticker on it. That COA sticker > is your license and contains a useful Product Key should you use a > *generic* OEM XP (must match the type -- that is, Home or Pro) > installation CD. If you are able to use the *Dell-branded* XP > reinstallation CD, there will be no need to enter the Product Key because > of their System-Locked Preinstallation method they use. > > Then again, if Dell reconditioned it and there is no XP COA sticker on it, > then you do not have a license to run XP on it. I am sure others have > successfully used Dell-branded XP installation CDs in this kind of > situation, but it does violate the terms of the license agreement. > >> Similar models were available with Vista installed, but Ubuntu ones >> were significantly cheaper, hence my choice. I wanted to run XP >> rather than Vista anyway and I already have an XP Pro disk. It's a >> Dell Studio 1537 and evidently it had Vista installed originally (as >> indicated by a surviving sticker). > > Oops. Should have read that part first! > > You only have a license to run Windows Vista on it. As long as XP-specific > hardware drivers exist for this laptop, then it is probably possible to > run XP on it. But it will violate your license agreement. > > Kev also wrote: > >> If there is a hidden partition, how can I reveal it? > > Even if there is a hidden partition on it, Vista (not XP) would be > installed when you perform the "recovery" operation. It is normally > accessed by Control + F11 at bootup. If it was reconditioned, even if > there was a recovery partition on it at one time, it may be gone by now. > Do you have a Dell-branded Vista installation CD? If so, it's not > radically different from XP. With some tweaks, you would probably grow to > like it. There are newsgroups and Web forums where people can guide you. > >> I may be able to get hold of a disk from different model of Dell. >> Would that work? > > Assuming that the XP drivers exist, yes (the Dell website has this > information). Then again, it would violate your license agreement. The laptop was reconditioned by an independent dealer. The Vista sticker is not a certificate of authenticy. When I said that I may be able to get hold of a Dell boot disk, I didn't realise that it would need to be Vista specific. I now suspect that the hidden partition has probably been removed, as there would otherwise have been licensing issues. |