I'm thinking about buying a used notebook computer. It has Windows XP
Professional installed and a Certificate of Authenticity is included on
bottom of machine. NO CD's however!

I have a ligit version of XP Home (including cd's) installed on my desktop
machine. Can I reinstall XP from these cd's and enter the COA from the
notebook?

John Mc

No, the product key on the COA will work for Windows XP Pro OEM only.

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"John Mc" <johnmc3@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:AOudncoDy9HxyOPVnZ2dnUVZ_tninZ2d@comcast.com. ..
> I'm thinking about buying a used notebook computer. It has Windows XP
> Professional installed and a Certificate of Authenticity is included on
> bottom of machine. NO CD's however!
>
> I have a ligit version of XP Home (including cd's) installed on my desktop
> machine. Can I reinstall XP from these cd's and enter the COA from the
> notebook?
>
> John Mc
>

"John Mc" <johnmc3@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:AOudncoDy9HxyOPVnZ2dnUVZ_tninZ2d@comcast.com. ..
> I'm thinking about buying a used notebook computer. It has Windows XP
> Professional installed and a Certificate of Authenticity is included on bottom
> of machine. NO CD's however!
>
> I have a ligit version of XP Home (including cd's) installed on my desktop
> machine. Can I reinstall XP from these cd's and enter the COA from the
> notebook?
>
> John Mc
>


No, that won't work. You would need an XP Professional OEM installation CD in
order to use the key from the sticker on the laptop.

You might want to check if there's a hidden restore partition on the laptop. The
users manual for the system will contain information on the procedure used to
reinstall the operating system. Also, some manufacturer's will send you an
installation CD for a fee.

Good luck

Nepatsfan