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I have had a hard drive failure on an old (Sony VAIO 2001) Windows XP computer. I have replaced the C drive with a new drive.

Now I need a bootable XP CD/DVD.

I have three CD's that came with the computer

  • System Recovery CD (the computer does not boot from this. I have already tried)
  • Application Recovery CD
  • Driver Recovery CD

I have searched on the internet for a solution. (see http://www.gelsana.com/xp.htm for a list of my search results) So far, most of the sites I have found requires me to have an active Windows XP OS already to get files from. One Microsoft site required me to use a series of floppy discs to use -- I do not have a floppy drive on the computer I am typing from now.

How do I get bootable windows xp cd?

I have been told that I have to buy a new copy but I am not sure if that is true. First of all, does Microsoft even sell Windows XP anymore? Secondly, if the only legal way to get one is to buy one, why does Microsoft offer a free way to get the bootable XP system discs in the form of a series of floppies for free here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310994 ?

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heading to superuser – Sky Sanders Jul 22 '10 at 6:38
That is an interesting link. The download provided by that link is for XP on floppy discs, which would work if you wanted to do it like that, but only if you had a retail key. If you have a Vaio you have an OEM key, not a retail key. The easiest and cheapest solution to this problem is to go to the place where you get stuff and download an OEM version of XP Home, Media Center, Professional, or whatever it is that you have a key for. You will not find a legit and free OEM download from anywhere, especially not from MS or Sony. – typoknig Jul 22 '10 at 7:45
At the risk of asking a stupid question: You're sure you can boot from a "known bootable" CD/DVD, right? That is, nothing went wrong with the CD/DVD drive while you were working on the computer, the BIOS is set up to boot from CD/DVD, etc.? – coneslayer Jul 23 '10 at 19:55
@xarzu: just following up...have you had any luck finding what you need? – rob Jul 26 '10 at 21:57
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migrated from stackoverflow.com Jul 22 '10 at 6:38

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3 Answers

up vote 2 down vote

You can get replacement media from Microsoft or from your computer manufacturer--in this case, Sony. The Microsoft link includes directions on how to contact the manufacturer, and says that Microsoft will help you if the manufacturer claims they cannot provide replacement media.

As you already mentioned, the System Recovery CD should be bootable--if not, maybe the CD is damaged or the CD/DVD drive is dirty or flaky. You should check it for scratches and also try it in a different computer.

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up vote 0 down vote

Download a bootable one from online and burn it into either a dvd/cd and install it (hope you have your XP product key with you). Later you can get the drivers and others from the CDs you have or you can again download them online.

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up vote 0 down vote

Get one from ebay for like $50 - $100

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