TravelMate 230 Restore Disk

I build and repair desktop computers but just recently I have had some older laptops come to me including the Acer TravelMate 230 Mfg date 2003. The machine have needed a new installation, no restore or repair recommended/possible.

These machines have no hidden partition with image and originally shipped with recovery disk and of course owner has just lost them. I have tried the manufacturer on each occasion for nil result. They say they did not manufacture the disk/s they are not available.

The manufacturers manage to have manuals and drivers available on their sites. It upsets me that I have not been able to get the correct disks. Why not have restore disks available even if you have to prove your bona fides by machine serial number and product key for the particular machine? I would have liked an iso I could have downloaded in each case. The owner paid for a machine with a licenced operating system. My clients did loss their software but it should be replaceble even at a small cost. Manufacturers wanted me, in each case, to send to their service department to be re-imaged, therefore they have the software, at great cost. They can get stuffed! I managed to do repairs to OS on previous machines taking many more hours than new install. I was not happy but clients were fine, with their limited use of features, they worked and it was familiar to them.

Now to problem at hand. It is not possible to repair Acer TravelMate 230, I need to re-install OS. The familiar OS is XP Professional. There is a product key stuck to machine. I would like a restore disk but can not get, so how do I at the lowest possible price have a working GENUINE XP Pro on this machine?

 

You just get a XP Professional installation disk from wherever and install. Surely someone you know has a disc. Then use the key from the sticker to activate.
Worst case, you have to telephone to activate and takes about 5 minutes.

Many people misunderstand. The key IS the license, it is what was purchased when the computer was purchased. Any disk can be used to load the software, the key is what has value.

If you are still nervous about it, there are discs for sale on Ebay at very reasonable prices.

 

I thankyou for your answer and I assure you I am not nervous about anything .

I got caught because I get cranky talking with people with no knowledge from companies who dont care at overseas call centres. That when I wrote the original post. I did not think it through at the time. I don't back away from saying replacement software should be available to download at manufactures website, however.

And also I got caught because my copy of XP Pro was a gift from Microsoft many years ago part of MSDN Acedemic Alliance, basically so you can test hardware you can have it on as many machines as you like and you do not have to worry about activation, install and re-install as you wish and it always genuine but it will only install with the key I was given. I could have used but then I would be using my key and not that of the machine. I always use software the client owns or purchases. I dont want my key floating around on a bunch of other people machines.

Not all disk are equal.

For instance I grabbed an OEM copy from work and tried to do an upgrade to fix OS. The OEM would not do an upgrade where my disk would. I had to do a full install with the machines key.

I am not entirely sure whether a retail copy would accept anothers key because I don't own one and when I have had one in my possession I never thought to test.

It may not be as cut and dry as you think.

It is all good XP Pro on and activated.