Re: Make OEM reinstallation CD ask for product key
- From: "Nepatsfan" <nepatsfan@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 2 Mar 2009 13:22:36 -0500
"DWalker07" <none@xxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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"Nepatsfan" <nepatsfan@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in
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"DWalker07" <none@xxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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Lately I have found myself needing to reinstall Windows XP Pro for
several people, on desktops or laptops which have the 25-character
OEM license key on the COA sticker attached to the computer.
They have usually lost their reinstall CD, or else they don't have it
with them, and I happen to have an OEM reinstallation CD from the
same manufacturer. HOWEVER, if I install Windows XP using this CD,
it doesn't ask for the license key (and later investigation shows
that it is activated, using the OEM's preinstallation key or whatever
it's called).
I know that I can do some stuff to get the key changed to the one on
the sticker, after installation, but I would really like to know how
to invoke the installation process, or even modify the CD (I know how
to do that) to ask for the product key during install.
Thanks for any help. Let me know if there's a better forum.
David Walker
I got to be honest with you David. I'm baffled as to why you'd want to
make a reinstall more complicated. You do realize that using the
license key from the sticker means your installation won't be
automatically validated. Odds are you'll end up having to make a phone
call to activate XP. I don't get it. You're using the right CD for the
situation. Same manufacturer, same version of XP. What's the problem
with what you're doing?
FWIW, the Dell and Compaq installation CDs I have store the
manufacturer's SLP installation key in the winnt.sif file which is
located in the I386 folder on the installation CD. For me that's
D:\I386\winnt.sif. I've never tried this, but my best guess is that if
you edit this file in Notepad and remove the portion of the file that
looks something like this you'll be prompted to enter a CD key during
the installation.
[UserData]
ProductKey="XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX"
Good luck
Nepatsfan
I wondered why many Dell XP systems were pre-activated, all using the
same license number and not the license number on the CD sticker. Now I
have read that the OEMs often use one license number for all boxes of the
same mode.
I just figured that if I did a reinstall, I wanted the license number IN
the system to match the license number from the sticker.
If that's not necessary, then I won't worry about it. I was just
concerned when the various keyfinder programs showed a different product
key than the sticker on the box showed.
David
On a computer from a major OEM, the key on the sticker is not used. I'd
guess that there are several million Dell computers happily running XP Pro
under the same key (it starts with XJM6Q). As long as you're reinstalling on
a Dell, you're fine using the installation CD and associated SLP key. Bottom
line, don't worry about it.
Take a look at the Royalty OEM section of this article for a good
explanation of this issue.
http://www.edbott.com/weblog/archives/000506.html
If you want some more info on this subject do a Google search for System
Locked Preinstallation.
Nepatsfan
.
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