XP Home, have product key but...

Hi,

I bought a Dell Dimension 4400 off of Craig's List. The former owner wiped the 40GB hard drive clean prior to sale, and did not have any of the original install/reinstall disks.

The CPU has Windows authenticity sicker with a license code for XP home on the side. Is there a way I can get an XP home install file and use the license code, either from Microsoft or somewhere else?

I e-mailed Microsoft and have yet to receive a response....

Thanks,

Thos.

 

I tried but they wanted me to confirm the original owner's name and address. The person I bought it from was apparently not the original owner either, and I no longer can contact them.

Any other suggestions?

Thos.

 

Hi Thos19. Dell is unnecessarily giving you the runaround. Call them back and demand that they sell you a Restore/Installation disc (or set). If that person refuses then escalate the matter to a supervisor. Don't take "No" for an answer.

Remember that most Dells, HP's, etc. are sold thru stores and the manufacturer has absolutely no idea who bought the PC. Actually, they could not care less except to sell your name/address to a mailing list. The "original owner" has always been unknown unless the customer was stupid enough to register the PC with them !

ALWAYS BE NICE AND POLITE. Just make sure you get your discs. Remember to get a driver's disc if there is one. The total charge might be in the $20 to $30 US range. That's a bargain to gain a working PC.

I forgot to mention: All Dell's have a sticker on them that lists the "Service Tag" number. This is very important to completely identify your exact model.

http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/index.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs

Click "Choose by Service Tag" to find out where that is located. Have this number ready when you call Dell again.