Summary: At some point you'll need your Windows installation CD. If you don't have one, you could be out of luck. Be sure to get one and keep it safe.
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I don't have an installation CD for Windows XP - what if I need one? |
There are circumstances where you may have a legal installation of Windows XP without an installation CD. This can cause some panic when you're later instructed to make sure you have the CD before installing some other software or hardware. If you're legal, chances are you're okay though.
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The scenario that seems most common is a manufacturer that pre-installs Windows XP for you and then does not give you a CD to go with it. I think this is a bad practice but I understand that it may save the manufacturer and ultimately you a little bit of money.
Hopefully what that manufacturer has done is copy the Windows XP CD-ROM image to your hard disk. Hard disks are so big these days that doing so takes up very little room and has some advantages I'll talk about in a second.
To find out if the CD-ROM image is on your machine, search for a folder named I386. There may be several but the one we care about will contain close to 7,000 files, two of which will be winnt.exe and winnt32.exe. The I386 directory is typically one of the top-level directories on the distribution CD-ROM but most importantly it is the directory that contains the distributed copy of Windows XP. Winnt.exe and winnt32.exe are the DOS and protected mode setup programs, respectively. (You'd only need those if you were planning to re-install Windows XP from scratch - I use them here as an easy way to identify that we have the right directory.)
So now that you know you have the CD-ROM image, what if some later installation asks for the CD-ROM?
Not to worry, it's actually pretty simple. Typically the "Insert CD" message has only an OK and Cancel button. Press OK, allowing it to fail. The next dialog will typically ask you to provide the location of the CD-ROM; just type in the full path of the I386 directory you discovered above.
That's it. But it gets better.
Windows remembers. Now that you've told Windows where your installation CD image is, it'll remember that. The next time you're in a situation that might require your installation CD, Windows will look there first; if it finds what it needs then it won't bother to ask you for it.
Personally I find that pretty handy - so much so that even though I have my Windows CD I'll also copy it to my hard disk and point Windows to that copy the first time it asks. Then I don't have to think about it or insert the CD again. And this technique works for many other CD-ROM based products including Microsoft Office.
Related:
I have no CD - how do I get at Windows XP setup? If you don't have your Windows installation CD there are still a few things you can do. If you have an image of your CD, you may be able to do more.
How can I get another activation code without paying for another CD? If you lose your activation code you may get help from the product manufacturer if you can prove you have a legitimate copy. That may not be easy.
How can I find the XP installation CD key used on my system without having the CD? There are freeware utilities that will find the installation CD key used on your system for you if you do not have the CD.
Can I install Windows XP using one manufacturer's CD on a different pc? Installing Windows XP using one manufacturer's CD on a different manufacturer's PC might sometimes work but it's not guaranteed at all.
How can I install hardware if I no longer have my Windows XP CD? There are some steps to try if you need to install hardware and do not have your Windows XP CD.
Article C1873 - December 26, 2003
Leo,
Should virtually all those ~"7,000" files in I386 end in an underscore (e.g. "WIN32SPL.DL_")?
On the system I'm working with right now, about 500 files are expanded and do have complete extensions (e.g. winnt.exe, WINNT32.MSI, and over 300 .htm files) but almost 6,000 out of total 6,500 files end in "_".
Or, do we need to first extract/expand them to their full size and name and store in another folder before they are useful in the manner you are suggesting?
I ask because on some systems I've seen ALL the files already expanded and on other systems they aren't (and I'm NOT confusing between "Driver Cache" folder where you will find a very limited subset of some expanded files v. the ~7,000 files in the I386 folder). I tried working with a system that used the non-expanded files (those ending in "_") and ran into problems very quickly.
17-Dec-2009
Posted by: JackNoir at December 15, 2009 9:35 PM
Another file structure question...
This particular I386 folder contains sub-folders, which in turn contain sub-folders, and so on...for a total of 69 sub-folders.
IF I first have to expand the files ending in "_" (see my post immediately preceeding this one), then do I expand them ALL to a SINGLE flat-file folder structure, or do I maintain the sub-folder tree structure in the new primary folder?
"I386" Folder Structure #1:
For example, I've created a batch script that finds and EXPANDS all the "_" ending files from I386 into a folder called I386new. The batch script also simply finds and COPIES all the files that don't require expansion into the I386new folder. This batch script created a single flat-file structure within I386new.
"I386" Structure #2
However, I have also written a batch script that does essentially the same thing, except copies the folder tree structure within I386 and expands or copies files as needed into their respective sub-folders. For example,
C:\WINDOWS\I386\LANG\MSGOTHIC.TT_
is EXPANDED and placed (for now) in
I:\I386new\LANG\MSGOTHIC.TTF
and
C:\WINDOWS\I386\SYSTEM32\NTDLL.DLL
is COPIED and placed (for now) in
I:\I386new\SYSTEM32\NTDLL.DLL
and
C:\WINDOWS\I386\ASMS\10\MSFT\WINDOWS\GDIPLUS\GDIPLUS.DL_
is expanded and placed (for now) in
I:\I386new\ASMS\10\MSFT\WINDOWS\GDIPLUS\GDIPLUS.DLL
------------------------------------------
The question becomes WHICH of these I386new structures do I use when I run either WINNT.EXE or WINNT32.EXE? (note: I'll rename/relocate the top-level I386new folder as needed)
Structure #1)
The flatfile I386new structure, where ALL ~7,000 files are stored monolithically under I386new (e.g. NO other sub-folders under I386new)?
Or,
Structure #2)
The I386new structure in which the I386 sub-folder tree is replicated? (in which MOST of the ~7,000 files exist under I386new, but about 940 files are expanded/copied to 69 respective sub-folders under the I386new top folder)
17-Dec-2009
Posted by: JackNoir at December 16, 2009 7:24 AM
i really really need a copy of xp cd, but i don't have one, i only have access to a mac, and i 'made' a boot cd from another pc and i have a LEGAL product key, but the cd that i 'made' doesn't work. how do i get a REAL cd to LEGALLY re-install windows xp on my system, as it wont boot right now...
Posted by: Brandon at December 19, 2009 6:02 PMLeo.. so is it OK to use a third party provided XP recovery disk on an OEM machine, when you can't boot the machine? The disk will do a reinstall of XP but will windows activate when asked for the activate code and I use the one from the OEM machine (on the side of the PC)?
Posted by: tommy s sow at December 26, 2009 10:46 AMI have 2 XP computers - a desktop and a laptop.
The HDD on the desktop will not boot anymore. If I buy a new HDD, how can I get my XP back on it?
Can I use teh OS from the laptop ?
Posted by: Randy at January 25, 2010 8:36 PM