Win xp pro repair

I have my own copy of XP pro which I bought new and loaded onto my PC clone, when it first came out.
The HD went to Buenos Aires, or somewhere way south, not long ago. I got our my trusty disc and proceeded to load XP on my new drive. Somehow it had gotten got damaged, and will not load.
It was suggested I contact MS for support. MS politely gave me their famous "Sorry Charlie," and "you are on your own and of luck since you did not buy it as part of a brand name computer."
The shop that built my computer loaded a copy they had, but MS will not recognize it.
It has been suggested I download a program such as filesharefreak.com/.../how-to-make-windows-xp-pro-100-genuine.
I am somewhat hesitant to do this, and wondered if anyone would like to jump in on this idea.
If I am going to replace the XP disc, I am somewhat inclined to just get Win 7 and start using it.
Thank you.
Skysarge

 

How will "filesharefreak.com/.../how-to-make-windows-xp-pro-100-genuine" help you with an XP CD which won't boot due to wear/damage?

If your machine supports the Win7 O/S (http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/downloads/upgrade-advisor), obtain it and install it.

 

The filesharefreak.com/.../how-to-make-windows-xp-pro-100-genuine. is an activation crack. This will not help you fix a damaged disc. You should be able to use any XP Pro installation CD as long as you have your valid product key from the COA that you received with your MS purchase. If you don't, well....... You could try the Win 7 route (I've ran it on an Athlon XP 2800 and 1 GB RAM) or a Linux distribution like Ubuntu.