I want to know how to find my windows xp product key as i wish to reinstall windows xp?

It depends. 

If your version of Windows was pre-installed on the computer by the computer manufacturer or assembler, then the product key is on a sticker affixed to the computer case somewhere.

If your version of Windows was installed using using a retail Windows CD, then you can use a utility such as Magical Jellybean Keyfinder to find your product key.  Note that although such utilities will show a product key for preinstalled (OEM) versions of Windows, that key will NOT work to activate your re-installation.

If you have a preinstalled (OEM) version, you may not even need a product key if you use the reinstallation means provided by the manufacturer (e.g., hidden recovery partition, special recovery media).

I want to know how to find my windows xp product key as I wish to re install windows xp?

Thanks for your answer. I am a bit confused, I used a utility to find my product key but the key was different from the one one the side of my computer? Which one should I use? Is it safe to format my hard driv?e

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Thanks for your help & detailed replies! I have brought a new computer & am giving my old one (running XP ) to my wife. I have had the computer for 6 years & it is running very slowly. I thought by re-installing XP the computer might run faster. I have a Windows XP  disk which I created from my Dell machine that I am planning to re-install windows. Would this disk contain drivers for the hardware in my computer? 

A "Windows XP disk created from a Dell machine" is a bit vague and it's also not clear to me if the old machine (where you want to reinstall Windows) is the same as the Dell that you used to create the CD.

In general, a system restore disk created for a Dell computer won't work on a non-Dell computer. 

I'm far from a Dell expert, but it's my understanding that Dell provided a mechanism for creating system restore disks, but only starting with computers sold in 2009.  That doesn't seem to be what you're referring to.  Earlier Dell computers generally came with 2 (or more) CDs, a Dell Operating System Reinstallation CD/DVD and a Dell Resource CD/DVD.  The latter is where the drivers are.

In short, I don't know what's on the CD you created and how -- or if -- you can use it to reinstall Windows (even if it was created by the same machine on which you want to reinstall). 

Sorry.  All I know about reinstalling Windows on Dell computers is here --> http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/kcs/document?c=us&docid=52182&doclang=en&l=en&s=gen&cs= (either step 2, step 3, or step 4; step 1 isn't a reinstallation)

However, before you take the plunge of attempting to reinstall, perhaps you might do some routine maintenance and get things moving a bit better (although a 6-year-old computer will have its limitations).

1. What's the make and model of the older computer?
2. Right click My Computer and select Properties and answer the following:

-- What version of Windows is installed, including service pack?

-- What CPU model and speed is installed?

-- How much RAM is installed? 3. Open My Computer and right-click on Local Drive (C:) and select Properties

-- What is the Used Space?

-- What is the Free Space? 4. Have you kept the Windows up to date by keeping Automatic Updates turned on? 5. What antivirus application is installed? Is its subscription current? Has the subscription ever been permitted to lapse? 6. What other antimalware applications are installed? 7. Go to Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs and uninstall any unneeded/unwanted applications.  In particular, uninstall any browser Toolbars or the like (Google Toolbar, Ask Toolbar, Yahoo! Toolbar, etc.) 8. Start Task Manager and select the Processes tab.  Double click the header of the "CPU" column.  Click the box to "Show processes from all users."  If any process seems to be taking a large percentage of the CPU, what is it? 9. Open a Command Prompt window (Start > Run > cmd > OK).  In the black Command Prompt window type "chkdsk /f" (without the quotes) and Press Enter.  Answer Y when asked if you want to schedule the volume to be checked the next time the system restarts.  Reboot the computer and let chkdsk complete.  If any errors are detected and fixed, re-run chkdsk one more time. 10. After chkdsk has successfully fixed any file system errors, run Disk Cleanup (Start > Run > cleanmgr > OK).  You can clean at least Temporary Files, Temporary Internet Files, and the Recycle Bin.  Do not elect to "Compress old files to save space."  If you have more than one user account, log on to each user account and run Disk Cleanup in each account. 11. After you have run Disk Cleanup, open My Computer, right click on Local Disk (C:), select the Tools tab, and check "Defragment now." Click OK and let defrag run. 12. Download, install, update and run full scans with each of the following free applications.  Don't run the scans simultaneously.  Each scan will take some time, so start one up and go do a non-computer chore for a while:

     MalwareBytes AntiMalware

     SUPERAntiSpyware

Let the scanners delete whatever they find.  You can uninstall them when done.

