Thank you all for your thoughts.  I too was under the impression that any XP did would work for repairs so I thought it would work for install as well since I did not change any hardware and am inputting the numbers that were part of that machine.  Since with two different XP disks that I had tried came many years apart--2004 and 2008 with it saying invalid code, whereas normally the install of a correct generation disk would at least offer guidance toward phone support.  I wound up just putting linux on that box since that machine is only used for internet access.


Interestingly I spoke to a guy at a repair shop that did have  an xp pro disk--when I looked at it, it had a folder that was not on my other two versions and the folder was --$$.  Perhaps the disks are made differently for repair shops.  Also people say that Dells can be fickle when it comes to the priorityness of them--perhaps if I tried on a different machine the outcome would be different.  I have a Toshiba laptop--very old that I am going to try a disk on and see what happens just for the heck of it.  This is one so old that the sticker gave the option of win 2000 or XP.


From: [log in to unmask]
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: REINSTALL XP
Date: Wed, 9 Jan 2013 13:21:27 -0500





Hi,

I have a question about a Dell machine running XP.
Machine is about 7 years old and the owner does not have his disk any longer
I tried to put my xp  disk into the machine, and it did start to install everything, however when I put in the  xp numbers on the side of his machine, it said those numbers are invalid.  I thought that you could use any xp disk as long as you  use the same numbers without changing any hardware?  Do i need to use an older disk, one made during the years of his computer.  I know I have disks  with sp 2 and some with sp3, on them.

Thanks in advance
 		 	   		   		 	   		  
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