You don't have to install XP first.

And how exactly do you reuse OEM's over and over? Clarify please. And as for the power supply, Im not being stupid and having it in upside down, the instructions on my case specifically say that it goes in with the fan facing downwards.

Last time I checked you have to buy a new copy of Windows for every new PC. So basically you pirated Windows?

OEM copies are tied to a single PC. If you want to transfer to another PC anytime, you should have bought the full version.

Read what Fuzzy said.

MS says in the ELUA one copy per PC. You can't keep transfering the copy to every new PC you get.

If you install this recovery disc 'as is' it will revert to the same setup as HP... with the bloat/crapware and recovery partition.  Now while this may work, it probably is not the best way to put Windows on a new machine.  As others have stated, a HP (Dell, Acer) OEM is supposed to remain with the original machine, so there could possibly be some issues with licensing/activation, etc.  Your best bet would be to purchase a fresh copy... a System Builders OEM would do the trick and save you some cash.

While this is technically true, particularly with HP/Dell/Acer OEM's, a Systems Builders OEM is a little more flexible.  For example, my copy of Vista Ultimate is a System Builders OEM, and it technically is on a new machine from the one it was originally installed, due to mobo, CPU, RAM and GPU upgrades.  While the OS is on the same physical HDD, everything including the case has been changed since the original installation, and MS knows this as it was explained during an activation call.  Now while MS didn't seem to have a problem with it, I don't know the same could be said of a proprietry OEM, such as HP's.

This is the big difference. My copy is a system builder's OEM (bought and installed by me). The proprietary ones such as provided by HP or Dell, I do not think will work if migrated to a new system. FWIW, I agree with a previous suggestion to just wait until Win7 is released and buy a copy of that to install. Whether to go with OEM or retail is up to the OP. Depends on if he wants to have MS support or not.

As an aside, the reasoning Microsoft put forward for tying the OEM copies to the original motherboard on which it was installed (and that is what it's tied to - you can change any and all other components except the motherboard and MS will still consider it the same machine) is because OEM copies are supported by the vendor, not by MS. They figure if you change your mobo, the vendor should not be on the hook to provide support, since (as in the case of Dell, HP, and other big OEM vendors), they tie many of the software components to the mobo (drivers, etc.).

Since I build my own personal machines, this is why I have no problem migrating my XP copy from my old retired rig to the newly built one, and wipe it off the old rig. I'm not putting anyone on the hook for support except me. If anyone wants to consider that piracy, I'm fine with that. Fill your boots. And that's the last I'm going to address that particular subject.

GAH! Triple post. Apologies again.

Starkers: We bought a new emachines last month. I had to uninstall very little trial programs.

I will be buying another soon. Price is worth it and I really don't want to build another one for myself.

I've only owned a Mac three times in my life. The last was last year.

I can build my own machines and usually do but in this case it was cheaper part for part to buy the emachines.

It's not just the crapware for me... I'd rather build my own than buy a 'get what you're given' rig off the shelf.  That way I can mix and match comonents to get the best bang for the bucks I can afford to spend. 

I saw a pre-built system similar to mine - AMD Phenom II x4 920 on a Gigabyte GA-770 mobo - but it only had 4gb of generic RAM and a 8600GT Nvidia card.  All up it would have cost me around AUD $250 more than my current build, which has 8gb of Corsair RAM and a Galaxy 9800GT.  I also have two extra HDD's and a multi card reader and a Creative X-Fi Xtreme Gamer Pro sound card with dual DVD burners... extras that would have put up the price of the pre-build to around AUD $600 more.

Granted, it makes sense to buy a cheap pre-build offf the shelf if you intend only to use it to surf the net, as a word processor, etc, but I have greater expectations of my machine and need something with more grunt to record, edit video... something that I discovered over-taxes an under-powered machine and shortens its life.  Yeah, I could have seriously over-clocked, but that still would have given me less power than what I have, and it probably wouldn't have lasted anywhere near as long, either.

So yeah, it made sense for me to build an over-powered machine, for regular use, that is, but when the extra power is needed it is there.  I would have liked to have got myself an i7 920 with 12gb of RAM, way more powerful again, but my budget wouldn't have allowed that, being that I would have had to get a bigger PSU as well. Oh well, what I have does all that I need it to, so maybe next time.

That's good... I'm glad you got what you wanted at a price you're happier with.  Pre-builds are somewhat better these days to what they were when I first got into PC's, so if you can find one at a good price that suits your needs, why not go for it!