I have a Sony laptop with Windows 7 pre-installed. There is no installation disc and I was wondering if I can make a copy of the software so that I can install it on my Desktop, running XP.

Ta 02 Vogue

yes you can do that as in make a copy as long as the laptop gives u the key code thing to enable it i will never surrender to bling , mud and dirt all the way oh yeah . and pheasent blood in the back.

No you cant. Your laptop was installed off of an "image" also windows checks periodically to make sure the key is not in use elsewhere, it does this with a hardware hash so will always know if it is a different PC, even if the hardware is identicle.

Dan 

Dan is right. Most Tier 1 manufacturers no longer ship out the disks. What they do is divide the hard drive into partitions. There will usually be a small partition that contains a software image to restore the computer back to factory. This will include Windows plus all of the applications the computer shipped with already configured. All you have to do is activate it.

Have a look on fleabay for a OEM copy of Windows 7. You can usually pick a copy of Windows 7 Ultimate (the one with all the features) for under £100 including delivery.

http://shop.ebay.co.uk/?_from=R40&_trk...Categories

An OEM copy is legitmate copy of just the disk and the license without all the retail packaging. It is designed for system builders like your local computer shop. Microsoft relaxed the terms around around OEM licenses so that anyone buying any computer part could buy OEM licenses of their software, hence why you find the software on eBay.