I have an older dell.. bought it used it had 2 copies of windows,one said not valid... other is not working at all which is the original I believe I have a vista business copy but laptop says I need more memory... I checked and there is an extra ram card under keyboard. I think it needs to have windows cleared from both partions... how do I do this?

Honestly do NOT put Vista on it at all.
You would be better off trying to get old of either the restore discs or a gen XP disc and do a rebuild from there.

If you really want to try with Vista, then part of the install process is to remove partitions and format. Simply follow the on screen prompts.

Ok I have a dell reinstall disc of windows xp, I did get it to load but don't think I did it right, the other still shows when booting, it gives me an option which to boot from, when I tried to register the windows it said my code was wrong, I used the code on back of laptop, I got the reinstall disc from eBay and it did come with a memory card it looks like but its not same as what is installed. All your help is appreciated

Ok should I try to reinstall the xp? Maybe I didn't boot it right, I did read something that shows how to reinstall and it looks like its not the way I did it... and how do I get rid og the old windows still on it? Not real sure how top do partitions.

If it's the restore disc from Dell the image may well include two partitions.

If that's the case it's easy enough to format D: drive and remove the partitions with any number of partitioning programs.
You then may have to edit the boot.ini file to remove reference to the other install.

OK where can I get a partition program? Any suggestions? And yes I have a reinstall disc for dell and I used it to put xp on my sisinlaws dell after taking off her vista... and a windows xp pro reinstall disc... its the xp pro disc I used for this one thinking the other was used on other PC. It shouldn't matter should it? One is a dell reinstall other is windows xp professional reinstall... thats the one I used

Better to use the Dell disc and it should have all the drivers you'll need and you shouldn't have to worry about activation.

As for partitioning programs
Give this a go: Partition Logic | Home (http://partitionlogic.org.uk/)

Ok will give it a try.. should I just skip if it asks for activation?

The key sticker you have on the machine might work with the XP disc, assuming it's a Pro lic code.

Failing that go down the phone activation routine, I've actually had this work out OK on older machines that have lost their stickers.
Of course in work I just plug in my enterprise key ;)

It is not a pro lic sticker... that maybe why I can't register... should I try phone register or attempt to get a basic xp disc?

By the way all your help is awesome!

Does your HP have a pro lic ?
Failing that worth trying the phone and playing dumb.
Does the disc itself not have a code ?

This one is a dell and it doesn't have pro.. I put the pro on it with disc I got from eBay...
My hp pavilion dv9810us has dang vista on it...
I am burning several fires here ;) have a dell and hp I'm working on.

Well in that case give MS a call.
Hey what's the worst they'll say..

And no the disk doesn't have a code but it did come with what looks like a memory card, but not one that fits this dell..

Slap it in and give it a go.
An unactivated XP machine is better than a dead one..

Thanks for all your help! If I need more help now I know where to go and ask... awesome site!

Better to use the Dell disc and it should have all the drivers you'll need and you shouldn't have to worry about activation.

As for partitioning programs
give this a go: Partition Logic | Home (http://partitionlogic.org.uk/)

The Dell reinstall disc does not contain any drivers. There is a separate driver disc that is needed to run your hardware, etc. I know as I have a Dell laptop and had the Dell reinstall Windows XP Pro disc. After I did a complete reinstall I had no drivers and had to get the drivers disc to make anything work.

If you are reinstalling an original Dell O/S disc on a Dell laptop you do not need any product key to activate it as long as it matches the product installed sticker on the bottom of the machine. Dell requires no activation of the O/S if it is the same product that was originally installed with the machine at the factory. That is one reason I like the Dell laptops.

Also, the drivers can be downloaded off the Dell site here:

Welcome to Home User Support (http://support.dell.com/support/index.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs)

Follow the prompts to the drivers download and put your ID Tag number in to get the drivers that came with your machine.

The Dell reinstall disc does not contain any drivers. There is a separate driver disc that is needed to run your hardware, etc. I know as I have a Dell laptop and had the Dell reinstall Windows XP Pro disc. After I did a complete reinstall I had no drivers and had to get the drivers disc to make anything work.

Dell O/S discs have no drivers. Must use drivers disc or download drivers from their site.

While the OPERATING SYSTEM DISC may well be bereft of drivers the RECOVERY disc has them included in the image.
BOTH the XPS's, numerous Inspirions and other Dell machines I have rebuilt at work have all the required drivers inbuilt to the recovery disc.
Not only was this for XP, but also for Vista and Windows 7 as well.

As I have been referring to the RECOVERY disc during this thread your unhelpful rating is superfluous and mean spirited.

I was using a reinstall and had no problem! I just sold this yesterday and the buyer was very happy! So curlyben you were very helpful to me :)

I was using a reinstall and had no problem! As a matter of fact i just sold this yesterday and the buyer was very happy! So curlyben you were very helpful to me :)
Good news.
Thanks for the update.
Always glad to help when I can.