Need help installing XP Pro on an old ThinkPad

[gvstn]

20. To clarify

Your Disk 0 is 37.27 GB.
Your C: drive is also 37.27GB. NTFS file system. With about 23.40 GB (not MB--that it is GB is important!) free.
Your E: drive is 386 MB and is full. This is probably a diagnostic partition which won't solve your problem but it is normal for it to be full and very small hence it being only a few hundred MB.

***

A valid key is 25 characters, five groups of five.
I've never actually had the number from the sticker work for me. It is often touted as useful but it hasn't worked for me. I think the number on the sticker could be a generic number for Lenovo that can be used by many different computers and then it creates unique keys for each computer that it is installed on. Magic Jelly Bean would give the unique key. I am unsure if that key will be accepted either. It all has to do with it being an OEM key which I don't really understand. I have only had a few store bought computers. Compaq discs only worked on specific models. Dell gave actual XP discs which worked on any Dell. I think Lenovo is fairly model specific so IBM might be the same. I'm thinking your XP3 Pro disk may not work, not because you don't have a key but because it is linked to specific models.

But if you do indeed have 23 GB free on C: it is possible to shrink C: by 10Gb and create a new partition in that free space for a fresh installation. Then you should have two copies of XP if you have no problems with the keys/installation. **I just thought of something. How is that XP SP3 disc labeled? It may be a Lenovo Factory Restore disc which wouldn't work. Does it say Microsoft on the disc or OS installation?