Clean Windows install on an older Dell

[essential]

Okay, so basically I am putting an new hard drive in an old Dell and doing a clean install of Windows for a friend of the family. They gave me the tower and the CDs that came with it, so I have a Windows reinstall disc, but the problem is that it's "Windows XP SP1a" and that's the same thing that it says on the serial number sticker on the side of the case.

Recently I purchased an OEM copy of Windows w/ SP3 for a new laptop I bought which came with Vista. Can I just install Windows with the SP3 disc I already have, and use their serial (which basically just saves me the trouble of having to install SP2 and SP3 later), or is that serial number in some way tied to the edition of Windows that installs? If I use that serial with an SP3 install, will it accept it or error possibly, is that serial tied to a SP1a installation?

Thanks.

 

[bruceb]

You have a few choices

1): If you use the OEM SP3 XP CD you will need to manually activate it as on a Dell OS CD the key is built in and preactivated
and it is not the key you see on the sticker .. Dell uses a Volume License Key built into the OS CD

2): You could use the Dell XP SP1a CD and just install SP3 later .. you can download the entire SP3 from MS and burn it to a cd
Link is here: http://www.microsoft.com/downl...5D4F3D4&displaylang=en

3): Use Autostreamer to make a new Dell XP CD with SP3 integrated into it and then install .. You will still need the SP3 download from MS to do so. Link to Autostreamer: http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=223562 .. V1.0.3.3 ... read the instructions and follow the on screen prompts carefully .. takes about 20 mins or so to integrate SP3 into a XP OS CD and then burn it to a cd