Last week I explained why Microsoft’s changes to Windows Product Activation (WPA), which take effect today, are no big deal for most Windows users.
Sadly, the FUD about this issue is spreading through the Internet without much regard for the underlying facts. In addition to Betanews and Slashdot, the story has been picked up by eWeek, CNET News.com, eHomeUpgrade, Microsoft Monitor, WinInsider, InfoWorld, and countless others. The general consensus is that “customers who find themselves reinstalling Windows XP should be ready for a headache,” as CNET put it. Fortunately, that conventional wisdom is wrong.
Trying to make sense of the ins and outs of Windows licensing can be difficult even for someone who makes a living as a Windows expert, so it’s understandable that a reporter trying to write a 200–word story on a tight deadline would get confused. WPA is a complex technology. By the time you finish this article, you’ll understand it a lot better.
For starters, not every copy of Windows requires activation. WPA requirements vary depending on the type of license associated with a copy of Windows. Microsoft sells Windows licenses through three separate programs:
Full Packaged Product (FPP, more commonly referred to as Retail) – These are available in shrink-wrapped boxes, as full licenses (no previous version of Windows required) and as upgrade packages, which typically sell at a discount and require you to provide media from a previous Windows version as part of the previous installation. After installing a retail product, you must go through Windows Product Activation. For most installations, this takes place automatically over the Internet. To learn more about WPA, read Microsoft’s official documentation (pay special attention to the changes in Windows XP Service Pack 1), Alex Nichol’s excellent WPA FAQ, and the now somewhat outdated but still interesting Inside Windows Product Activation, which was prepared around the time Windows XP was first released in 2001. None of the changes announced last week have any effect on you if you use a retail copy of Windows XP.
Volume Licensing (VL) programs – Businesses, government agencies, charitable organizations, and academic institutions are eligible to purchase upgrades to Windows in bulk through one of several licensing programs, the terms of which vary depending on the size of the organization. (The original license must be purchased individually or with a new computer; that license is then enrolled in the Volume Licensing program.) According to this page, “Microsoft understands the unique deployment requirements of businesses that need to acquire licenses in volume and provides product that does not require activation to those customers… Customers can qualify for Microsoft’s Open Licensing program by purchasing as few as five licenses.” Knowledge Base article 299840 provides more technical details: “Activation is not required when you use Volume License media (VL versions of Windows XP) in conjunction with the VL product keys.” (More information is available in the Microsoft Volume Licensing FAQ and on the Volume Licensing Home Page.)
Microsoft made some changes to VL keys with Windows XP Service Pack 1, specifically: blocking two volume license keys that had escaped into the wild and were widely used for pirated copies; and allowing IT staff to encrypt and time-limit the key used on CDs made for unattended installation. None of the changes announced last week have any effect on you if you use a VL version of Windows XP.
OEM/System Builder – According to the Microsoft Volume Licensing FAQ, “There are two different types of OEM licensing vehicles, one for ‘named’ or ‘Multi-National’ OEMs, and one for system builders. Both types of OEMs may build and distribute computer systems with Microsoft software preinstalled.” That first category is more commonly referred to as Royalty OEMs. If you purchase a PC with Windows XP pre-installed, the changes announced last week may affect you.
OK, it’s that last category where the changes come in. So let’s break it down.
OEM System Builder
The System Builder category includes anyone who buys individual copies of Windows XP to install on new computers. You can go to just about any online software retailer and buy your own OEM copy of Windows XP. (It must be purchased with a “non-peripheral computer hardware component,” for the license to be valid. Qualifying products include memory, internal drives, mice, keyboards, and power supplies/cords.) [Update: The requirement to buy a piece of qualifying hardware is no longer attached to sales of OEM Windows copies. See A welcome change in Microsoft licensing terms for details.] This type of OEM license includes a CD, a Certificate of Authenticity, and a product key, and it requires activation. If you reinstall Windows using an OEM copy sold in this type of packaging, you have to reactivate it. You can activate the initial installation or a reinstallation over the Internet. None of the changes announced last week have any effect on you if you use a single-copy OEM version of Windows XP.
What if you want to build your own white-box PCs and sell them? In that case, you need to buy a package of Windows licenses from an authorized distributor and then use the OEM Preinstallation Kit (OPK) to install Windows. You can customize the installation with extra drivers and applications, and you can even add your own Start menu items and Internet Explorer Favorites. You can build image files for each different type of PC you sell, but for each individual PC you have to include a custom “answer file” that includes a unique value for the ProductKey entry. According to the OPK documentation, “The Product Key that you use to activate the installation must match the number on the Certificate of Authenticity (COA) sticker that accompanies the retail product or that is physically attached to the computer case…”
When your customers turn on the PC for the first time, they go through the Out of Box Experience and accept the license agreement. They don’t have to enter the product key (you already did that) and you can even activate Windows XP for them over the Internet. You are required to provide them with the Windows CD, product key, and Certificate of Authenticity. If they reinstall Windows, they need to use the OEM CD and the key you provided. They can then reactivate Windows over the Internet. None of the changes announced last week have any effect on you if you use an OEM version of Windows XP sold through the System Builder program.
