creating an XP CD from preinstall files

I've been cleaning up a machine for a co-workers friend (see my posts in Removing Sypware and Viruses). That done, I see there is another problem;

It appears someone installed XP Professional over XP Home (which was preinstalled on the computer). Now that I have all the most current updates, there is a notification upon boot that the computer owner may be the victim of software counterfeiting and there is a little blue star on the taskbar. There is a small partition on the hard drive (3GB) which appears to have all the preinstalled software on it. How do I create a Windows XP Home CD from these files?

I called the owner of the machine and she said she took it to a local computer repair company to fix all the popups on her computer. They told her they loaded XP Pro on the computer to fix the problems - problems still persisted - she told me she didn't understand why they did that but didn't question it as she knows nothing about computers. I told her to contact Apex Computers and get the original CD and CD Key and proof that this is her software and it is not loaded on any other computer. She is going to do that today.

If she runs into problems, I would like to be able to have a CD for her to install the original software.

Please advise

Thanks

Mitch

 

It worries me when persons who are supposed to be running a PC repair business resort to the quick and easy Windows reinstallation to fix a problem. Not only that, they perform an upgrade installation, which can be messy and come back to haunt you later on. Whoever installed Windows XP Professional was obviously unaware that they were doing something illegal. Windows Genuine Advantage "pirated copy" notifications show up when a particular license key is used more than what Microsoft stipulates in its EULA, among other ways they have of detecting counterfeiting activities.

I doubt whether the repair business will give out their CD license, since they probably have used it multiple times already. I believe the first user to install XP from the CD and activate it would own that license since it is bound to their PC. You should tell the owner to contact the business and either demand a refund for the repair services or that they provide a legal Windows XP Professional license.

Now, as it goes for creating a CD for XP... what make and model is this PC? Many pre-built PCs that you get from Dell, etc. usually come with recovery partitions or recovery CDs. In the case of a recovery partition, you can restore the PC to the state you got it from the factory by reading the instructions specific to your PC. The files in this partition are sometimes hidden or protected, but if you choose to wipe the entire drive, especially during an XP reformat, it can remove that recovery partition in which case there is no source for a recovery installation.

On the other hand, manufacturers might also supply recovery CD creation software pre-loaded within Windows. All you would need to do is get some blank CD-Rs or DVDRs and run the application.

 

Pete,

thanks, that was a good read. It helped a lot

Falcon1986,

You are right, this lady is unlikely get a cd or invoice and Key.

This computer does have a "recovery" directory on the H: partition as well as an I386 directory and directories for the apps which were pre loaded. She doesn't have any of the original documentation (reason was personal).

Anywho, I am not going to try to reinstall XP Home until I find out what happens between her and the company that "repaired" it.


Sounds like "recovery" might be an option?

Mitch