[joe_rocket65]

My gf bought a gateway laptop that came with Windows XP Pro Media Center Edition. I wanted to reformat for her to get rid of the junk and bloatware and reinstall a streamlined OS. I can reinstall a clean MCE off the recovery disk supplied but when I try to make a streamlined and unattended setup disk with nLite it only installs as Windows XP Pro. I'm assuming the s/n on the laptop would enable MCE since it came preloaded with it. It also asked for a second CD when I tried the disk I made with nLite. I inserted the recovery disk which got rid of the request but it still only installed Windows XP Pro.

[Scubar]

did u add the mce parts into ur streamlined xp cd cause im guessing you didnt. XP MCE is a 2disc set the first for XP Pro the second with all the additions on it.

[joe_rocket65]

The laptop only came with one recovery disk and it is a dvd. It is labeled windows xp media center edition recovery dvd. I cannot find any folders or files on it with the MCE components.

This post has been edited by joe_rocket65: 13 March 2006 - 08:38 PM

[bionicman]

The folder you are looking for is named 'CMPNENTS'
As you said the disc is full of bloatware etc.. & probabaly unrecogisible as a normal OEM MCE disc due to the manufacturer playing about with it.
As it's asking for a 2nd disc this a good sign. Just pop the 'CMPNENTS' file in with rest of your installation files.

This post has been edited by bionicman: 13 March 2006 - 11:57 PM

[zedox]

also, make sure the key your using is your Media Center Product key.

[joe_rocket65]

The disk is a gateway recovery disk. I've searched it and cannot find a folder labelled cmpnents. Might be labelled another way though. The s/n i'm using is the one on the bottom of her computer so i'm assuming since it came bundled with MCE it is an MCE s/n.

[bionicman]

Do a search (All Programs/Search selecting whatever your DVD drive letter is)on your recovery disc for the following. They can't of changed these!
MEDIACTR.CAB
PLUS.CAB
SONIC.CAB
Make a new folder named 'I386' & place these .CAB files inside.
Then make another folder called 'MEDIACTR' & place the 'I386' folder inside that.
Then make yet another folder called 'CMPNENTS' & place the 'MEDIACTR' folder inside that.

Now search your disc for:
NETFX.CAB
Create a folder called 'I386' & put NETFX.CAB inside it.
Then make a folder called 'NETFX' & put the 'I386' folder inside that.
Now put the 'NETFX' folder inside the CMPNENTS' folder you created in the first part of this post.
Then, hopefully you should be in business!

This post has been edited by bionicman: 14 March 2006 - 02:52 PM

[vim]

I think the recovery disk is different than the normal Microsoft Windows Media Center install disk. Your locked into just re-installing.
What folders can you see in the recovery disk (Ex. \i386, etc), if its just a binary file your stuck.

I had that problem with a Compaq computer once.

[razormoon]

I've had nothing but heartache with OEMs.
I finally bit the bullet and bought a fresh MCE.