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COA and OEM XP Pro disks

Operating System, Common Application & ThinkPad Utilities Questions...
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dlbeaty
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COA and OEM XP Pro disks

#1 Post by dlbeaty » Sat Jun 29, 2013 9:32 pm

Lately I have been considering buying a used X61. Some say they have no HD or OS, but the COA on the bottom. I have an OEM XP Pro disk that has been installed on my desktop. Is it legitimate and possible to install XP with this disk and activate from the code on the sticker?

Or is there a good source for XP Pro disks?

Dan

ajkula66
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Re: COA and OEM XP Pro disks

#2 Post by ajkula66 » Sat Jun 29, 2013 10:11 pm

You'll probably have to call MS in order to activate the install, and download a bunch of drivers/utilities from Lenovo's site, but to answer your question: yes, it's both legal and possible as long as the COA and the disk are for the same version of the OS in question.

With all of that said, support for XP is ending in 10 months, and X61 is perfectly capable of running W7...that's the route I'd take.
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fmcsimmons
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Re: COA and OEM XP Pro disks

#3 Post by fmcsimmons » Sun Jun 30, 2013 2:31 am

Here's my method for installing XP and activating using the key on the COA:

1. Install using XP SP3 retail disc (any XP w/ SP3 disc should do).
2. Skip entering the product code when it asks during setup. (This feature was added with SP3 if I recall correctly)
3. After installation, use the Windows Product Key Update Tool and enter in the key on the COA.

This has worked every time I have tried it.
600, T43, T410, T420, X131e

dlbeaty
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Re: COA and OEM XP Pro disks

#4 Post by dlbeaty » Sun Jun 30, 2013 6:52 am

ajkula66 wrote:
With all of that said, support for XP is ending in 10 months, and X61 is perfectly capable of running W7...that's the route I'd take.
George,

Here is my reasoning: I had Win2000 running fine on my X30. I upgraded to XP Pro and things began to slow down. Videos skip etc. As time goes on, internet browsing become more memory and processor hungry.

Also, I have many older programs and devices that still work on XP. I know Win7 has an XP mode, but cannot be sure about all the programs and devices, or that things will slow down in the future with this configuration.

dlbeaty
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Re: COA and OEM XP Pro disks

#5 Post by dlbeaty » Sun Jun 30, 2013 6:54 am

Another question: Do most prefer the Thinkpad factory OS disks or Do it yourself with the Windows disks and downloading the additional drivers?

Dan

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