At this point, the computer ought to be running a little (or more) better, depending on its hardware limitations.

If you have a computer that came with Windows pre-installed, the "original equipment manufacturer" (OEM) almost certainly used a special generic product key that Microsoft allows the big OEMs to use in order to make and "pre-activate" their thousands of machines.  That key is what will be shown by a keyfinder utility ... but you can't use it.  The specific machine you bought has its own individual license, and that's what's on the sticker.

If you reinstall Windows using a special "hidden partition" on the hard drive, you don't need to activate the computer at all.  That method of restoring gets the computer back to the way it was when it first left the factory, i.e., "pre-activated" (all of the free trial software, however, will have expired, even though it will be re-installed).

On the other hand, if you reinstall Windows using a "generic OEM" CD (one not specifically for your brand of computer), you need the product key from the sticker in order to activate. The CD must be for the same version of Windows (e.g., XP Home) as that shown on the sticker. 

If you bought a new version of Windows, it will have come with its own product key, and that's what you should use, not the one of the sticker or the one used by the original manufacturer.

See, for example, http://pcsupport.about.com/od/productkeysactivation/qt/key-finder-faq.htm

In any reinstallation of Windows, you do NOT format the drive first.  If necessary, the installation process itself will do that.  Actually, you wouldn't be able to format the system drive from within Windows; you'd have to use a different tool to do that (think of sitting on a tree limb while wanting to saw it off).

In addition, if you are NOT using a manufacturer-supplied "restore" system (either a hidden partition or special restore CD/DVDs), you'll need to obtain and later install various drivers for the hardware in your computer.

Before you get yourself in trouble, perhaps you'd care to explain (a) why you think you need to reinstall Windows and (b) what method (and what media) you plan to use to do this.

Thanks for your help & detailed replies! I have brought a new computer & am giving my old one (running XP ) to my wife. I have had the computer for 6 years & it is running very slowly. I thought by re-installing XP the computer might run faster. I have a Windows XP  disk which I created from my Dell machine that I am planning to re-install windows. Would this disk contain drivers for the hardware in my computer?

If you have a computer that came with Windows pre-installed, the "original equipment manufacturer" (OEM) almost certainly used a special generic product key that Microsoft allows the big OEMs to use in order to make and "pre-activate" their thousands of machines.  That key is what will be shown by a keyfinder utility ... but you can't use it.  The specific machine you bought has its own individual license, and that's what's on the sticker.

If you reinstall Windows using a special "hidden partition" on the hard drive, you don't need to activate the computer at all.  That method of restoring gets the computer back to the way it was when it first left the factory, i.e., "pre-activated" (all of the free trial software, however, will have expired, even though it will be re-installed).

On the other hand, if you reinstall Windows using a "generic OEM" CD (one not specifically for your brand of computer), you need the product key from the sticker in order to activate. The CD must be for the same version of Windows (e.g., XP Home) as that shown on the sticker. 

If you bought a new version of Windows, it will have come with its own product key, and that's what you should use, not the one of the sticker or the one used by the original manufacturer.

See, for example, http://pcsupport.about.com/od/productkeysactivation/qt/key-finder-faq.htm

In any reinstallation of Windows, you do NOT format the drive first.  If necessary, the installation process itself will do that.  Actually, you wouldn't be able to format the system drive from within Windows; you'd have to use a different tool to do that (think of sitting on a tree limb while wanting to saw it off).

In addition, if you are NOT using a manufacturer-supplied "restore" system (either a hidden partition or special restore CD/DVDs), you'll need to obtain and later install various drivers for the hardware in your computer.

Before you get yourself in trouble, perhaps you'd care to explain (a) why you think you need to reinstall Windows and (b) what method (and what media) you plan to use to do this.