Royalty OEM
Now let’s say you’re in the same league as Michael Dell. You lucky dog – you own one of the 20 largest manufacturers of Windows-based computers in the world. In short, you’re a Royalty OEM. The OPK does a good job of explaining the differences between System Builders,
Royalty OEMs receive a ‘golden master’ copy of Windows from Microsoft. The royalty OEM may customize Windows as described in the OPK, their license agreement, or a signed addendum… These OEMs obtain all customized media, end-user manuals, and bulk quantities of COA stickers from MS authorized replicators.
Royalty OEMs may provide recovery media for each computer, and that media must be protected so that it can be used only on that particular computer. Both printed books and any recovery media display the OEM name and branding.
System-locked preinstallation (SLP) is an anti-piracy technology that helps prevent the copying of legitimately licensed operating system software onto non-licensed systems. SLP is available only to royalty OEMs.
Aha! Now we’re getting somewhere. On a computer put together by a Royalty OEM, the preinstalled copy of Windows (including the recovery CD) contains configuration files that look for specific information in the system BIOS. If they find that information, no activation is required. Royalty OEMs have to provide a Certificate of Authenticity to each customer along with a unique product key (usually printed on a sticker on the side of the PC), but that key isn’t used to activate Windows initially. When you get a new computer from Dell or Gateway or Compaq or any other big PC vendor that uses SLP, no activation is required when you first run Windows, and no activation is required when you reinstall Windows – as long as you start your computer using the SLP CD on the same computer (or one with the same motherboard/BIOS combination).
But what happens to the product key printed on the side of my Dell (or Gateway or Compaq or Toshiba, etc.) computer? Under normal circumstances, it goes completely unused. And there’s the problem. If I’m interested in activating a copy of Windows without paying for it, I can walk into Best Buy, find a display of desktop PCs, and copy down the product keys from the sticker on the side of each one. I can then try using those keys to activate my OEM copy of Windows over the Internet. And until today, that would have worked. But no longer. Now, if I try the same trick, I’ll be unable to activate without calling in. If I’m willing to lie and say that I bought an HP computer but changed the motherboard or flashed the BIOS, I might be able to get away with it. But it’s an extra hoop.
I did some quick searches and have determined that PCs sold by Dell, Gateway, Toshiba, and Compaq all use SLP. Based on the language I quoted earlier from the OPK, I strongly suspect that all PCs sold in the past two years by all of the 20 leading Royalty OEMs also use SLP.
And that means that this change is going to have no effect on legitimate owners of OEM computers who want to reinstall their copy of Windows. As long as they use the CD that came with their PC, installation should be automatic and activation should not be required. The only circumstances under which activation would be required, as I noted in my original post, are if you use the CD on a different computer than the one it was sold with, or if you changed the motherboard or BIOS to one that didn’t match the SLP files.
As I said in my previous post, anyone who tries to turn this change into a major issue simply doesn’t understand how the technology works.
Ed Bott 
Dude, this is all good, thank you for your research into this. However, my laptop did not come with a CD so reinstallation is not possible. How do I legally reinstall now given these product activation changes? I assume I can use my product key from the sticker on the mchaine but where do I get legitimate media?
Can’t you ask whoever made your laptop to provide you with a recovery CD?
If not, you’ll need an OEM CD to reinstall. If you can find a friend with one of those, your key will work.
Windows Anti Windows Product Activation
http://home.pages.at/cw2k/Antiwpa/
Many companies with 100-1000 buy from these companies and reimage their PC for standard installs. THIS DOES HAVE A HUGE IMPACT on those of us in this situation.
If you’re buying that many computers, you should be working with a dedicated sales rep who can assist you with purchases of bulk licenses and VL media. The specific products being talked about here are being sold to end users and very small businesses in lots of 1 or 2, with no reimaging.
There is lots of documentation for this sort of thing. Again, anyone buying PCs in quantity and reimaging them can do a little research and find the right way to do it.
I hear that when you buy a copy of Windows XP, you aren’t actually buying Windows XP, but you’re buying a license (and thusly the right to use it, so on). Can you use ANY Windows XP CD (with except of course to per se a Dell CD) along with your own key and have a legal copy installed?
Andrew, you’re right on the mark. The media is irrelevant, and you can use any CD you want. What really matters is the license, which for a home user is the Certificate of Authenticity pasted to the side of the PC or included on a piece of paper with the retail box. The activation and the product key are simply enforcement mechanisms for the licensing restrictions. Update: As several subsequent commenters have correctly noted, you can use any CD media you want, as long as it is of the same type as the key you are using. If you have a product key that was originally included with retail media, you should be able to use any retail media. If you have an OEM key, it should work with any OEM media. If you have a VL key, you need to use VL media. You can’t mix and match CD types.
