Searched forum (and knowledgebase) but can't find an answer. I'm a newbie so apologies if I've missed the obvious
My problem is: I have an HP Pavilion dv7 laptop with preinstalled PS Photo Pro X3, so no CD/DVD. I need to reformat my hard drive to make it dual boot Win/Mac but I would then like to reinstall PSP X3. Is it possible to create installable CDs/DVDs from the preinstalled (or downloaded?) version? If it's not possible, am I entitled to CDs/DVDs from Corel, or can I download and use my current serial number/registration info to activate the product? Not sure if either is possible but I really don't want to buy software I already have
First off, to directly answer your questions: No, you cannot readily make an installable DVD from an OEM version of PSP. Yes, you can (and should) copy a downloaded version of PSP to a DVD for backup; however you would still need the serial number obtained from purchasing the downloaded PSP in order to activate it. No, you probably cannot get a DVD from Corel unless you purchase a new copy. I don't know if your OEM serial number will activate a downloaded copy of PSP, but I doubt it.
That having been said, there are four other avenues you can explore:
1. While most newer HP laptops do not come with reinstallation media, they usually have a recovery partition. Normally, that recovery partition can restore the computer to the state it was when it shipped, including preinstalled software. Also, unless this has changed recently, HP laptops usually allow you to create one set of recovery DVDs that can be used to restore the computer to its original state, including preinstalled software. I am not sure where HP's reinstallation DVDs are on this, but some manufacturers' recovery media will allow reinstallation of individual pre-installed applications, rather than making you make an all-or-nothing choice. If your recovery media will allow that, then you may be in luck.
2. Right now, Corel has PSP X3 Ultimate on sale, via the website, for the lowest price you're likely to find any time soon. Even though that would involve purchasing software you already own, at least the cost would be low.
3. You may be able to install a Windows 7/OS-X dual boot without reformatting your hard drive. (There are articles on the web describing the process, but dual booting Mac and Windows is well beyond my area of expertise.) You will require a partition utility that can create a new partition from unused space on your hard drive without reformatting. Regardless of your chosen installation method, you should back up your data before doing anything. You may be able to use a backup program, such as Acronis True Image, that backs up the whole system "in-place." If you do reformat your hard drive, then you may be able to use this backup to restore your Windows 7 installation to your new partition; all of your data and software should be in exactly the same state they were in before you started.
4. There are migration utility programs that claim to be able to migrate installed applications from one installation to another, either on two different computers or on the same computer. I have read very mixed reviews of such software, so this approach is a "maybe."
Good luck with your dual boot project and with PSP.
Just adding to what wds937 mentioned. You can partition your harddrive without reformatting them, I've done this a number of times when I dual boot Win/linux, though when installing Linux, it has it's own feature that allows you to partition the harddrive without affecting the installed OS. So I'm not entirely sure how you do it if you are installing MAC OS on a Win PC.
Though this site should give you an idea on how you can partition your harddrive without reinstalling or formatting your windows OS.
Thanks for your responses guys. Has certainly given me some ideas. Wasn't aware I could repartition without reformatting, so this is my first line of attack.
