Re: Installing Win XP Pro (just use another product key)

Hi Shenan,

The product sticker on the Laptop does not say what product it is for - it
is a "blue-green with keyboard" type of COA sticker that looks pretty much
exactly like the one on the "how to tell" section of the microsoft website,
but without the Product name or OEM name at the top. However, the laptop was
bought new from a large chain department store in the UK - Win XP Pro was
preinstalled and this COA was already attached to the underside of the
laptop.

The OEM XP Pro SP2 cd is an OEM version. The PID is: 76487OEM

It was bought when I built my PC from scratch (bought with some of the
components). It installed fine on the PC once I'd put all the hardware
together, so as far as I am aware is as unmodified and generic as they come.

So just to see if I've got this right... if I copy the files from my Win XP
Pro SP2 CD onto my desktop, modify the SETUPP.ini file so that the PID is
51883270, and then write these files onto the new CD, then presumably that
should give me a CD which I can use to install windows with the license code
on the bottom of the laptop?

Thanks again for all your help!

- Stuart

"Shenan Stanley" wrote:

Modifying the OPS CD so it can work? Who knows - maybe so. Depends on
what the actual issue ius when the original poster is trying to use the CD
and a few other points...

First - verification is needed... These points, one by one, must be
verified:

- The product sticker on the Toshiba Satellite laptop (the one with the
problem) - what does it say it is for?
(Windows XP Professional? Windows XP Home? Windows Media Center?)
- The " genuine OEM Win XP Pro SP2" CD you have, are you sure it is Windows
XP Professional with SP2 integrated OEM? (See below for what to look for in
the CD's SETUPP.INI to verify generic OEM.)
- The " genuine OEM Win XP Pro SP2" CD you have, since you said it was "from
when I built my desktop PC", is it a generic CD - unmodified - bought from
someplace virtually alone (not bought with a PC like an IBM, Dell, HP,
etc...)?

If the sticker on the bottom of the Toshiba Satellite laptop is for Windows
XP Professional and that CD is truly generic - it should be no problem to
use that product key *unless* that product key has been deemed leaked
(possible, unlikely.)

But the sticker on the bottom of the Toshiba and the CD needs to match
flavor and type (Home, Professional, Media Center, etc; OEM, Retail, MSDN,
etc.) If - by chance - Windows XP Home is involved - you may have to
concern yourself with SP2b <- a special release where the product keys
changed up a bit. If Windows XP Home is not involved - no big deal.

Modifying (as I said) a Windows XP generic CD so it can use differing
product keys (OEM, Volume, Retail, etc)? As for actually doing what I said,
"change the SETUPP.INI" - just assuming I made no typos (in the quoted part,
I did not) it looks like I could use other advice I give all the time:

Now is a great time to point you to one of the easiest ways to find
information on problems you may be having and solutions others have found:

Search using Google!
http://www.google.com/
(How-to: http://www.google.com/intl/en/help/basics.html )

One could search for no more than "setupp.ini" and find plenty of ways to
modify the CD.
http://www.google.com/search?q=setupp.ini

Like:
http://www.thetechguide.com/howto/setuppini.html

Which gives you the basics of what you need to change on the CD itself
(before burning a new bootable CD from the results) to accept a given type
of key. You could use this knowledge to confirm the CD you have is an OEM
CD. Locate "SETUPP.INI" on the CD itself, open it with Notepad, find the
"Pid" line and see if it ends with "OEM". Then you will know what you might
have to do next...

If the OP will come back with the requested verifications - we can try to go
from there. Some people would love to help the op instead of pushing their
own opinions. ;-)


In the end - all the OP loses is time in trying.

Worst case scenario - once versions are verified the same - they can install
using the product key that came with the CD they are trying to use, get it
installed and use a Microsoft tool to change the product key to the one on
the sticker on the bottom of the laptop.

The Genuine Advantage Product Key Update Tool is only valid for
users attempting to change their current non-genuine Product Key
to a genuine COA sticker or genuine Product Key - all without a
reinstall!
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=50346&clcid=0x409

That may be - in the end - the fastest solution. Although the workaround
would have to be remembered for any future needs (or better backup
techniques/tools used - like imaging software.)

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html



.

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