Want to hear some bull #$%^. I purchased a copy of WinXP Home and installed it. One year later I lost the CD and Activation key during a move. I am planning on completing some major upgrades to my system and my plan was to borrow a friends CD , but use my activation code, therefore it would be legal.
Since I could not find my key I called Microsoft to see if they could look it up in their records (they must keep it filed somewhere) They would not tell me my own activation code that I purchased for over $100.00 I think this is unacceptable. They informed me that I would need to buy another key. Does this make any sense to you…it didn’t to me.
Is there anyway to retrieve my CD key???
That’s a bummer, Jesse. I sympathize.
Actually, Microsoft doesn’t keep records of your specific activation code. Even if you register, you’re simply registering your name and contact info. The key code can be used by anyone, once, and all the activation computer cares about is whether the key is valid and has not been used.
The activation key is the thing you paid $100 for, and the moral for anyone reading this is, keep it in a safe place!
Well, if you just want the COA that can be recovered from registry using utils found on the tinternet.
But i have a question, if i understand the articale above will it still be possible to save the wpa info to floppy and re use when a restore is carried out provided the hardware replacement rules havent been broken?? If a PC is trashed can the license be transfered by reactivation to a new puter? and as in my case where i have been a bit careless with my original cd’s (i only have one now) how can i work out which of my COA’s will work with it or which cd type do i need. This is going to cause me some pain 😦
We decided to reimage our dells that we bought for the school i work at and since we had already activated windows on them when we first bought them a year ago when we went to activate not a single product key on top of each individual computer worked. We talked to microsoft and they said we need new product key’s for every computer which after reading the EULA i see nothing about reinstalling and reactivating a licensened copy of windows which we paid for. By the way we used the sysprep utility to take the SID’s away off of the image and to prepare it but for some reason microsoft blocked it.
Contrary to the above posts any XP key will not work with any CD. If you have a retail Gold CD then you have to have a matching key. If you have an OEM SP1a CD you can’t use a OEM SP2 key. I have around 60 computers at one business all with OEM XP Pro. We have at least 3 different series of keys that will only work with the CD they came with. Anyone know how to tell what key will work with what cd? Thanks, Joel
Actually, Joel, you just need to have a CD of the same type as the one that was assigned to your product key. That would be retail, upgrade, or OEM. There is no difference between an SP1a CD and an SP2 CD in this regard, except insofar as the other issues apply.
As far as I know there is no way to tell what type of CD a particular key is associated with.
I’ve mainly used OEM cds and I have one in front of me right now that I have a valid OEM key for and it won’t accept it because it doesn’t match the OEM cd I used to install. I first ran across this problem when I tried to use a SP1 image and a SP1a key. Didn’t work. If you know a way around this problem I would be very interested. M$’s solution is figure out for yourself what cd goes with your key and reinstall. I’ve spent 2.5 hrs on the phone with them today. Thanks, Joel
Joel,
Where did the original CDs come from, and where did the new CDs come from? Are the originals lost?
I presume you’re not able to get past the initial installation screen where you enter the serial number, correct?
To answer the question about “Can you use any media as long as you have a product key” that answer is NO. For example: If you install Windows from an OEM CD and try to use a retail key it will not work. If you install from a retail CD and try to use an OEM or VL key it will NOT work. Microsoft has three types of media, VLK, OEM, and Retail (upgrades of course). At any rate, this can be very frustrating for users at times. I have been through this first hand lots of times.
Clint Lawson, MCSA
Exceleratednetworks.com
With PCs from the majority of smaller makers, (i.e. not the ‘Royalty’ class), you will have to re-activate if you do a real re-install by booting from the CD & re-formatting.
MS tend to get unhappy if you do this more than once or twice even though it’s the original PC and a fully legal copy of Windows.
The simple way around this is to take an image backup with Norton Ghost or similar immediately after installing Windows & the main programs you use, then if anything catastrophic happens you can restore the backup image relatively quickly and get back to a fully working machine again.
It saves hours re-installing stuff – and no activation problems no matter how often you do it!
Not true at all – at least for Windows. You can activate a gazillion times if you do so on substantially the same hardware. And after a certain period of time, the reactivation clock gets reset so you can reactivate on completely different hardware.
Hrm, Ed, I have to disagree with you on this one. Let me start off by saying that I work with about a hundred system on a daily basis. Every one of these systems has a legally obtained key. Now, see, the kicker is that these systems have one or two cards swapped in and out of them a few times a day for various reasons. I have observed two identical systems (and I mean identical; down to the same batch on the motherboard and processor) with the same card produce two different results.
System 1: Add PCI card. Add drivers. Reboot. Continue using system.
System 2: Add PCI card. Add drivers. Reboot. WPA triggers.
I spent way too many hours with microsoft support trying to find a workable solution. They, of course, won’t give me any substantial hints as to what I can reliably and safely change.
