I have a particular and known problem with my notebook hardware that effects Ubuntu Linux. I tried moving to Fedora Core 8, but I am choking on it. Fedora is just not my thing and I'm tried of having it backfire on me every time I try to do something simple. Yum can go die in a hole.

Anyway, I have some sort of memory problem, because my system dies going through a memorytest86+ test. This isn't an issue, but when converting videos for my psp, it causes shutdowns. I decided to go back to windows xp for a few weeks to see if it had the same problem (thus I could pin point my memory itself is bad).

Problem: I own a real copy of windows xp that I bought. I have the key on the original label and everything... but the cd is in the us with all of my other cds...

What do I do? Can I just download an xp cd or something and us my key on it? Any ideas?

Use a legit copy of XP (one a buddy has or something) then contact Microsoft, give them your code and explain to them you did not use the disk you purchased it with.

They will give you a little trouble, and will ask you a lot of annoying questions, but they will eventually activate it for you.

I'm in China, no one has real windows xp... at least no one I know, not even the "legit" electronics stores, I saw someone installing windows mini on a laptop for sale at the store, while perusing for a real windows xp disc.

EDIT: I suppose I can get a student edition which my code should work for if my understanding is correct...

Technically it will work with an illegal copy too.... just the legit copy is easier to explain. However if you are in China, I'd say take a ferry over to Taiwan, they'll have legit copies. Just remember, it is going to be a marginal headache when you return to the mainland, so bring as little stuff as possible, but if you've been in China for more then a few months you should know that.

(I am also assuming you are near the coast near Taiwan, as I am assuming you are an exchange student, or teach the Chinese English type person because they tend to be kept in the Fujian Province, of course you could also be stuck up in Shanghai, if that is the case Japan or South Korea are the better bets, but there are no 'real' ferrys to either of those places, but frequent commuter planes.)

If worse comes to worse, install the illegal copy in the meantime, and then have family here in the states mail you your copy. (Be nice, and send them a sticker with your address :-p)

Hey Simimi,

If you're in China just purchase one of the illegitimate copies of XP and use that CD to install it and your own XP licence, just make sure its the correct version of XP (i.e. if you purchased your XP copy with included SP1 make sure the illegitimate copy is the SP1 version. I know from experience that if you go to any of the big or even small computer markets in China you can find just about every copy of XP under the sun for 8RMB.)

I personally don't see it as being wrong, you own a licence for the use of Windows XP so it doesn't really matter how you get the software onto your computer, as long as you're using your own licence its all legitimate.

Chade

EDIT: Or download an XP CD from The Pirate Bay etc. You own the license so its all cool.

That was one of the options I offered. The problem is Microsoft needs to release the old license to renew it, and if you have an illegal copy currently, they will try to weasel there way out AFTER they renew the old license, and that is why I brought up the headaches involved.

Thanks both! No I am in Beijing, so Taiwaning it isn't an option. After trying 4 Windows discs I can not install at all. The disc says " scanning for hardware" and dies. I assume this is because my MBR and HDD are ext3 and not NTFS or FAT##. Not sure how I can convert them when they would need to be in use to do the converting... Oh well...

I don't think you can convert them without wiping all the data on them.

I suggest you go to the big computer market up in the far NW part of the city near the Lufthansa building and buy an external harddrive, they're cheap as hell up there, then copy everything over using Linux to the harddrive and when you're installing Windows XP delete the partitions you have on your laptop and reformat them to NTFS, delete your swap and whatnot too...

Chade

I don't know Peking well, so you will have to trust Chade... I actually avoid mainland China, but my Chinese passport says Republic of China... so I am sure you can take a guess why, especially if you are living in Peking.

However his fix works, and is actually an obvious creative way to do it... I was going to try and explain how to partition without data lose, but Chade's idea is a lot easier, and is less likely to result in irretrievable data.