My son bought a computer from some schmuck online and when he got it home we found that it appears to have a bootlegged copy of WinXP installed on it. It now keeps freezing at startup, the guy was supposed to email my son with some "key code" he would need to complete (?) the installation (I would assume something that would allow Microsoft to verify or authenticate it?). In anycase, he of course didn't get this email. I did run a program that gave me the product code ... but I don't know if that does any good. I have a new unopened WinXP disc - how hard would it be to unistall what is currently on the computer and then install this new disc?

Thanks!
Kathi

It you were able to retrieve the product code you can call Microsoft and see if it is a valid product code. 800-642-7676



Installing the new copy of XP is not difficult, it will prompt you through the installation, it will also keep you informed of what it is doing while it is making the installation. this tutorial will help you to understand the installation process. I wouldn't pay any attention to step 4, you shouldn't need to upgrade your BIOS.

Not knowing what has been installed on that hard drive I would suggest wiping it with a utility like Active Kill Disk, this will overwrite the drive making for a clean slate to start with. This is a free download, the site has easy to follow instructions on how to make a bootable CD and how to use the program. You may have to go into the BIOS to set the CD-ROM as the first device in the boot order in order to use the bootable CDs for wiping the drive and installing Windows.