Member Avatar for CAMGAZZ

my father bought this computer off our cousin she had no clue where the installation disk is i need to know how to create a windoxs xp cd so i can reinstall xp on his computer so i have no disks no product key and no idea what to do next if you could please assist me in a way that u would talk to a dummie i would appreciate it thanks!!

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A short, practical checklist for that builds on the thread started by and without repeating their suggestions. The goal is recovery first (data and product key), then a legal reinstall or a safe migration path if a genuine XP reinstall is not possible.

If the PC still boots: image the whole disk before making any changes (prevents data loss). Imaging tools such as Clonezilla can make a full backup to an external drive (Clonezilla). After an image is made, extract the Windows product key from the live installation or registry hive with a small utility like ProduKey or Belarc Advisor (, Belarc Advisor). Note whether the COA sticker (product key) exists on the case or under laptop battery; COA and installed keys can differ (OEM vs retail), and the correct media type must match the key (Home vs Professional, OEM vs retail).

If the PC will not boot: remove the drive and attach it to another machine via a SATA/USB adapter, then image the drive and/or read the registry hives to pull the key with the same tools above. An image can later be restored to the original drive or to a replacement drive or virtual machine.

If no valid key or media is recoverable, contact the original OEM for recovery media (they often provide it for a fee) or plan a move to a supported operating system—continuing to run Windows XP has significant security and compatibility risks. Avoid unofficial ISOs, key generators, or cracked keys; they are illegal and unsafe.

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Member Avatar for finito

Well the only legal way for you to get the CD would be to go out and buy it.

The only other way you can do this is by getting an open source Operating System

http://www.ubuntu.com is one of them. you may wish to read up on Linux and millions of Distros it has. Most of which are free and Open Source and much more stable then Windows.

Member Avatar for jwenting

If there's a rescue partition it will contain the disc images to use, after you use that rescue partition to restore the main harddisc to factory settings.

Otherwise, do as Finito says and go out and buy a legal copy of some operating system (XP of course is no longer available for retail purchase).

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