Someone explain Windows XP licensing to me please!

[tcsenter]

intersting. I was just about to do the same thing with an old Vista laptop Ihave laying around. I want to do a fresh install on it, but I dont have the media anymore. I grabbed a couple of copies of Vista Pro off "places" and figured I'd isntall with that and if my COA # doesn't activate, I'd just do phone activation.

Vista is even easier. There is no retail or OEM for full version media (excepting retail upgrade). With Vista, you can use any full version media to install the OS, then insert the license certificate and OEM product key AFTER installation (unlike XP).

Use Activation Backup and Restore (ABR):

http://directedge.us/content/abr-activation-backup-and-restore

Run activation_backup.exe as administrator. When complete, save the ABR folder to a thumb drive or something. After Windows Vista is installed, run activation_restore as administrator. When finished, restart and check your activation status (from system properties).

 

[Gillbot]

Full retail (FPP) media can easily be modified to accept OEM product keys. Copy the CD to your hard drive. Locate and open SETUPP.INI (i386 directory) in Notepad. There should be a line similar to:

Pid=76477000

Doesn't matter what the number actually is (it will be different for Home, Professional, and other factors). Just change the last three digits, whatever they are, to "OEM" (without quotes). e.g. Pid=76477OEM

That's it. Save and burn back to CD. Your retail media will now accept OEM product keys (but will no longer accept retail keys).

Awesome info!

From what I understand, the school checks the COA vs. the installed version. I would guess if the COA on the machine is good then they consider it to be ok.

 

[tunapez]

Vista is even easier. There is no retail or OEM for full version media (excepting retail upgrade).

How/why did it change for sp7? I have multiple retail 7's and nary an OEM 7. Have tried the ei.cfg trick with no success. The xp pid trick wouldn't work...would it?

 

[tcsenter]

How/why did it change for sp7? I have multiple retail 7's and nary an OEM 7. Have tried the ei.cfg trick with no success. The xp pid trick wouldn't work...would it?

No, its only for XP.

Windows 7 did go back to retail and OEM install bits but its just the ei.cfg file. AFAIK, Windows 7 also added activation tokens that must be backed up and restored along with the license certificate file and factory installed product key. I don't know of any similar utility such as ABR for Windows 7. There is a beta version of ABR that is supposed to work for Windows 7 but there are many reports that it didn't work.

 

[vo]

FWIW, last week I had to reload XP on a family computer, a Dell Dimension 3000. It supposed to be easy since the restore disk still there (in shrink wrap ), but it asked me to activate and I had to call in (could not activate online).
It's no big deal but I was always think that with a Dell, if you have the restore disk, you would not even need the key.

 

[lord_emperor]

I have a DELL OEM CD w/ SP2 that will literally install on anything and never asks for the CD key, maybe try one of those.

 

[MrChad]

The problem is, I don't have an OEM copy. The only copy of OEM I have is a MS branded SP3 disc. It appears as though I need an older version pre-SP1 even?

You should be able to take your MS branded OEM disc and add Sony OEMBIOS files to the I386 directory.

http://forums.mydigitallife.info/threads/9795-The-Windows-XP-OEMBIOS-Archive

That in combination with this XP Pro key should be accepted and your install will be pre-activated.