Windows XP OEM Reformat on Dell

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mopar man

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Ok, Heres my question(s).

I HAVE looked at Korrupts guide to reformatting, not a how-to question!

I have a Dell Demension 2400 that came preloaded with the XP OEM home.

I have the OEM XP disk that came with it that says to only use on dell comps.

I am worried that when I format, it will not let me activate it.

I have upgraded the ram and video card. Will it work with the Geforce FX5200, so I can install the latest drivers after I get it installed? Or will I have to use the dumb onboard one?

Also, how can I get my keys for stuff that I bought over the net and got the key? Could I find it without contacting the makers? Also, will the ram change effect anything?

Thanks for your time and patience.
 
I have a dell 2400S that I have reinstalled XP on a couple of times now. It doesn't need to reactivate or anything. You just reformat and your good to go.
 
Nice, thanks.

But my only question is: Have you ever upgraded? I have a new GFX card, more ram, and I am not sure if a fresh install would work with my new card. Would it?
 
A new graphics card and RAM won't make a difference with reformatting or activating (if needed). Even if you did have to activate Windows, you do nothing except start it. It goes automatically without you having to do anything else. Install all the latest drivers, update Windows, install security software, etc. It won't affect activation (which you probably won't have to do anyway).
 
Ahh, ok.

But I do have one more question you could probably answer best:

I had to use my onboard card to install the fx5200 the first time. Will Windows have a driver for this card built in?

Or will I have to start with the onboard, again?
 
Yes, Windows comes with a basic VGA driver that should allow your separate card to work until you can install the proper driver. It should have worked the first time you installed your fx5200 but if it didn't, I don't know why. BTW, when you boot into Safe Mode, the basic generic VGA driver is the one you are using.
 
Ok, thanks, that helped me a lot. I now know it is going to be easier than I thought.


Thanks again.
 
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