I was given a computer w/ a valid XP Home License. I don't have the original XP cd, but i do have a Pro cd. Is there a way to install XP Home w/ the Pro CD, using the Home key? I don't want anything i'm not licensed for; i just don't have the original media.

If you have a legal product key, see if you can borrow or burn a copy of a friend's XP Home CD. It won't work with XP Pro.

I did notice there is 850 megs of an i386 file on the c:\. I wonder if this has all of the setup files to reinstall. The product key is on a sticker on the bottom, and ownership of the computer has been transfered.

you could build you a slipstreamed cd using that i386 folder and use it to reformat and reinstall....google for how to slipstream xp and you find there are quite a few detailed sites dedicated to doing just that. In The Matters Of Style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, Stand Like A Rock "People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid."

I will second the suggestion put forward by lurkswithin. I note that your PC is a Dell. Therefore it will most likely be an SLP (System Locked Pre-Installation) BIOS locked PC. When sliptreaming you will also need to pay attention to your OEMBIOS files as they will allow you to preserve your SLP status and thus not require any activation post install. Here is one example that shows how it can be done: http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic571... ___________________________________________ ☺ When everything else fails, read the instructions.