Forum Home
Press F1
Thread ID: 75850	2007-01-12 08:25:00	Upgrading laptop hardware and reloading Windows XP	geois (11765)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
515230	2007-01-12 20:36:00	hmmm...22 posts? Quote: Originally Posted by Cicero pressf1.pcworld.co.nz (pressf1.pcworld.co.nz) I think G-F is resting at his batch,or racing round in his MX5. Note taken Fox,will look into above. "Not "resting" at all, have been working overseas and then came back only to find I am locked out of the forum! Hence new name until Bruce comes back and forgives me or fixes it. Perhaps it was something I said...?" This may help for you Metla.	Sweep (90)
515231	2007-01-12 20:39:00	Yes, well when you get locked out for not spending enough on a Christmas present for Jen, you have to re-register. I thought it was Bruce. :horrified	Sweep (90)
515232	2007-01-12 20:46:00	All you ever needed to know regarding versions and keys. If it was preinstall with a "golden key" or "Royalty OEM" (HP, Dell et al) then it should not work, this change is reasonably recent (2005) however. www.edbott.com aye? That would only be if you retrieved the current used key from the registry via a third party app, and then tried to use it on an install from a CD, If you format or replace the HD and load from a CD then it will work fine with the key as printed on the sticker attached to the system (which is most definitely not the master key) and if not then a 2 minute call to MS will get it activated.	Metla (12)
515233	2007-01-12 20:50:00	Hi guys, thanks for your replies . Drcspy, with respect to upgrading just the ram, I guess you're right: there is no need to reinstall Windows . I was going to get my local computer store to install the HDD and ram . I didn't know they could do "imaging", but I fell kinda "wrong" if I don't reinstall windows a-fresh every 12 months or so . I think it's cos I cut my computer teath on a machine running ME, which needed to be freshly reloaded every 6 months or so! Thanks for your comments . I've never had a computer with Windows preinstalled and recorvery disks, so I just wanted to know how I'd fare following my planned upgrades, and whether I needed to nip in now and get myself a full copy of XP before vista takes over . Now I know that my copy is tied to the motherboard - which I don't even think I could touch, even it I wanted too - I can go ahead and upgrade without shelling out for a full copy of Windows . Godfather, thank you for the link (very illuminating) and your comments . Thanks again guys, Geois .	geois (11765)
515234	2007-01-12 20:53:00	aye? That would only be if you retrieved the current used key from the registry via a third party app, and then tried to use it on an install from a CD, If you format or replace the HD and load from a CD then it will work fine with the key as printed on the sticker attached to the system (which is most definitely not the master key) and if not then a 2 minute call to MS will get it activated. That's what i meant, Metla. Just as an aside, that's a call to MS in New Zealand?	geois (11765)
515235	2007-01-12 23:53:00	Yep, MS in NZ...answered by an Indian chick in some far off land...... However, Your current HD has a hidden partition containing your OS,all drivers, and programs. When you want to reload windows you can launch from this partition and it wil do the exact same job as installing off teh cd's, with no activation required. The other bonus is that it will take just a few minutes and gives you the option of retaining your current partitions, retaining your info on the second partition, dirty install, format and install and a few others. The is the reason you should get your old HD imaged to your new one...so that you can retain that hidden partition, and then run the Asus format and install from the HD itself. I too have an Asus laptop, haven't seen my recovery cd's in years, The 2 times I have formatted and reloaded its just been from the HD.	Metla (12)
515236	2007-01-13 01:01:00	Thanks Metla, I'm learning so much today! The existence of a hidden partition would explain why the two partitions I have now do not add up to 60 GB - the supposed size of the drive. It's all making sense now...	geois (11765)
515237	2007-01-13 01:40:00	I personally dont reinstall every year or so I do enuf of that on other peoples puters............anyway.......METLA has the right idea it IS useful to IMAGE the harddrive.......unless theres some problems with windoze I cant imagine why anyone would want to wipe and reinstall the system .......also you will lose your recovery partition that way........etc etc........... *************************************** and somebody Umm... (s)he's replacing the HDD, so he doesn't really have a choice here. what TOTAL RUBBISH............I cant count how many times i've replaced harddrives in computers, and I can ASSURE YOU UNCATEGORICALLY you DONT need to reinstall windows just to do that..........go look up imaging.....	drcspy (146)
1 2