Member Avatar for JMT74

Yeah. I am not sure the policy on here about talking about this kind of stuff so forgive me if I am not supposed to but I am curious about something. Any someone gave me this older Compaq computer that is a Deskpro EN 733mhz, Pent III,128 meg of RAM. Well they had an illegal copy of XP Pro on it that was infected bigtime. It got to the point that I couldnt get onto Windows at all. So I had a brainstorm. Seeing I couldnt reformat without the original CD. I used my DELL XP cd and put it in so I could get to a command prompt and format the hard drive that way. So it did it without any problems. After that I decided for the heck of it thinking it wouldn't work any to install my DELL XP onto it. It worked. How I don't know. LOL Immediately I installed AVG free and Zonealarm firewall before using a SP2 Windows sent me a few years ago. However I am at a crossroads. It keeps asking me to Activate Windows. I know I should not do this but what would happen if I did? Will that affect my DELL computer that originally has that CD on it? I wanna be able to get updates. Again sorry if I am not supposed to be talking about this stuff on here.

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— short answer: whether activating that copy will “break” the other PC depends on the kind of license printed on the sticker (Certificate of Authenticity) and how Microsoft’s activation service treats that product key. ’s point about getting activation tools from bittorrent is unsafe and illegal; those files commonly carry malware and should be ignored.

Key points to act on:

  • Check the COA on the original machine or paperwork to see if the license is OEM (preinstalled) or retail. OEM licenses are meant to stay with the original machine; retail licenses can be moved to another machine if they’re no longer used on the old one.
  • Activation works by comparing a hardware-derived ID to the product key. If the same key is used on multiple machines the activation service can refuse online activation, ask for phone activation, or flag the key. That may cause activation problems on one or both machines until resolved.
  • If a legal transfer is needed, buy a retail license (or a properly licensed copy). Do not use cracks, keygens, or downloaded “fixes.”

Security and practical advice:

  • That version of Windows no longer receives security updates. Running it online exposes the machine to significant risk. Consider a lightweight, supported OS for very old hardware (several modern Linux distros are designed for low-spec PCs).
  • If sticking with Windows, use a legitimately licensed key and, if activation fails, use Microsoft’s official activation channels to explain the situation. Back up important data and keep drivers for the hardware handy.

This keeps the system legal, avoids malware, and prevents risking activation trouble for the other machine.

Member Avatar for Techman2008

Well, you are not the only one that does it. I know several people do that. But in order to activate, there is a file that can trick Microsoft company thinking it's a purchase license. You might have to download from utorrent that i know of.

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