After spending a couple thousand collective hours (myself + all the others here) dealing with this, I’m seriously looking for alternatives. I’ve already converted quite a few of these systems over to linux; the only reason I have any windows systems left in here at all right now is because of some of the tool requirements.
It’s frustrating. On one hand, I know just how much piracy goes on. It’s nothing new; I’ve watched it for the last 15 years. On the other hand, I am sick of companies throwing poorly thought out and/or buggy software out the door and then having the audacity to tell me that I have to waste my valuable time talking to a computerized phone service to fix their mistakes.
What really gets me, though, is the abuse I’ve taken from MS activation teams. I mean, seriously, I’ve got a license here for quite a large number of systems. I’ve been calling and re-activating these things for a couple of years now with the same key, with the same reason every time – and I still get harassed by these “support” personel.
Arrrgh. Don’t mind me, I’ll just sit over here in the corner and rip out what little is left of my hair.
Windows Installation probles.
Please help me if possible, i bought a pc a couple of years ago from a major pc retailer and the Packard Bell machine came with Windows XP Home pre-installed. When i started the pc for the 1st time it asked me to create system backup disc.
I created these discs and did a formatt but i found that the orinigal Windows XP was still on my system taking up HDD space.
I want to do a full destructive re-install of Windows but cant find out how to do it with these discs i can’t get into microsoft recovery console.
If i get a Windows xp home cd will i be able to reinstall windows from that and use my key or do i need to figure out a different way to completely wipe my HDD and reinstall Windows.
thanks in advance for you relies/help
I bought a box full of computer stuff at an auction yesterday. It contained a (what appears to be) retail copy of XP home edition (version 2002) including product key (sticker still attached to the manual). Right now I’m running Me on a custom built pc (900mhz athlon) that did NOT come with any os discs or recovery software. I meet the system requirements for running Windows XP, but… will I be able to reformatt my hd and install this operating system? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Dj,
Yes, you will be able to install that operating system. The real question is whether you will be able to activate it over the Internet.
Read more details in this post.
Very informational – thank you for putting this together.
Ongoing discussion where I work and I’m still not clear on this. Is it legal to make an image of OEM Windows XP Pro with OEM Office Basic and deploy this image to other machines, so long as you have a method to enter the correct key for both XP and Office? If it is legal, what is the most efficient way to change these keys?
From what I’ve read, the implied answer from MicroSoft seems to be no – that really you are getting imaging rights with VL keys (which would seem to indicate you don’t with OEM keys).
Anyhow, thoughts on this are appreciated. thanks
Josh,
I’m not a lawyer, so any advice I give here should be taken with as many grains of salt as needed. But my understanding is if you use Microsoft’s Sysprep deployment tool (which is supported by Norton Ghost and may also be supported by other imaging tools), you should be able to do this with no problem.
Sysprep has the tools to enter a unique and legal key at the time you deploy the image.
I was wondering if someone could help me with this one. I just bought a new motherboard and processor for my husband’s computer. Now I don’t know what to do. I have a Windows XP Home cd (upgrade). It allows me to reinstall as long as I put the original Windows 98 cd in. I do that and everything seems to go well. I get into the Windows XP screen where it searches for internet and asks to activate. I don’t activate because I want to wait to install my video card drivers and sound drivers, etc. So I install my drivers and it asks to reboot. When I reboot, I get the blue screen of death telling me my computer has been stopped to prevent further damage. Am I doing something wrong? I have reformatted and reinstalled Windows XP at least 6 times with the same result. I got the cd from a friend who is no longer using Windows XP Home so in my opinion I would say I could activate it legally since he’s no longer using it. I also have a Dell PC of my own that has one of those OEM cds for reinstallation. What would happen if I used it on my husband’s computer and tried to activate it if/when it asks? Would I get in a heap of hot water for activating it since my husband’s computer is not a Dell? I’m at a loss here and don’t know what to do!
Kallie,
You should first see that your video, sound & other peripheral drivers are up to date and not installed from some old drive CD’s… That means you go out on the internet and find the specific drivers for the different hardware installed. Actually most hardware do have good enough drivers following the Windows XP Innstallation, my guess is that you just need an updated VIDEO driver either through Windows Update (requires in case that you go through the WPA registering) or through the official site of the video-hardware manufacturer.
You may activate the Windows Home legally, do so first… You may have to call the WPA for completing the activation, if the licence has recently been used on an another computer/hardware. But now as you “own” a licence, you are legally right to use the licence on “one” machine.
FYI… the retail key vs OEM key issue is true for Windows 2000 Pro as well.
