by HungryGuy on November 20th, 2009

HungryGuy

Question

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I have a PC that's a few years old, and is sluggish. I want to reinstall XP, but it didn't come with the CD. They sell "OEM" full versions of XP SP3 on Ebay/Amazon/etc for about $80. Can I install that over the top of an existing XP?

Answers. 2 helpful answers below.

  • by pawzisme on April 1st, 2010

    pawzisme

    if you have an OEM computer then you may be OK. it is all to do with the PID's that come with the disk. Dell has its own particular numbers ( for instance) so if you install a Dell OEM XP operating system on a non-OEM machine, chances are you will hit problems when you try to activate the machine.

    If the machine is an OEM but did not come with a disk in the first place, then chances are it has the system files stored on a hidden partition which you can access by pressing one of the F keys at boot - maybe F10 or F12. That will bring up a menu giving you options on what kind of restore or re-install you want to go for.

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  • by level headed on November 20th, 2009

    level headed

    I wouldn't. Even if you have the same OS (XP home or pro) you'll have duplicate files. This would slow the system down even more. I would add more memory to your PC. If you have a small processor, like 1.8GHz, that can also be a problem. If I were to buy the OEM I would install it on a new hard drive. The holidays are coming. You should be able to pick up something nice for less than 500 dollars. Save your money.

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You're reading I have a PC that's a few years old, and is sluggish. I want to reinstall XP, but it didn't come with the CD. They sell "OEM" full versions of XP SP3 on Ebay/Amazon/etc for about $80. Can I install that over the top of an existing XP?

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