thanks for the reply, but then what do i do, am i able to change the key code to make it legal and updateable? i did a search and only came up with a dead link.

so it doesn't matter if i use oem, retail, corporate, whatever, as long as it the serial for windows xp professional is used on an xp professional setup disk. thanks.

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@hot3dog3lucky3 wrote:
so it doesn't matter if i use oem, retail, corporate, whatever, as long as it the serial for windows xp professional is used on an xp professional setup disk. thanks.

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Yes, it does matter. You can use any Dell OEM CD of the same "flavor" (Home, Pro) as was installed on your computer when you purchased it. You should not be prompted to enter a COA from the sticker on your computer and the installation should be pre-activated. If you use a corporate or retail CD you will have to use the COA attached to that CD during installation and change to the one on the sticker on your computer after installation and before activation.

thank you. i borrowed a friends oem copy and used my character code and it worked. i believe that if one was to use a corporate copy, one would be unable to change the serial number. thanks again...problem solved.