Arrgh! Help settle an arguement!

Jimmyjammer

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Apr 30, 2002
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A friend has a small home network with a variety of OSs (Win 98, ME etc) and recently got a Dell Pc with XP home bundled with it.
It came with an XP home install CD and he is positive that he can use that CD to install XP on another PC in his network.

I've tried to tell him it's impossible but he won't listen.

So, people, please help: Is it possible to have a Dell (or any) Pc running XP home and then use that PC's XP home CD to install that version of XP home on another PC that will be on the same network?

I'm not talking ethically/legally, I'm talking 'is this possible'?

I say no, friend says yes.

Who is right?
 

stev0

Diamond Member
Dec 9, 2001
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ehh... i would think yes, i'm assuming that you have to activate the copy of xp.. but i would think there are some ways around it.

stev0 <- could be wrong...
 

slycat

Diamond Member
Jul 18, 2001
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the home network has nothing to do with it...
i believe all Dell CDs are locked...
for only DELL machines...and often only for that particular PC.
When u try install on another it gives some error msg.

Second, what about registration?..
 

stev0

Diamond Member
Dec 9, 2001
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Originally posted by: slycat
the home network has nothing to do with it...
i believe all Dell CDs are locked...
for only DELL machines...and often only for that particular PC.
When u try install on another it gives some error msg.

Second, what about registration?..

well.. to be honest i'm not sure about those dell cd's being locked, i've got a copy of xp pro that came from a dell and it works fine on a computer of mine at home.

 

Jimmyjammer

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Apr 30, 2002
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Well he claims that since it's an OEM version of XP home and he never had to activate or register the current version (running on his DEll Pc) then why should he have to do it on his other PC?

Argghgh! He's driving me nuts here.
 

glenn1

Lifer
Sep 6, 2000
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The newer ones are designed to work with Dell systems, AFAIK. They come with the drivers particular to that machine and its components and all the crappy additional bloatware Dell wants to put on it. Even if you could use it to do an install on another machine, i don't see why you'd want to.
 

Jimmyjammer

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Apr 30, 2002
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Originally posted by: glenn1
The newer ones are designed to work with Dell systems, AFAIK. They come with the drivers particular to that machine and its components and all the crappy additional bloatware Dell wants to put on it. Even if you could use it to do an install on another machine, i don't see why you'd want to.


He likes XP more then the other OS's he has so he says he eventually put it on all his 5 PCs. All from the same CD. It just shouldn't work!
 

skeletor

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Aug 7, 2001
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If it's the CD that came with the Dell and you don't mind removing all their bloat and getting drivers etc for your own system then there's no reason why it shouldn't work I think.

Anyone else care to disagree?
 

Jugernot

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Oct 12, 1999
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I know all the copies of Win2k Pro are Dell only protected... never tried to load XP Home from a dell on another PC.
 

skeletor

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Aug 7, 2001
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Originally posted by: Jugernot
I know all the copies of Win2k Pro are Dell only protected... never tried to load XP Home from a dell on another PC.



WEird....protected in what way? Surely you could just copy all the info off them?