reintslling XP

[sillyoldbird]

Hello...I'm new to this forum, and hoping someone out there will be able to help.

I have a seocnd-hand computer and want to install Windows XP, using the disc provided when I bought a Dell computer a few years ago. When the disc had done its work and the computer booted up a message appeared saying this is not a genuine copy of Windows XP! There is now also a message, bottom right of the screen, which says I may be a victim of software counterfeiting; I cannot get rid of this box. I know my installations disc is genuine for reasons already stated, but it appears my second hand purchase has a pirated version of XP already installed. Can anybody tell me whee to go from here? I would prefer, obviously, to u se my genuine copy of XP, but how do I get rid of what's already in there?

Apologies if all this sounds simplistic.......I really don't know anything about the technicalities of computers...just how to use them.

Thanks for at least reading this plea for help.

[Guest]

The disk you used to install XP is from Dell or from Microsoft? Did you use the key made for the same disk?

[Siginet]

Sounds like wherever you bought the computer from installed the computer with a corp disk.

It tends to happen at some computer shops that aren't very smart.

Does the computer have a product key sticker on it?

If so then what type of OEM is it? If it is a dell computer and you have your dell disk then you can reinstall the computer with that disk and it will preactivate just fine.

Another method you can use is to convert the installed OS to an OEM with "XP License Changer Kit" or XLIC for short. It is actually an unsupported way to do this. Not many people have heard of it. But it does work. Once you have converted to OEM then you can use a Key Changer Program to change your product key to the one on your sticker. Or you can type this into the Run box:

"%WINDIR%\System32\oobe\msoobe.exe" /a

This will try to activate... then fail. Then gives you the chance to change the product key.

Good luck. I hope this bit of info helps you.

[Ponch]

Your install fails to auto activate (what your cd normally does) because it is looking for a Dell motherboard.