Not an activation issue – but simply an install issue when you cannot use ANY cd media with the OEM key you have. argh
I found your site looking for a hack for this, no luck. heh
Wow!, so much useful info here, and right to the point, glad I found this site. I have a simple question, Im a system builder and am able to acquire licenses individually to build my systems, whether this is legal or not, I save alot of money and am able to stay competitive, otherwise I would be squashed by the likes of DELL n companies, here is my ques: I was just wandering if anyone knows of any tool out there that is able to validate a keycode, I mean to check if this keycode is still valid, has not been activated. I know I can call MS but when you have to check over 100’s of licenses its not really convenient.. any help would be appreciated, thxs
We are a small Computer Repair service, and System Builder. We use nothing but legit software and operating systems, all are sold with the OEM OS package: CD/COA-Sticker.
However, we repair lots of Dell/HP etc systems, and often require an OS re-install, and the Keys on the COA sticker do not work without a 10 min call to Microsoft. This has begun to drive us crazy, is there no way around this? Of course the clients don’t have the original CD’s even if they were provided from the manufacturer, but with a legit Key there should be a way around this.
I would like to reformat the hard drive on my Dell. I have the product key from the sticker on my computer and the original XP CD that came with my computer. But when I tried to reinstall XP it wouldn’t work. During setup some of the files were unble to copy and resulted in the system error screen. My CD has some scratches on it, could this be the cause of the files not copying? What are my options? Can I use a friends CD if it is also for a Dell, with my key?
Regarding Ari comment – I am totally agreed with him. My company buy a lot of Dell off lease PCs and reinstalling OS. I have to go through this terrible experience. We bought dell pc with CD/COA-Sticker but when we install with OEM CD it wants me to activate but will not accept the product key and calling XP activation toll free No. ended with rude comments from M$ outsource staff who has no ideas about the culture and attitude of the people here in the US.
Hi
I purchased a (NEW DELL) PC from a ebay seller with a sealed oem xp pro cd with product No: sticker on the side of pack. Now i have installed it all but when i go to Activate it asks for the No: but the No i have seems to be 4 No’s short! Ps Help!
Ps this really is a new PC with sealed XP CD.
Re Joel:
Re the above comments you should be able to aslong as it is a oem disc your installing!
Yeah…thats the whole problem. I try to fix computers that the mb died in. reboot says that windows needs reactivation but then the cd key is invalid….I know…new motherboard means new computer…./bullshit…its not right and we will keep fighting it.
Marty, if you replace the motherboard because it died, you are still entitled to that license. If you use a different model of motherboard, you won’t be able to activate automatically, but you will absolutely be able to activate over the phone. I’ve done it several times in exactly that circumstance.
Some good info in this blog. My situation is similar yet I still need help. My organization has a VLK and I want to use it on 100+ new HP systems that came with OEM license and media. Windows will not accept the VLK and is forcing me to activate each client. At this point, we have paid for a VLK AND OEM software and are still being pulled through the wringer.
Can I force the new systems to accept the VLK? How?
Bill, check the terms of your VL license. If I recall correctly, it specifically prohibits you from converting OEM licenses into your VL program. The VL keys are for upgrades only.
I haven’t looked at the exact licensing language in some time, but that’s what I recall.
This page has some more details that seem to agree with my recollection:
If you bought 100+ systems from HP, you should be able to talk with your sales rep about getting them configured properly.
Excellent info, I have been searching for info on this topic for quite a few hours now. 🙂
I was wondering if I could check my facts through..
SO, it should be possible to Grab a royalty Oem made PC (Gateway in this case), delete the install, and then buy a standard Windows XP Install CD (say from an online retailer), and then Install this on the gateway system… no problems, or Do i need to track that the original Gateway OEM Install CD..?
Because Im sitting on this reinstall at the moment, and forget about Online liscence autorization, I dont even get that far because the Product Key Just wont work. Ive tried the Gateway OEM Key with 2 different OEM Install CD’s, and then tried 3 different ‘Regular’ CD Keys just to check.. No go.
So, If I buy a fresh Windows copy, will it work on a royalty OEM Manufactered PC?
ty guys, good work 🙂
Guys –
I found what seems like a good explaination of WPA here. Have a read:
http://aumha.org/win5/a/wpa.htm
Regards –
JH
John,
That link is already in this article! See the reference to “Alex Nichol’s excellent WPA FAQ.”
Sadly, Alex is no longer with us.
Ed,
How do you tell if a product has an OEM vs Retail install? I ask b/c I seem to recal something about a yellow band of color somewhere means something.
I have some intergrated computers I am responsible for and when I call tech support, they sometimes ask which version of XP/2000 I am running, OEM or Retail. I got thrown into this and the last guy didn’t keep up with things very well…any help is appreciated!
Regards, TK
Tim, great question. I answered it in a separate post here.
Great info on this site. I have a question though. You mention that just walking into Best Buy and copying down some keys and trying to use them with any OEM disk won’t work because you’ll have to activate over the phone. Is it because WPA knows all the keys that are assigned to each hardware manufacturer? In other words, why couldn’t a key taken from an HP COA sticker on the side of a box be used on any other HP?
