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    I purchased Windows XP Professional Retail version (no sevice packs) in 2002. I did install and use this OS, but it is not installed on any computer for a few years now, I reinstalled the XP OEM Home version instead of XP Pro Retail.
    I have an oldish laptop and I would like to install XP Pro Retail version. This would then be the only PC it would be installed on, is this OK? Thanks in advance.
    Monday, August 3, 2009 9:23 AM

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    Hello brianolo,

    The End User Licensing Agreement (EULA) for full retail licenses of XP allows you to move the license from one computer to another, as long as it is installed and activated on only one computer at a time.  So, yes, you can put that XP Pro retail on that older laptop.  For best results, if possible install at least 512MB RAM on the older laptop.

    Once XP is installed on the laptop, view your EULA by clicking Start>Run then type winver and clik OK, then in the resulting window, click on the link to view your software licensing terms/EULA.  Look for the transfer of license paragraph (IIRC it's para 14 on the retail EULA).
    For great advice on all topics XP, visit http://www.annoyances.org/exec/forum/winxp
    Monday, August 3, 2009 4:08 PM

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    Hello brianolo,

    The End User Licensing Agreement (EULA) for full retail licenses of XP allows you to move the license from one computer to another, as long as it is installed and activated on only one computer at a time.  So, yes, you can put that XP Pro retail on that older laptop.  For best results, if possible install at least 512MB RAM on the older laptop.

    Once XP is installed on the laptop, view your EULA by clicking Start>Run then type winver and clik OK, then in the resulting window, click on the link to view your software licensing terms/EULA.  Look for the transfer of license paragraph (IIRC it's para 14 on the retail EULA).
    For great advice on all topics XP, visit http://www.annoyances.org/exec/forum/winxp
    Monday, August 3, 2009 4:08 PM
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    Thank you very much Dan.

                 Regards, Brian
    Monday, August 3, 2009 4:12 PM
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    Hello brianolo,

    You're welcome!  :-)
    For great advice on all topics XP, visit http://www.annoyances.org/exec/forum/winxp
    Monday, August 3, 2009 4:17 PM
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    Hi again,

    Just one more question. On my current PC I am running OEM XP Pro SP3, which is all on the install CD. When I install XP Pro Full Retail on my old laptop, must I use the old XP CD and get all the updates or may I use the new OEM CD with SP3 (with all the updates), and enter the license code for the XP Pro Retail?  If I must use the old CD, will windows update work to make it current or do I need to download the service packs separately?

                                                                                                                                        Thank you,

                                                                                                                                         Brian
    Tuesday, August 4, 2009 11:41 AM
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    Hello Brianolo,

    The OEM CD and the retail CD use different algorithms to accept product keys, so if you install using the OEM CD it won't accept your retail product key, and vice versa.

    It would be fine to install XP Pro on the older laptop with the retail XP Pro "Gold" (a nickname for the original release of XP with no service packs) CD and then just visit Windows Updates to let it do its thing.

    If you wanted to experiment, you could try to "slipstream" the service packs into the Gold CD, making a new working CD with SP1/2/3 already integrated, so when you install you install XP Pro plus all the SPs at once.  "nLite" is a very good tool for doing such:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NLite_and_vLite
    For great advice on all topics XP, visit http://www.annoyances.org/exec/forum/winxp
    Tuesday, August 4, 2009 3:12 PM
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    Thanks again Dan, very helpful indeed.

               Regards, Brian
    Tuesday, August 4, 2009 3:46 PM
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    Hello Dan,

    Do I need to slipstream all the service packs (1,2,3) for my XP Pro Retail SP(0) or just SP3? I see SP1 is not available on the MS website anymore, which makes me think I should start with SP2. I have looked around the web for an answer but the information is conflicting.

                                                                                                                                  Thanks,

                                                                                                                                   Brian
    Thursday, August 6, 2009 8:05 AM
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    Hi Brianolo,

    You're right, the info is conflicting!  :-(

    Microsoft had implemented a policy of cummulative service packs for Windows 2000 and Windows XP.  Cummulative service packs means that the higher numbered service pack would always include all of the changes that were made by all of the lower numbered service packs.

    Between the rollout of XP SP2 and XP SP3, Microsoft had changed Windows Update enough so that on a lot of systems, if you went from SP1 to SP3 by using the full-file SP3 download or by Windows Update, it broke Windows Update, so they decided to make SP2 a pre-requisiteste for SP3 to be installed from the full file download and Windows Update.  However, it is my understanding that if you are slipstreaming, SP3 is still a cummulative SP, so there is no need to apply anything other than SP3 to the contents of an XP Gold CD or an XP SP1 or SP1a CD, or an SP2 CD.

    I haven't slipstreamed to SP3 from an XP Gold or SP1 CD in quite a while so please do some more research before you act solely on what I have written above.  And there are nuances with some manufacturer-supplied reinstallation CDs (Dell's comes to mind) that prevent the use of some very handy slipstreaming utilities such as Autostreamer.
    For great advice on all topics XP, visit http://www.annoyances.org/exec/forum/winxp
    Friday, August 7, 2009 1:07 PM
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    Hi Dan,

    Thanks again.  Brian
    Friday, August 7, 2009 1:43 PM