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A few months ago, I got an HP Pavilion a720n from one of my mom's friends, who was upgrading the computer in his office to a newer, more powerful machine. As he was a doctor, and patient records were on the PC, the HDD had to be professionally wiped. The computer has 512MB RAM, and a single core Athlon XP, so Ubuntu doesn't run very well. It originally came with XP Home, and I have the product key. I don't have any restore disks. I've looked online, but every solution I've seen has something to do with torrents and illegal pirated software. Does anybody have ideas on how I can legally put XP back on the machine? Thanks! |
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You can call HP and get some install CD. That is the best bet If not, there is still hope, though it will be a pain. I just recently did this with a Dell XPS Gen 4 I got from a friend. You are going have to borrow a retail disc. Then you are going to have to get the OEMBIOS file from http://forums.mydigitallife.info/threads/9795-The-Windows-XP-OEMBIOS-Archive and replace the files on the cd with the files (get the compressed version of your PC supplier). (preferred though not fully necessary, Get nlite and add any drivers to the install cd). Burn the disc, install. The funny things is that even if you switch the number on a cd to switch from a retail to a OEM cd, it does not work with manaufactueres. The link I have will help you make that OEM install cd. Just don't follow the pain I had to do trying to make a standard technet XP iso and trying to make it a Dell OEM CD You can get one side that says Genuine advantage verified, while standard activation says not validated. Very silly |
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As you see, you'll get several different answers, all of which vary in scope. The first is correct. Calling HP is the best answer. Your restore disc could cost anywhere from $10-$25 depending on the model and the number of discs included in the set, or they could be generous and just send it to you, but expect to pay for it. The second answer is not wholly correct, because even though you cannot purchase XP off of the shelf any longer, it is still technically supported by Microsoft for a short time longer, and it is available from the OEM to put back on the machine. And the third answer is not correct either in most cases, unless you have a friend with an HP machine of a similar model, since Microsoft no longer allows shipping a full restorable image on the machine for anything other than the machine that was purchased. The drivers for each machine are built into the image, and you'd likely have a very frustrating time trying to get your "freebie" to work with someone else's restore media. So, obviously the first option is the best option. Good luck! |
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XP is no longer available it was discontinued a couple of years ago after Vista was released. |
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Try borrowing one from a friend or family member. |
