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Hi Topper

You could phone Microsoft (use the register XP program thats bugging you now (30 days to register thingie) to find the nearest center) I have done this on many occasions, they ask you to run the registration program which generates a string, you read this over the phone then they simply issue you another registration key! It’s really quite easy (although the key is loooongg). You will actually find Microsoft tech support rather friendly mate! Moving a single user XP to another machine is acceptable by MS.

Eddie

I had a problem with XP SP3, it loaded on my laptop OK but would not go on to my main computer.
Micro$oft offer a free support helpline for this upgrade they called me back on several occasions (from India) trying to get it fixed.
Turned out to be a curruption with SP2 their advice was to unload and reload SP2 but the currption was meant it would not unload so the only option is a re-install.

Use the help line if you are having problems that is what it is there for.
Robert

Morning all.
I have installed XP and drivers with the discs from dell.
I have 3 problems i am hoping can be answered for me.

1)On boot up the F12 screen displays and asks which of 2 O.S.'s i want to choose (WIN XP Home Edit). Why does it not just boot up without this?
2)I think my keyboard or the O.S. is set to english (US). @ key for example is where the 2 / ". How do i change this?
3) When setting up Outlook express, it asks for POP3 to be entered for incoming mail and SMTP for outgoing mail, should i have typed something after these acronyms. With no immediately apparent guidance, i simply just typed the above and as i suspected it doesn't work. What should i enter?

Thanks in anticipation
Topper

Me again.
I think i have answered question 2 by dabbling with the Regional / Language control panel on this PC and i mimicked the problem so hopefully i should just do the opposite at home. I admit i hit enter immediately when the text input dialog came up during the XP install and it was English (US) by default.
Slowly learning
Topper

the pop & smtp details will be your internet supplier details.

e.g.
pop3.ntlworld.com
smtp.ntlworld.com

Many times you can just guess these - but not always.

If you don't have them, just Google something like "smtp pop your_provider"

1) Right click the My Computer Icon (if you have one) or go to Control Panel - System. Click the "Adavnced" tab then the Startup and Recovery "settings" button then uncheck the Time to Display List of Operating Systems box.

That will stop the annoying message but you may find you have two operating systems installed using up hard disk space and it's not easy to talk through finding which one to remove or removing it, but as a rule of thumb if you have 2 folders named Windows and Windows001 or similar then you have 2 installs and the newer one (keep) is probably the Windows001

Many Thanks for the replies.
Why, after running the Dell XP disc and ensuring all partitions were deleted and choosing to format the HD and install XP fresh, have i got two copies of XP listed on the boot up screen ?
Is this intentional by Dell or was the HD not formatted (the screen said it was formatting, took about 1/2 hour)?
Topper

Does one say something like XP Recovery console? Either you acidentally selected perserve files and the hard disk wasn't formatted, or the disk provided might put Dell's recovery details back on the disk.