secret XP home install files!

Hi,
Fancy a bit of detective work?
I have a 'newish' pc that came with windows xp home preloaded (valid product key and everything!?) I can't find any hidden partitions where the install files may be (tried diskpart, fdisk, chkdisk, ghost) but I'd
like to make a windows xp install cd (for backup ).

The only cd's I received with the pc have '.ghs' and '.gho' files which I think are images of the pc as delivered. If I installed these I guess they would wipe anything I've added, and they'd also have specific drivers
for the components in the 'as delivered' machine.

So 2 questions:

1) Can anyone help me find the install files needed to write a 'new install' cd (if they're there)?
2) Is there anything useful I can get from the image (.ghs, .gho) files in case I had to use them
on another computer say, if this one went kaput??

If memory serves me right the .ghs and .gho are ghost image files. And they probably take up just about all the room on the CD. Basiclly if you want to make a backup of your restore disk just make a copy with a burning program and burn it to a new CD. But also once the operating system is loaded on one machine your pretty much stuck with that machine. Once you register your copy of windows with microsoft you won't be able to load it to a different machine. They check the product key codes when you try and do updates from the microsoft website. If two PC's have the same code then the second one to appear with that code won't be allowed to download any of the updates. It's a piracy issue, enjoy

1. basically, what you were given as a "restore cd" with the gho files are
images of your pc as delivered. They're specifically captured that way
to avoid piracy and keep you from using it on mutliple machines. More
than likely, that cd won't even load on any machine other than the
original anyway. Or it might load, but it certainly won't work properly.

2. There's nothing you can do with that cd except reload to scratch on the
original machine.

Sorry, but I think your kinda stuck. Besides, you don't want to load
windows on multiple machines anyway. That'd be cheating, right?

Thank you both for your replies, I hoped there was something I could do... but it doesn't seem like it !

I might try something like use the restore, run in safe mode, change a load of things and see if that works!

Wish there was a nice easy solution... it should be your right to have rights to all the software on the pc when you buy a pc.

If there was a emoticon to express my emotions about microsoft I'd probably get kicked off this site right?

While I understand your sentiment, I don't agree with it as a professional.

the problem is, your wishes are what caused microsoft to be the way it
is with it's licensing. Their practices with earlier releases was just as you
say -- do what you wish with your copy. Next thing you know, 10 people
are using the same install cd, and they're out a lot of money.

Some would argue they have enough money, but people aren't in
business to lose it.

Before asking this question in this forum I held a lot of respect for it's contributors.

With respect, also as a professional... I disagree that Microsoft have done the right thing by not distributing install cd's with new PC's. Now, if
something does happen to my new PC and I need to build a new one, I can't use the software I have already bought.

There are ridiculous problems with Microsoft products and if the amount of money they get can't be used to provide solutions then more fool them.

Their operating systems will never be used in safety critical systems because they are too memory hungry and UNRELIABLE.

I shall not be asking anymore questions, or reading this web forum

All you that like Microsoft can give each other a nice good pat on the back for being such idiots.

Well here is your chance to write your own operating system and make some money at. There are a few in here that don't like microsoft but they have morals about piracy issues. Also opinions are like "beep", everyone has one

As a reseller, I agree in regards about piracy, but I have five computers in my home that I would like to update to XP. Under the present terms, that's $2,000 taken away from my kids scholarship fund, in future hopes so that they can grow up to be like "BIill."

I'll stick with Windows 2000.

I understand the reasons it gets packaged like that, but I can't say as I agree with it.

Microsoft has the issue where they check the product key when you go to update your windows (via Windows Update or what-have-you), so what's the big deal about releasing the install of the OS seperately with the computer?

The reason I would like to see this is that if I were to get a new computer that had all this crap installed that I didn't want in the first place, but it came that way by default... I would like to be able to reformat and just install what I want to install... Operating System, and individual programs. You can't do that if your restore disk has everything that was there by default in the first place. So then you just have to go with just uninstalling them, which as many people know isn't always very efficient (leftover files and registry entries are quite common in uninstalls).

On this note... I have a CD Burner that comes with Nero Burning Rom. And when you install this program it checks if you have the correct CD Burner installed before it lets you install the software. If Microsoft is so smart, why can't they just do that? You know... package the software with a computer, but have it only be able to be installed on that computer? (sure that would be quite difficult, but if Microsoft likes to gloat about how great they are... they can prove it!)

And last but not least...
@tparran: You don't need to buy a seperate CD for each computer, I believe you can purchase what are known as licenses that allow you install a certain product on a certain amount of computers (depending how many licenses you bought). I know certain products such as Photoshop, Flash, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, etc, etc all follow this system... i'm sure the same goes for Windows.

[edit]
Yep you can.... Go here...

http://shop.microsoft.com/Referral/prod ... teID=10798

Then you will see on the right hand side it says With an image of an arrow pointing to the right.

The licenses are expensive, but not nearly as expensive as buying the software 4 times.
[/edit]

Thanks:

I just went to the MS site and although I will qualify, the cost of the additional license is in fact over and above what I'd pay as a reseller for each OEM copy.

Tony

U could just look to see if there is an I386 directory on the C:\ drive....

All pre built - IBM's, Dell's, Compaq come with this....