Live and Learn

[Wiz4rd]

So as i am in the process of getting a repair business going from home. And going through all the hoops to get things setup. A friend comes over with a PC he purchased at an auction.

It has EDubuntu installed on it, a linux flavor I have never heard of, ubuntu kubuntu ect and the likes sure, but this one was new to me.

Anyways he wanted windows xp on it, and since we are pals, and he's always there when I need him, I decided to throw xp on it.

So he brings by 2 discs, a xp home upgrade disc, and a windows ME upgrade disc.

Well I am sure you know where this went, well the XP disc boots, but being an upgrade version it says HEY where is your previous install/purchased windows?

So now I am thinking, what can I DO!

It took me awhile but I finally decided to boot the xp disc, then insert the ME disc, and have XP go ooooooooooooooooh OK you have ME! Ok me now like to install for you me love you long time!

So the moral of the story, I have installed windows for tons of people before, but an upgrade disc was new to me, I learned something new, and how to deal with it.

Sometimes you think you know everything on something, and then you realise just how much you DON'T know.

I am pretty good at PC repair, but obviously I have gaps I need to fill.

This forum has been a great help to me, I hope someday to be able to give back to it.

 

[UCanFixit]

Hi Wiz4rd,

Thanks for sharing your upgrade experience and best of luck going forward!

 

[codegreen]

Wiz4rd, if you're hoping to operate a proper business, you need to pay attention to Windows licensing issues. If you're friend only had two upgrade discs, it sounds like he didn't have a license to install any version of Windows.

You don't want to be the guy installing illegal software.

 

[brandonkick]

Exactly.

If that computer didn't come with ME installed (or if the ME disk wasn't a retail full version) then what he is doing (or actually what you did) is illegal.

The only legal scenarios would be:

The computer came from the factory with a full version of windows ME on it.
The windows xp upgrade was retail (not sure if they made an oem xp upgrade).

OR

If he had a full retail version of windows XP.

 

[DocGreen]

The proper way to handle this situation would have been to install whatever OS the computer was originally shipped with. I'd be willing to bet that the computer had a Windows COA sticker on it somewhere... most likely for XP. Simply install using a Windows XP OEM disc and use the product key from the COA.

If it didn't have a COA, your only other options would be
A) Purchase and install a new Retail version of XP,
B) Install a different version of Linux.

Yeah, there are ways of installing Windows without the COA, and most of us here know what they are... but we don't discuss nor condone that here because its illegal. As business owners, we have a certain standard to uphold. We're better than that, and I hope you are too.