I don't really want to buy Windows XP for my Mac Pro, but I'm wondering if i can use the Windows XP that came with me dell so i don't have to buy a new one? I know it probably wont work, but just curious if i can cheat buying a new XP? Thanks for any info.
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Can I use my OEM Windows XP from my old dell?
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You won't have to do anything special. You will however, encounter a problem when you try to activate the copy, just use the telephone activation method they offer, its an automated toll free number that will get you activated with no problem.
Of course, you WILL have to keep this in mind:
1) Your Dell installation disk is an OEM license, and the Windows Activatation server will not allow its activation on a different machine.
2) If you do what this person is telling you to do, you will have to do some mighty powerful lying to get them to activate your installation.
Do you want to make yourself into a liar? Is it worth it to you to have no personal integrity? Are you REALLY that "cheap"? I mean, you were willing to spend beau-coup bucks buy your iMac. WHY aren't you willing to spend an extra hundred bucks or so to buy a new copy of XP?
Also, for those who have not heard the news: Microsoft has removed its limit on using Windows Vista Home or Premium in a virtual environment. Now, all versions of Vista may be used in a virtual environment.
When I owned an iMac, I preferred BootCamp over virtualization software.
But NEITHER are necessary, if you are willing to remove OS X entirely, and install a version of Windows XP or Vista as the EXCLUSIVE OS on your iMac.
This is extremely easy to do, and requires NO HACKS to either OS.
Just stick your Vista (or XP) install disk in, and cold-boot your Apple, choosing the Vista or XP installation disk as the boot device, and go through the installation process, making sure you DELETE ALL PARTITIONS on your Mac drive, recreating them instead as NTFS, first. Then install XP or Vista.
You may have to delete the partitions from your Mac using Disk Utility from the Mac install disk #1 (DON'T boot into OSX to try this, since OS X won't allow it), and turn them into "EMPTY" type first, however. Depends on how your disk was originally formatted.
It certainly won't hurt to give it a try.
Simple.
Donald L McDaniel
There is no such thing as a "Windows serial number". ONLY an installation key (25 alphanumeric characters, in five groups of five characters each), commonly referred to as the "CD key". This key was placed on your Dell at the factory for a simple reason: It is intended to NEVER BE MOVED to another machine.
Once Windows is installed, this (basically) turns into the Windows Product ID, and bears no resemblance to the original series of 25 alphanumeric characters.
Donald L McDaniel
Yeah, i just didnt know if I was able too. Its not that im too cheap to buy a new version I just didnt know it I was able to or not. I did figure if it worked I could save a few bucks for something else. Oh, well Im just going to buy an extra hard drive for windows. I don't really want windows just a few games and windows only apps i want. Thanks again for letting me bug everyone.
Many OEM disks that came with a computer are tied to that computer model. A Dell OEM disk is unlikely to work on say an HP computer, or on a Macintosh. It likely has drivers for exactly the hardware that was in your Dell computer, and will not work with any other hardware.
You can install OEM windows on another system. On a legality point, you need to uninstall the original system since it is a single user key. On another note, just use the Product Key that's sticked on the desktop or laptop. That is YOUR cd key, you can use it probably 3-5 times because its obvious ppl are gonna reformat their computer at least once of owning it.
That bit about having to uninstall is false. There is no level of communication between the pc and microsoft for them to know that you've got it running on two computers at the same time, which is why they started using activation to tell if a copy had been installed or not.
Yeah, Im just going to suck it up and buy a copy and load it on a separate hard drive. Thanks for the info from everyone though.
No personal integrity? For using a copy of XP, which he owns, on a single machine?
I'm not going to debate Windows vs. OS X with you because that's been done and it's pointless. But why on earth would anyone do what you're suggesting? If you prefer OS X, you're obviously not going to do this. If you prefer Windows, why buy a mac to begin with? You'd essentially be paying for OS X (built-in cost), and then paying again for Windows.
The ONLY reason I can think of to do this would be if you REALLY preferred Windows (so much so that you don't even want to dual-boot) AND you were crazy about apple's hardware design. Seems a huge waste to me.
Once a copy of windows has been activated that cd key has been registered as used on that machine with microsoft. While you can convince a machine that it hasnt been activated yet after you have infact activated, the original key is still listed as activated with microsoft, and nothing will change that.