Second question. With tools like Magic Jelly Bean and such, what prevents someone from viewing the Royalty OEMs preinstalled keys (not the ones on the stickers on the sides of boxes) and then using that key on as many OEM installs as they want, since that key gets used thousands of times?
I build computers often (mostly for friends/family) and often have old, decommissioned systems that have perfectly working keys, and want to know about transfering those keys to new systems, to save some expense. Since the old key isn’t being used anymore, I would like to know what keys are transferable to what new machines.
Seems a good site this and as such I have a question that may or may not have been already answered. I bought my wife a HP Compaq 410c laptop today(secondhand) with the hp version? of xp pro on it but it won’t let me update to sp2 at all and now tells me that the sp1 might not work properly due to the sp2 failed install.
I have 2 spare original XP pro (non-HP) cd I bought last year so can I safely wipe the hard drive and install them instead and what might happen to the laptop if i do?
I am not computer scared just new to name brand laptops and their installed operating systems with their enhancement packs.
If this only helps one person, I’ll be happy. I came to this site just as many of you are doing, wondering how in the hell can I make use of this Product Key sticker on my Compaq computer I bought from Best Buy and this OEM disk I acquired through other means that did not come with a Product Key… (all legal means, of course). Just like all of you, my Product Key from the sticker didn’t work either. I even downloaded some software from the internet to display the Product Key and got a different Key from the one on the sticker. (Don’t get it, but it’s called ViewKeyXP.exe). That’s when I scratched my head and wondered what the hell was up with Best Buy. I Googled and this site was the second one listed. What finally solved my particular problem was actually solved by jumping from post to post on this site and ending up pn (http://www.edbott.com/weblog/?p=2) where I learned about Keyfinder from MagicJellyBean. I used this program, and got yet another product key! It’s my computer… I bought it… I want my damn Product Key without all this hassle… why Lord, why? IT WORKED!! So, it may not work for everyone as it seems there are a plethora of problems one could face when buying a computer from Best Buy, but just in case your situation is similar to mine, I hope this helps.
I regularily buy second hand PC’s that probably come from large corps. THey usually have COA’s attached but HDD is wiped. Can I legally install a matching O/S onto the PC or not?
The latest one is a DELL unit, which I have media for a Dell of similar variety.
If this is not legal how come when I buy a second hand car it comes with built in engine management system that is transferable from owner to owner?
to chris and other that shopped at Best Buy. I work retail and just wanted you guys to know that this isn’t something that they (best buy) are doing. Often times you will buy a computer with OEM copy of Windows installed and you either get a DVD that comes with it or a couple CD’s with OEM key and OS. Sometimes you don’t get ANY at all because there is a second partition on the HDD for recovery. This can cause issues as well if there is a total HDD failure you don’t have any recovery discs. This is nothing that Best Buy did wrong it is just the way the computer Manufacture released there product. I just don’t think people understand that it isn’t the store responsibility to give you a restore disc etc. Research before you spend all that money on your new OEM PC!
Ed Bott,
Your exerience in this matter is urgently required.
I have successfully installed xp on my mac using boot camp and the compaq xp windows SP2 operating system disc that came with my 1 year old compaq laptop. Is this what you refer to to as OEM? The disc reads, ‘Contains software and drivers already installed. For software installation and repair only.’
The 30 day registration is about to expire, how can I get around this? Do I need 25 digit code from back of laptop, will it work at registration with microsoft if already used on my pc laptop, can I download copy of XP prof SP2 from anywhere, do I need to register, do not want to have to buy a 400 dollar version of XP, I only use windows on my mac for AutoCAD and video calls on Skype.
P.S I have read all your sites mails on the OEM stuff but think your direct nswer to this would be clearer.
Regards
A
I recently bought a used computer(windows 98) because my old one died and I have a back-up copy of windows xp from my old computer, can I use the windows xp cd and install it on my windows 98 computer??
Pam, I’ve answered your question in a new post here.
Hi Ed, I have been trying to get some help on getting my office 2002 put into this new puter of mine. I copied all my files from my old computer, which had microsoft office installed (Excel, Access, and Word). I used to have the office disk, but my brother claimed it swearing it is his. Now, I have my new to me comp that has the programs from my disk, but I need the 25 digit code key.
I called microsoft and they basically told me to go buy a new office cd! That seems foolish to me since I own the version I am trying to put on my new to me comp.
Is there any other help you could offer or point me to a location for help?
Stephanie
Stephanie, if you don’t have the media, a certificate of authenticity, and the product key, you don’t have a legal copy of Office. Sorry, but all three of those elements are required.
Ihave an HP with recovery disks but want to reinstall Windows XP without all the extra crap they include. Is there any way around this? I just want a clean operating system without the trialware and bloat they put in. Can I use an OEM CD of Windows XP and the key on the computer sticker?
