Posted: 8/1/2004 9:05:23 PM EDT
| So I recently fucked up my computer to the point I had to reinstall Windows. Unfortunately I, at some point lost my Windows XP disk. Is there anyway to make a disk now that my computer is fixed so that should I need to reinstall Windows again at some later point I wont need to pay someone to do it? |
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Do you have the little shiny license sticker on the bottoms/side etc of your PC..The COA (Certificate of Authenticity) ?? If so borrow a copy from a friend, dl it off Kaza etc, if you use your license number and your reg info it is perfectly legal and fine. You did not pay to buy the CD or own the program, you paid for a license to use the software and keep it on your computer. Your could always switch to linux pick you flavor leave M$ behind www.sourceforge.net |
Yeah I have my COA, I just brought it to a shop and they reinstalled Windows for me. Amazingly all of the people I know either 1) Didnt have Windows Xp or 2) Didnt have their disk either. I was actually thinking about switching to Linux since I dont really use my computer for anything other then surfing the web. |
Most of the major manufacturer's CDs are BIOS locked so that they will only work with same manufacturer/model. If you find one to borrow make sure it's an original MS labeled CD. |
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If you want to give Linux a shot you can download any of the distributions from www.linuxiso.org/. If you are not already familiar with Linux and want to take a test drive without actually installing it, download something like Knoppix which will allow you to run it directly from the CD-ROM at boot up. If you don't like it simply shut down the system and remove the CD. On reboot you are back to Windows with absolutely no changes. If you wish to do an install on your computer I would recommend Mandrake, Suse, or Red Hat Fedora to start with. Other distros are nice but not nearly as easy to install for someone just starting out. |