I am trying to install Windows XP onto an older Compaq computer that my
father gave my son. I am using the OEM disc for installation that came with
my Dell computer that it is currently installed on. During the setup we are
prompted to call the Microsoft automated telephone number to get a code to
use to continue with the setup. It is not allowing us to use the code that
is provided on our setup screen. Is there anything I can do to get around
this problem?

In news:757E1921-CF39-4F9F-A1CA-45F24CBB9903@microsoft.com,
jbailey <jbailey@discussions.microsoft.com> had this to say:

My reply is at the bottom of your sent message:

> I am trying to install Windows XP onto an older Compaq computer that
> my father gave my son. I am using the OEM disc for installation that
> came with my Dell computer that it is currently installed on. During
> the setup we are prompted to call the Microsoft automated telephone
> number to get a code to use to continue with the setup. It is not
> allowing us to use the code that is provided on our setup screen. Is
> there anything I can do to get around this problem?

The OEM CD for the Dell will only work on that Dell. To install XP on the
Compaq you'll need to buy a separate CD and license - I'd recommend XP Home
Retail.

--
Galen - MS MVP - Windows (Shell/User & IE)
http://dts-l.org/

"We approached the case, you remember, with an absolutely blank mind,
which is always an advantage. We had formed no theories. We were simply
there to observe and to draw inferences from our observations." -
Sherlock Holmes

You cannot use a Dell CD and license to install
Windows XP on a non-Dell computer. You need
to purchase a conventional "Full Version" of Windows XP
if you wish to install it on a Compaq computer.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows - Shell/User
Microsoft Community Newsgroups
news://msnews.microsoft.com/

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"jbailey" wrote:

| I am trying to install Windows XP onto an older Compaq computer that my
| father gave my son. I am using the OEM disc for installation that came with
| my Dell computer that it is currently installed on. During the setup we are
| prompted to call the Microsoft automated telephone number to get a code to
| use to continue with the setup. It is not allowing us to use the code that
| is provided on our setup screen. Is there anything I can do to get around
| this problem?

jbailey wrote:
> I am trying to install Windows XP onto an older Compaq computer
> that my father gave my son. I am using the OEM disc for
> installation that came with my Dell computer that it is currently
> installed on. During the setup we are prompted to call the
> Microsoft automated telephone number to get a code to use to
> continue with the setup. It is not allowing us to use the code
> that is provided on our setup screen. Is there anything I can do to
> get around this problem?

Purchase Windows XP for the other computer.

Although there is a probability that the Dell OEM Windows XP Installation CD
will only work on the Dell (for various reasons - usually called BIOS
locked) - there are other things to consider.

There is an agreement that comes with Windows XP called the "EULA" - or
End-User License Agreement - which you agree to everytime you install or use
Windows XP on a PC. In that document (for the Dell OEM copy) it does state
(in much legal-ese) that the copy type (OEM) that is installed on the Dell
is "tied" to that system.. Forever. If that system was to burst into flames
and melt to slag - leaving only the CD Key and the CD for Windows XP lying
safely in the pile - your recourse (in accordance to the wordy document you
agree to whenever you install/use Windows XP) is to destroy the CD and Key
along with the slag that lies before you.

In other words - according to the EULA - you cannot do what you are trying
to do. That CD can be used ONLY to recover that Dell Computer as long as
that Dell computer works - if that Dell computer ceases to function - so
does that CD.

There is also the customization of the Dell CD. More than likely that CD
has been customized in several ways by Dell - not hte lease of which is
specific drivers for the Dell computer in question being included on the CD.
Other customizations of the OEM copy of the Windows XP CD could include some
form of BIOS lock, Dell -specific applications that get installed, etc.
This makes it anywhere from improbable to difficult to use that CD on
another machine.

What does all this lead to for you - the simple Joe User wanting to install
Windows XP on another computer that they own and use in the privacy of their
own home?

Purchase a copy of Windows XP from your favorite retailer and install that
copy onto the system in question.

That gives you the most favorable results with the least amount of effort
and concern.

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html