While a previously installed OEM copy of Windows may not work for BootCamp, a newly purchased OEM copy will. You can save a few dollars by using OEM instead of a full install edition.
A new OEM can also be used for both BootCamp and Parallels, though you'll have to do the phone-in verification process to get a special activiation # for the second install. But that only takes a few minutes with an automated phone service -- just be sure to note that you did a major system upgrade but you didn't upgrade your motherboard.
A new OEM can also be used for both BootCamp and Parallels, though you'll have to do the phone-in verification process to get a special activiation # for the second install. But that only takes a few minutes with an automated phone service -- just be sure to note that you did a major system upgrade but you didn't upgrade your motherboard.
A couple years ago I had Toshiba notebook, but somebody stole it from me. I have tried to use original installation CD (just for curiosity) on another Toshiba laptop of latter model but it did not work, said something like "wrong computer". Somebody may know the way to install but its not worth the time and trouble and yes it feels better to be legit.
Lotsa misinformation in this thread. Try reading the MS EULA. If you own a license (regardless of the "OEM" status), you can install the software on one machine at a time, as many times as you want, but once again, only tied to a single CPU.
OEM software is merely not packaged with all the retail junk. The intent is for it to be installed on a "naked" machine, such as one you built yourself. Ignore the"Dell" (or HP, Gateway, etc) on the disc, that's just branding. The code on the CD is identical, regardless of the reseller or the packaging. The only difference is whether that CD Key had been used yet in a prior activation.
The OEM copy will install just fine, but as has been noted, if the prior installation had been previously registered/activated, you will have to call MS for phone activation. It's not a big deal, they're very nice about it, and they know that it gets re-installed from time to time.
This is just wrong. If you install Windows via BootCamp, you do NOT need to re-install for Parallels. Parallels looks to the Boot Camp partition for use a the VM bottle. It's still a single instance of Windows.
OEM software is merely not packaged with all the retail junk. The intent is for it to be installed on a "naked" machine, such as one you built yourself. Ignore the"Dell" (or HP, Gateway, etc) on the disc, that's just branding. The code on the CD is identical, regardless of the reseller or the packaging. The only difference is whether that CD Key had been used yet in a prior activation.
The OEM copy will install just fine, but as has been noted, if the prior installation had been previously registered/activated, you will have to call MS for phone activation. It's not a big deal, they're very nice about it, and they know that it gets re-installed from time to time.
This is just wrong. If you install Windows via BootCamp, you do NOT need to re-install for Parallels. Parallels looks to the Boot Camp partition for use a the VM bottle. It's still a single instance of Windows.
You only need the product key once you re-activate it via Internet or by phone I think you'll be fine it's a piece of software that you own and want to use it in your computer, and it can only be activated into one computer at the time.
If you want to buy another license check on craigslist, I bought a SP1 XP pro CD for $50 then did a slipstreaming to make it a SP2 cd and it's working fine.
Anyway you can find a nice deal for a SP2 or Vista also.
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vapir no2
If you want to buy another license check on craigslist, I bought a SP1 XP pro CD for $50 then did a slipstreaming to make it a SP2 cd and it's working fine.
Anyway you can find a nice deal for a SP2 or Vista also.
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vapir no2
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No small feat for those without lots of experience reading legal documents.
Especially since there are umpteen versions of the EULA, each slightly different.FWIW all the Dell OEM EULAs for XP I have read explicitly do not grant you any "transfer rights," i.e. the right to move the license to new hardware. (When you buy a Dell, your agreement with Microsoft is through Dell, the OEM and is different than a generic OEM license such as bought at Newegg. Sometimes it is more restrictive, other times it is less so. Generic OEM doesn't grant you "downgrade rights", but most Dell licenses do.)
As I have pointed out in other threads, that doesn't mean that MS won't just be kind enough to activate it for you when you transfer it to another machine, but you can't expect that to be the case if the EULA you agreed to explicitly doesn't grant you those rights.
B
Its ok my friend had an extra copy of Vista that he didn't want so I got it from him for a cheap price. Now i don't have to worry about damn OEM restrictions. Vista home premium is working great on a second hard drive(its own 250Gb) in my Mac Pro. It'll be plenty for an games and specific apps i need in Windows. Thanks again for the quality input instead of calling me an idioit, lair or questioning my integrity for asking a question. Thanks Vistafanboi