I don't have an installation CD for Windows XP - what if I need one?

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Actually, you can get a replacement CD/DVD for Windows from Microsoft (This is not for XP but for Vista in my case) but it takes a lot of work. They pass you around like a rag doll and it takes many hours on the phone over the course of many days. The key is getting the right person who can approve your request. Again, it's a lot or hard phone work.

currently you can still purchase an OEM XP-Pro SP3
"for distribution only with a New PC" CD
from major online retailers like TigerDirect, providing you purchase some other hardware component to meet the MS requirement ie a new HDD and the CD qualifies, and sometimes the OEM CD will work with your current COA Key sticker on the PC

XP INSTALLATION CD AVAILABILITY SIMPLIFIED The cd itself is worthless, and useless, without a license key, so if you find a friendly tech, he will make you one for the cost of 5 mins + a cd, as he will have an original of any OS.
Regards Bill

Any other installation CD of the same version (Home, Pro etc) will work with your license. Find a friend and borrow their CD to install then use your license. Or find a friendly computer shop who will do it for you. This is perfictly legal as it's the license that is registered not the CD. -Dave

Thanks for the advice Leo but I was wondering where did the winnt.exe and winnt32.exe went. They weren't present in the I386 folder. Please do help me. Thank you.

Can I install windows xp, with the serial that appears on the side of my computer, only if I borrow a instalation xp cd, I am not using my Pc because one of my restore CDs is broken,is it true that serial that is attach to my Pc will work to activate windows xp again, I know I don't care about the programs that my computer came with, I just want to be able to update windows,thanks for your help

Hi Leo, My computer (not this one) goes to boot up but stops when the intel inside logo appears on the screen. What do i need to do to fix this problem?.

My computer got the unmountable_boot_volume the other day and I need a Windows XP CD to repair it.
Would I need one of my own? or I will I be able to use another persons CD?

I, too, only have retry, more information, and cancel as an option. I have found the correct folder, but I have no way of telling the program which file it is since retry just keeps asking for the cd. I have the correct cd, so I could just use that, but it just keeps saying it is the wrong cd but I am certain that it is not. It won't accept the cd and it won't let me select the folder, so I'm stuck.

DIVERSE says "I have the correct cd, so I could just use that, but it just keeps saying it is the wrong cd but I am certain that it is not. It won't accept the cd and it won't let me select the folder, so I'm stuck"

Welcome to Windows' Wonderful World of "Automatic Updates". At some point between the time you got your machine and the time you tried restoring it, Windows probably installed a service pack or two for you. Wasn't that nice of them? ;-)

Unfortunately, that rendered your old install CD almost useless, since you now have a different version of XP on your system than you have on the CD.

You can try a few things:
1) Roll back your system to the earliest restore point, reboot and try your CD again.
2) Uninstall any service packs in reverse order using "add/remove programs", rebooting each time, and try using your CD again. Do this one service pack at a time until your system matches your CD.
3) Try Leo's trick of burning the i386 directory on your system to a CD, and using that CD instead of your install CD.

*HOWEVER*, since you already have your install CD, the above may all be moot, anyway. Just boot your system off it and either reinstall or attempt a system restore.

If your system doesn't permit booting off a CD, then boot into XP, find your cdrom (which holds your setup CD), go into the i386 folder of the cdrom, find WINNT32.EXE and doubleclick on it. Then follow the instructions on the popup.

IN ANY CASE: Back up and save anything and everything you don't want to lose, because these reinstall methods wipe everything out.

You can save the stuff you want by burning it to CD, copying it to a different drive, or copying it off to another networked computer.

And if all else fails, there are other methods of backups and restores, but they aren't for the inexperienced or the faint of heart. For these, you should find a friendly neighborhood geek. We can be hard to find, I know. We're almost indistinguishable from real people, but we're out here. ;-)

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