ok this is my problem my windows xp comp crashed and i can not reinstallit as the cd is famaged. i have the COA what shall do? i have NO money at all to buy a new one any help appreciated!!

"...my windows xp comp crashed..." Describe your symptoms in as much detail as you can. Your problems may be hardware related or software related or both. Do you have a brand name system that had pre-installed software? If you do, the CD that may have come with the system is a Recovery Disk, which may or may not have Windows on it. "...the cd is famaged.." If your problem is your CD drive finds errors on the CD, try cleaning the CD and cleaning the laser lens in the drive with a laser lens cleaning CD (if you don't have one some dollar stores have them), or try the CD in another CD drive - borrow one if you need to - it may be your CD drive that is the problem, not the CD itself. If your problem is the computer doesn't find the CD while booting, a CD drive must be before a hard drive in the boot order in the bios Setup, you may have to specify which CD drive is booted from in the bios if you have more than one, and the CD drive must be working properly. You can make a copy of a friends Windows CD (of the entire CD) that is the same version as yours to a CD-R disk and the copy will work fine with your Product Key. E.g. XP Home original, XP Home with SP1 included, XP Home with SP2 included. See the labelling on the CD. If you already have a CD copy and it is on a CD-RW disk, some CD drives cannot read a CD-RW disk properly, or cannot read one made in another drive properly. If that's your case, copy it to a CD-R disk on a drive that can read the CD-RW no problem.

To answer the question categorically - No! You do not need to purchase a replacement disc since already own a legit COA. Have someone with a similar XP version make you a copy of theirs & use your key for it. How To Ask Questions The Smart Way

Or contact M$-land and more than likely "they" will replace it free - apart from postage cost. This is presuming it's either an Upgrade or Full version - not a recovery CD. If the latter then contact the supplier and presumably they will replace it (again for postage charge)?

Thyanks for the help. the hard disk failed. There is a scratch on the data side of the cd on the top where the label is!!! thanks! a replacment is on the way.