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hi vivYes it is legal as far as I know (I'm a Microsoft OEM Partner for my sins). Usually the license keys attached to the machines don't work with a standard OEM copy of Windows. The way the recovery partitions/discs work is that the copy of Windows uses a license key specific to the manufacturer, this is tied in with a signature in the PC's BIOS and also a couple of files on Windows (OEMBIOS.CAT, OEMBIOS.BIN and OEMBIOS.SIG, OEMBIOS.DAT I believe on Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 use different files). Basically Windows checks the signature in the OEMBIOS files and compares it against the signature in the BIOS (I believe it's called a SLIC), and it also compares this against the OEM license key, if they match up correctly then Windows is automatically activated. If they don't match up, Windows will prompt to Activate Windows.
The problem is getting hold of a recovery disc. You can sometimes get them from the manufacturer (this was the case with the wife's IBM Thinkpad, she had a recovery partition and also a set of recovery CDs which Staples had ordered for her machine). Luckily it's also possible to make your own. You need the necessary files (OEMBIOS.*) and the license key, it also requires modifying a couple of files on the Windows XP installation CD.
This guide will explain it a bit better... http://tinyurl.com/yk89mch
Rob
rob has hit the nail on the head,but to give you an example i have loaded an xp machine today and not used the recovery partition,just an xp home disc with sp3 on it,and it has loaded fine,but you do have to activate it.
there have been occasions where the key would not go in as the disc was incorrect,thats where a nice piece of software called 9 in 1 comes into play,this is basically 9 versions of xp.
and touch wood this has worked every time,if you need a specific disc let me know as my friend who runs a computer repair buisiness is bound to have the correct disc.
cheers alex the noob
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