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    Installing WinXP on Acer

    Discussion in 'Windows OS and Software' started by g.soc, Jun 16, 2009.

  1. g.soc

    g.soc Newbie

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    hey I lost a recovery disk to my Acer 3690. I need to make a format so I was thinking if installing my another Xp home edition on it and applying Acer's cd-key would make it work? Is it possible or would I brake something? I don't have right now money for ordering a recovery disk from acer..
    Pls Help

    G
     
    g.soc, Jun 16, 2009
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  2. Shyster1

    Shyster1 Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    It won't work unless the other version of XP is from a similar Acer. Your Acer key is a so-called OEM royalty key, which won't work either with the retail versions you can buy or an OEM version from a different OEM.
     
    Shyster1, Jun 16, 2009
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  3. g.soc

    g.soc Newbie

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    So my only option is to order a copy of recovery disk from ACER? I should mention that i don't have an Acer's partition as i replaced a HDD 2 years ago.

    Another question is that i was thinking about downloading a recovery disk for different model of acer, but i doubt it would work with my 3690..
     
    g.soc, Jun 16, 2009
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  4. Shyster1

    Shyster1 Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Do you still have the old hard drive you replaced? If so, it might still have the recovery partition on it, in which case it might be worthwhile trying to see if you can get access to it to clone it over to the current drive.

    I'd be careful about downloading things like recovery disks unless they come from the horse's mouth (i.e., from Acer) - who knows what other stuff has been squirreled away inside there? In terms of the recovery disks from another Acer working, they might, they might not, it'll depend on how specifically Acer BIOS-locks its OEM Windows copies to the hardware.
     
    Shyster1, Jun 16, 2009
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  5. g.soc

    g.soc Newbie

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    I do have the old disk but have no idea how to clone it to my current drive. My idea is to install the old disk, use the recovery partition and then somehow create the recovery disk and again replace the HDD, i just don't know if it may work.
     
    g.soc, Jun 16, 2009
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  6. Shyster1

    Shyster1 Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    If you have the old drive, it still runs (i.e., it'll spin up and respond properly to read/write commands), and it still has the recovery partition on it, then you're almost all the way there.

    The simplest means would be to stick the old drive back in the computer, use the recovery partition to do a clean factory-fresh install on that old drive, and then immediately clone the whole thing - including the recovery partition - over to your current drive (which should be placed in an external enclosure and attached to the computer via USB (or firewire if that's what you have)).

    Once you've cloned the fresh recovery installation and the recovery partition over to the new drive, swap the drives and install the service packs that didn't come with the original installation. Of course, prior to doing anything, you should have prepared copies of Service Pack 3 (and any other service packs that weren't included on your system when you originally bought it) so that you can immediately update the OS with those service packs before you ever let the new installation get anywheres close to a network connection - going through Windows update any other way is just a good way to blow at least two nights doing nothing but restarting for update after update after .... (trust me, I've been there, it ain't fun).

    There are any number of ways to skin this particular cat, but since the old drive runs and (presumably) boots, that's probably the easiest way to go about doing it.
     
    Shyster1, Jun 16, 2009
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