I am inclined to believe that your neighbors' Gateway PC started out life with another 
Operating System (OS) on it, maybe Win 98SE or Me.  Especially since the HDD is only 
8GB.

Check the computer's case for a Certificate of Authenticity sticker, which would 
have the OS listed on it.

Your purchase of the system should have included the OS or recovery disks that came 
with the computer from Gateway.

If the computer is running XP Professional, my guess is that it is one of the prirated 
versions that are floating out there.

If it is running XP Home, then your neighbors should have given you the CD for it.

If the neighbors cannot supply a legitimate XP CDROM, then your best course of action 
is to purchase a copy of XP from a legitimate source.

You could use any of the three major versions available:  Retail Full, Retail Upgrade 
(here's where you'll need the CDs from the neighbors), or OEM which is popular on 
EBay and at neighborhood computer stores.

Once you get a legitimate XP CDROM, you'll want to use a "file shredder" or "diskwiping" 
program to thoroughly scrub the hard disk, then do a clean installation of XP.  Running 
the disk wiper eliminates any possibility of inheriting legal or social problems 
"included" with the neighbors' old computer.

• Reply or follow-up to this message

• Search this forum
• Start a new thread on a different subject

• Report abuse of the forum