Re: How to reload XP after Hard Drive Replacement

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mokantx wrote:
Hi Folks
I have a Dell 5150 laptop, and its hard drive is in its final days.
Since I'm under warranty, the Dell folks will be sending someone
out early this week to replace the drive (and a few other pieces of
problematic hardware. I am concerned however, because when they
leave, I'm sure I'll have a nice new hard drive, and be facing a
C:\ prompt.

Can I simply load Windows from the CD that came with my original
laptop, and if so, what do I need to do to make sure that I'm
properly registered, and not cut off after 30 days or so?


Along that same line, I have Office XP, and face the same problem
there as well, EXCEPT that my Office XP was purchased as part of an
"educational licence" pack (It came with the license to install on
3 machines. I've used all 3.) I COULD uninstall it from a machine
that's pretty much kaput if that would make the difference, but the
question here is whether I need to.

How do I handle MS software when I'm replacing a hard drive (the
old one will literally be sent back within the next few days...)

any thoughts and procedures would be greatly appreciated.

FYI, I've saved most of my important user files to an external hard
drive, but there's something in my failing hard drive that will not
let me do a COMPLETE HD copy over - when I try I blue screen out.
so my user files seem fine, but the MS software likely will NOT be
backed up.

My suggestion.. Get an external hard drive and a copy of an imaging
application and the night before Dell is supposed to come out - use the
imaging applikcation to make an image (file) of your current hard disk.
Then when they install the new one - apply that image to the new hard disk
drive and it is like it never happened.

Symantec/Norton Ghost
http://www.symantec.com/sabu/ghost/

Acronis True Image
http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/products/trueimage

BootItT NG
http://terabyteunlimited.com/bootitng.html

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


.

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