Based on some of the posts here, it should be mentioned that OEM licenses (and associated keys) are bound to the hardware they come with. While there may not be anything actually preventing you from doing so, it is NOT legal to transfer these licenses or use the keys for installation on another computer, even when total hardware failure occurs.
Keep in mind that you do not own the software. You own the right to use the software with specific limits and restrictions.
Hi Ed,
I purchased a Dell Inspirion 8200 Laptop second hand from an estate sale. No recovery cd’s, nothing. It runs great and has WinXP home edition installed. I’ve had it for over a year with no problems, but I wanted to upgrade some of the hardware. Now, am I going to have a problem with the Windows XP activation? Not sure if I should buy a new copy of Windows XP considering by system has all Dell stuff on it, but don’t want to upgrade hardware if it causes Windows to start having problems. Help?
Hi All
I Have Been Reading This Thread With Great Interest.
I Just Wanted To Leave My 2 Cents Here.
I Have Personally Rebuilt At Least 12 Different Computers In The Last 2 Months With Win XP, With Only 1 Requiring Activation. The Magic (At Least For Me) Is To Have An Original OEM XP CD I Have A Dell CD To Use On Dells
An HP CD To Use On HP AND Compaq. A Gateway CD To Use On Gateways. What Is Important Is To DELETE ALL Partitions When Prompted During The Install Process Create New Partition(s), Do A Full ( Not Quick) Format Of The HD
And Continue Installation. For The One That Needed Activation I Forgot To Delete The Partitions When Installing. I Used The Internet For The One With No Problems. And You Can Go Backwards ( I Used The HP Disk On A 5 Year Older 750MHz Compaq.
Now All I Need Is An IBM And Toshiba OEM Disk To Round Out My Collection.
True I Can’t Use The Disks For Any “White Box” Computers,
But The Above Name Brands Cover 100% Of The Units I Work On.
All The Disks I Have Are SP-1, And I Have Not Tried To Slipstream SP2 Into Them, I Just Install It Afterwards.
Great site. Answered a few of my questions.
Thanks.
I purchase and resell used systems, primarily Dell, which come with XP Pro COA’s. I use Ghost to image these systems with and image origianlly built on a Dell then change the XP Key to the one on the sticker. this has worked flawlessly. I have recently discovered however that MS is forcing the leasing companies to remove the COA’s from returned PC to prevent this. How is this possible? Should the COA not legally remain with the PC?
Wow so glad I found this site, However I am still stumped with what to do reguarding my problems. I have already and plan on purchasing more used dell computers from local wholesaler. What would be the most affordable way for me to install operating systems legally for the resale of the units. Everything I research just seems to send me into another loop. I have located Microsoft Media Windows XP Professional CD with Service Pack 2 for approx 30.00 US, but I have no idea what kind of product they are or what they are for. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I purchased second hand an HP/Compaq NX9010. Thought I’de be smart and reformat with my newly purchased XP. Well, It didnt accept my $100 plus dollar key. I was able to use the one on the back of the PC, but now its nagging me to activate it. What do I have to do to be able to use “my” key?
i am about to build a new PC, if i buy an OEM XP media centre edition with Vista upgrade coupon can i legitemately use this on a home PC i’ve built & upgrade to vista or are OEM versions only for computer companies who build & sell PCs?
I am a Mac Pro (Intel) Mac user who bought an OEM version of Windows XP Pro so that I might run “Bootcamp” and Parallels Virtualization. Initially I had no trouble (two or three installs under Parallels and one under bootcamp). Thereafter I was required to call Redmond (I guess) to get an activation – after assuring them that I was using the same computer a number was granted. Now, after about 10 installs total (Parallels blew the OS eachtime some beta-assocaiated glitch disabled it) I am told that my number is no longer valid. My bootcamp install has been stable but now I have no operational Parallels version – not even using the bootcamp “boot” which requires “authentication”. I plan to get an upgrade version of Vista but I fear that I shall still not be able to “upgrade” the Parallels versions. Apparently Uncle Bill considers Parallels virtual machines as separate computers – or somesuch. How can I contact Redmond and get this straightened out? At present I have not way to reinstall and probably not to upgrade either…
I have a Dell OEM key and an OEM XP Pro CD (not Dell). If i modify the PID on the CD to match the Dell OEM PID on the original installation, then this in theory might allow the OS to activate.
The new machine is not a Dell model. I am thinking that because the XP Pro OEM CD is not related to Dell, then any SLP files will not be present. If activation by this route is only connected to the Product Key and the PID, then this might be successful?
Bob’s,
There is no PID on the CD, so your strategy is doomed from the start. If you have a non-Dell PC, you need either an SLP CD from the manufacturer of that PC, or an OEM PID to go with your System Builder OEM CD. What you’re trying to do is not supported by your license agreement.
PID’s can be modified. It may be doomed, but i think i will test it anyway, but it’s better to experiment rather than just dismiss it outright.
