I have a Huge Dilemma. Please Help!

[OneStepAhead]

Ok, I just built my new computer and realized I needed an Operating System of course. I called up Microsoft, weasled them around a little bit and ended up having them give me a brand new Media Center 2005 Product Key. Now here comes the problem.

1) We do not have the disk to even put it in. SO,
- Do I have to borrow someone's disk?
- In this case, will it still work if it's been used but I plug in a fresh P.K?

2) We had bought a Media Center 2005 Computer @ Staples but lost the Windows Disk (If there was one, I forget. I think there was)
- We left this disk @ Staples when they fixed it. Could we get another one?

Any ideas or solutions would be grateful! THANKS!

[Aelfgeft]

Yes, you need to find somebody with the disk.

No, I don't think the CDs are linked to their product keys. Therefore any disk should work just fine.

And regarding the second question, I would contact the maker of the computer about getting a replacement Windows disk, though I wouldn't hold out much hope. HP was a real asshole when I was at my last position about getting replacement disks, even though they were the ones that failed to ship the disks with them :mad:

[-(Xyphox)-]

any window's disk will work, just find a friend or that that has a OS disk of media center and make a few copies. The thing that matter's is your keycode on the pc, not the cd itself

[OneStepAhead]

I don't have any friends with Media Center disk LOL

That's what sucks

[the lone gunman]

erm... any tips on how you managed to "weasle" a key from them? ;)

[thedude42]

Do media center PC's even come with media center installation disks, or just drive restore disks or a restore partition?

[OneStepAhead]

^^^That's my new problem.

I guess I have to call on a different phone, different name and ask for a XP Home or something key. I DO NOT Want to pay this $100 LOL!

Would this Media Center code work on a XP Home/Professional disk?

[-(Xyphox)-]

it depends on the maker, i know dell you can get the OS disks, its a option when you configure them.

[djnes]

Would this Media Center code work on a XP Home/Professional disk?
Nope, it won't work. Why can't you go back to Staples and ask for your discs back, or call the computers OEM (the one originally shipped with MCE2005) and ask them for replacement discs?

[OneStepAhead]

It doesn't come with a disk. It was pre-installed.

If i call HP, will they send a replacement disk?

[GORANKAR]

HP, prolly not, at least not without you spending lots of time on the phone lying, being lied to, threatening, and begging.. Almost makes more sense to just buy a copy.. Time is precious..

I had to do all of the above for a HP computer that had a dead harddrive, and no recovery disks..

[Jerome36]

If you call a computer company like HP, and say you need a Windows disk, they're probably going to want proof that you have one of their machines. You can try the Staples thing, and see how that goes, but who knows if they'll provide you with a new disk. My guess would be no.

Otherwise just bite the bullet, hop on newegg.com, and spend 89.99 dollars on an OEM version of Windows XP Home, or 149.99 for an OEM version Windows XP Pro. Or 109.99 (currently on sale) for Media Center Edition.

Or you can download a Linux Distro.

[OneStepAhead]

I guess I'll just get Home Edition

[djnes]

If i call HP, will they send a replacement disk?
They should, but you'll pay a shipping cost.

HP, prolly not, at least not without you spending lots of time on the phone lying, being lied to, threatening, and begging.. Almost makes more sense to just buy a copy.. Time is precious..

I had to do all of the above for a HP computer that had a dead harddrive, and no recovery disks..
You may not have been asking the right questions, or they were seeing through the lies. All you had to do was tell them you needed a replacement installation media. I used to work for HP for almost 6 years, and that was their policy.