Asus users: Recovery CD

Several people have similar problem and there have been posts about it. Did you actually try looking or did you want to be spoonfed?

There are a couple of possibilities, depending on the kind of recovery cd you have...is it an image, or is it simply a custom Windows disk.

Pop the cd in your computer and see if you have a directory called i386. If so, that is your windows installation.

If that is the case, there are a couple of ways to proceed, but the simplest and the one that requires the most readily available tools would be to wipe your drive.

Next is a matter of personal preference.

You could create one small fat32 partition, copy the contents of i386 to it, then install using the command line setup executable and create two partitions...how you create those is up to you since Windows XP can boot to any partition.. When windows ask, have it create an ntfs paritition with the unused space.

Or, you could use a windows98 boot disk and start with CDROM support, and install from the CD's i386 directory, using the commandline setup routine.

If you do not have a i386 directory, things will be more difficult. Most recovery disks like that will use a disk image, and you will need to open it up somehow and extract the i386 directory.

What is the image format? Iso? Try ISO buster.

If that doesn't work, and this sounds "illegal" but it really is not--you likely have an OEM installation/license. There is nothing illegal about using someone else's OEM disk as long as you use your OEM cd-key and have a legitimate OEM license to do the install.

pqi---powerquest? What did you use to try and extract the files?

you could try daemon tools or winimage to open those images.

try to find a trial version of powerquest drive image...

All right, let's back up.

First, are we even certain that you have an OEM version installed? And a legitimate OEM cd-key. Look at your certificate of authenticity.

Second, do you know anyone with any windows cd? If so, it is a simple matter of switching a few numbers in a text file so that Windows will recognize YOUR key no matter what the original disk.

Yes, basically, you can roll your own cd by type. You simply need to change one line in the setupp.ini file in the I386 directory.

Look in the file (it is a text file) and there will be a

Pid="some code here"

The following are possible codes and their meanings.

Retail = 51882 335
Volume License = 51883 270
OEM = 82503 OEM

So, if you have a retail cd, it will say

Pid = 51882 335

Change it to

Pid = 82503 OEM, then burn a bootable cd and you have converted it into an OEM cd that will take your OEM key.

There is nothing illegal about using it (or someone else's OEM CD). You have a legitimate license and a legitimate key. The installtion method is irrelevent. If you were nearby, I'd hook your laptop up to my RIS server and you could do it that way.

So, just act like you are slipstreaming a service pack, but when the files are all on your harddrive, use notepad to change the one line.

Here's a slipstream guide.

http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase...slipstream.asp

Something not right here.....

I've never had a problem with this--I repair PCs for a living and people always lose their CDs, so I just rolled my own CDs if I need to reinstall using their valid license key.

I wonder if you messed up a number. I put some space in that explanation, but there are no spaces in the PID.

Also, did you mix your numbers up? You can create a complicated scenario that way.

Setupp.ini controls how the CD acts, but I really didn't discuss the whole topic.

Do you have XP HOME or XP Pro (I think this is where we screwed up)...I gave you numbers for Pro.

If you have XP Home OEM, the line should look like this:

Pid=55277OEM

XP Home Retail would be
Pid=55277335

NO SPACES

(sorry)

well, I cannot help you with that. Warez is not something I wish to promote, or endorse.

All I can say is that I have never seen that PID construct. Perhaps they changed the PIDs with sp2 ( i don't have one in front of me).

I know the PIDs I listed work with XP pro and Home RTM and sp1. I am not certain what you are doing or where you're getting the info you have. I think it's time you spoke with your reseller and demand a real windows cd so that you can install it NTFS like it should have been done in the first place