Ah, I see. That’s an unusual use of the PID acronym, which normally refers to the unique key that you use to activate a retail or OEM copy and which is absolutely not stored on the CD. I’ll be interested in hearing how your experiment goes.
Just wanted to throw a thread in here, as I too am a “refurbisher” of old PCs and I usually have the original OEM CDs to use, which has never caused a problem. In some cases, I do in fact have to refresh a system that I do not have OEM CDs for, in which case if it is a known manufacturer (Dell, IBM, HP etc) you can have them SEND you a set (usually for a small fee if not in warranty, free if it is) of the original OEM CDs. This works flawless since they are always the correct CD for the equipment, and activation works fine as long as the COA is present (have not found one yet where it was missing). This might help the “newbie” that is unsure of how to proceed. Good luck all… on to Vista for me – just purchased an “OEM” version of Home Premium for my own system.
When you say “refresh a system” does that include replacing the motherboard? I have a dead emachine that I’m going to replace the psu and mobo on, and hope to be able to use again with the oem xp recovery cd. Consensus opinion says I won’t be able to do it. But some folks say otherwise. My understanding is that I’d have to make a phone call to Msoft to get xp reactivated; but I don’t think I’ll be able to get the phone number unless the re-install works. And my guess is that it won’t. So how is it that some people can replace the mobo and get the o/s reactivated? How do they get the OEM version to even re-install, nuch less re-activated?
please in simple english for a old fart,
What dose this mean I thought I was getting a ready computer please let me know what I have to do.This is what was sent along with it
WindowXP Professional Edition OPK (COA required when Activate)
Well, Roger, when you start your computer, if it was set up properly, you should be prompted to activate it. Assuming you’re connected to the Internet, activation should be simple and quick – less than a minute.
If you’re concerned, why don’t you call the person or company that sold you the computer?
okay, to ALL of the posters asking about using different types of XP discs to reinstall on a DELL system, or to use the DELL disc to re-install a non-DELL system’s XP, IT DOESN’T WORK THAT WAY.
DELL discs check for known DELL motherboard (or CPU occasionally) ID’s, BEFORE an install. and the DELL PID will only work with DELL re-install discs! i checked it out.
if you want to reinstall a DELL copy of WinXP onto your DELL system (provided you have a DELL Windows XP Product ID, from the case, or wherever), check your “C:\WINDOWS” directory for a folder called “I386”, and copy all files to a blank CD. then boot your DELL with the CD, and follow the prompts to re-install WinXP.
this applies to HP/COMPAQ systems, and some Gateway/eMachines, etc. systems as well. basically any system which comes with a “Recovery Disc” (almost).
for non-DELL (and other “Royalty” XP installs) PC’s, as long as you have a valid Product ID, you can re-install WinXP, BUT you MUST USE the install disc corresponding to your type of WinXP install.
for example:
it’s not enough just knowing that you have WinXP Professional Edition (though that helps), you must also know which TYPE you have (either: Retail, OEM, or Upgrade). if you are unsure, there’s always trial and error…
the point is, if you have the Product Key, you have the legal right to install/reinstall WinXP onto ONE system of your choice (that being the ONLY PC running using that Key). all you need to do now is find a CD image corresponding to your type of disc needed: Retail, OEM, or Upgrade.
also, there is NO KNOWN (to me anyways) WAY to install an SLP (read: DELL, etc.) WinXP (especially recovery disc) onto EVEN THE SAME PC, if the motherboard is replaced. you need to install using THAT MB that came with the system, then swap MB’s before Activation, but AFTER the initial WinXP Startup (where it asks you to activate, and you decline). keep in mind though, that this occasionally causes hardware malfunctions (due to incompatibility with processors/memory chips) and the occasional BSOD…
that’s all i can think of in one sitting.
anything else?
oh, and if you can’t even START your DELL, etc. WinXP PC (hence the need for re-install), you can still copy the I386 folder to a USB drive (or second hard drive, if you’re a “smart” PC backer-upper), using this free software:
http://www.ntfs.com/products.htm
it will only copy files to FAT32 formatted drives, and NOT NTFS disks (read: WinXP formatted file systems).
also, this only works if you haven’t got “copy-protected files” though, otherwise you need to run XP Recovery Module (which requires a working knowledge of DOS prompt commands).
you can also retrieve your XP 25-digit key, using BartPE, a (somewhat) simple to use DOS prog for system troubleshooting. details here:
http://www.experts-exchange.com/OS/Microsoft_Operating_Systems/Windows/XP/Q_21236913.html#a13012290
for more info, simply google:
xp keyfinder dos “bart’s pe”
good luck all 🙂
Good stuff Ed,
Question. My experience is that some OEM COA’s will only work with OEM OS disks issued by the OEM manufacturer. I’ve experienced this on Thinkpads , Toshibas and HPs.
How does one get a legal OEM copy from a manufacturer that works with the COA that you paid for? Please don’t suggest that I call customer service, in this case that is an oxymoron.