Have a Dell Inspiron 8100 with Windows Millinium installed.
Have got a bad battery so I must keep reentering setup and reconfigure.
Problem is that it keeps asking to reactivate the Windows OS.
I do have the product key but only software I have is windows 98 se plus, windows xp home edition.
Problem with this is that only by using win98 boot disk am I able to get the cd read because the boot disk loads cd-rom drivers. On-board touch pad and external ps-2 mouse do not work as well even with the boot disk.
Have been tried reformatting hd and loading win98 se but have misplaced my stupid manual that came with it and the product key to reinstall. Do have product key to reinstall windows xp home edition but can't key cdrom to read the cd without loading drivers first.
anybody have a product key I could use to load win98 and then upgrade the os to my xp he?
Maybe a boot disk for xp?

"... anybody have a product key I could use to load win98 and then upgrade the os to my xp...?"

What your asking for is illegal as far as the EULA goes. This isn't going to happen (at least in any of the forums I visit).

"Do have product key to reinstall windows xp home edition but can't key cdrom to read the cd without loading drivers first."

Set the boot device order in your bios to CDROM first. Then you should be able to boot with your XP CD.

"Maybe a boot disk for xp?"

How to obtain Windows XP Setup boot disks
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=310994

All Bootdisks
http://www.allbootdisks.com/index.php?opti...mp;filecatid=88

http://bootdisk.com/

Free Pc Tech Support - Boot Disk Downloads
http://freepctech.com/pc/002/files010.shtml

Nerdlabs - Boot Disk Images
http://www.nerdlabs.org/bootdisks/