Question About Windows

ok, lets say you buy a single disk with windows xp on it. i want to install windows on two computers, could i use the same cd or would i have to buy two cd's? if i do use same cd on both computers, im not gonna do anything illegal like use it and then sell the computer, it will only be used by me in my house and not by anybody else. im just basically askin if its legal to use the same disk for two computers.

 

theoretically, you can buy one cd, and then buy an extra license key, but the best way to do it (and i'll say the only way just because) is by buying 2 full copies. Both disks will be the same, so it's all right to mix them, but keep the two license keys separate.

so basically, you can't share one cd key among 2 computers.

 

oh ok, just another question tho, how will the cd know if the cd key is bein used on another comuter, lol. i could understand if the two where connected to internet but what if they wheren't, or only one was. then i guess nobody would know huh? lol.

 

actually, it will. if you don't activate online, you'll need to call a customer rep to get an activation key. they don't like it when you give them 2 completely different hardware profiles, so don't even try.

 

oh ok, thats how it works then. thnx for the info

 

Actually, you can get "1-2 CPU licence key" which is usually cheaper than buying two full copies, and is usualy used with laptops (one on your desktop, one on your laptop)
e.g.

http://www.provantage.com/buy-7MSXX...ware-hardware-licenses-e85-02151-shopping.htm

 

thnx goldfish, but i was talkin bout the oem windows, dont really want to spend 200 or 300 for windows when you can spend only 90 for oem. i realize you dont get the tech support with oem but i have never used it anyway so i guess i dont need it. thnx for the info tho

 

i have another question tho, when you go and put the new windows cd in the drive and reformat the hard drive, does it do a complete reformat? i mean like does it completely erase the hard drive and install windows again. or does it just "repair" it?

 

A format will do precisely that, it will format the partition it's pointed at leaving it blank, (although it is possible to recover from a format it's not a recommended strategy) . You can of course try a repair.


In general I tend to prefer backing up the important stuff and doing a clean install on a reformatted partition.

 

ok, so how do you format your hard drive, then after the drive is formatted, you just pop in the cd, or what?

and also another question bout windows, is winxp PRO worth getting? or is it just for business or soemthin?

 

Just boot from the CD and it'll give you the option to format as part of the install.


As to Windows XP Pro, I use it as well as all the other Windows and Linux.

IMHO XP Pro is not necessarily for the business user but it is for the serious user. Worth the extra money instead of XP Home.

 

thanks g1lgam3sh, so if i do it the way you said it is just like your installing windows onto a brand new drive? cuz i want to make sure i get everything off and just start fresh.

what exactly is better in xp pro then in home? better security?

 

If you were going to buy a nice car would you want the extras, you know:

Leather seats, CD autochanger, metallic paint yada yada yada?

That's it really.

It's the extras

There are lot's of threads on this issue, just do a search, seek and ye shall find, it's XP Pro and Mandrake 10 for me at the moment

 

i have yet ANOTHER question for the intelligent guys at majorgeeks.com, lol. lets say i have a floppy boot disk, and i put the boot disk in and it does what its suppose to, start on msdos, and then you ahve the words, a:, and your suppose to type in "format c:" or "format c: /s". what is the difference between the two? basically, what does the /s mean at teh end?

 

OK, I'm back on line, atrociously early for a saturday


/ is a switch, it basically says, carry out this command in this particular way.
For example:


A:> format c: tells the package to format the c: drive.

If we add a switch

A:> format c: /s

This means format c: and put system files on c: (which makes C: bootable)

See, clear as mud

It does right now!

 

ooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.......................... i see now. man that is clear as mud, lol. and after you format the c: drive with the /s, you dont need the bootable floppy anymore. after your done formatting the c drive, you just pop in the windows cd(having the bios to boot from cd first) and go right. but what if you didn't do the /s when formatting? what would you do then? would it render the hd useless?

steak and eggs does sound good, lol, i got up at 10:20 this morning and i was really hungry. im now eating a bowl of fruity pebbles, lol.

 

If you're going to boot off the CD to install, you don't need to put system files on. In fact if you're going to install XP Pro I would format the drive as NTFS

 

ok, thanks