Ok so i got a laptop from a customer that had XP Pro on it. It had a really bad virus so it needs formatting. There was no sticker for the serial key for Pro but i got it off there before i formatted. Will that key not work if i use an XP Pro SP2 install disk and it was made for XP Pro pre SP2? It also has a home sticker on the bottom, but again, dose it matter on the service pack?
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Formatting with XP
- Thread starter Lugztaz
- Start date
And that they key is not a VLK key that the OEM used to install the OS. I'm guessing this isn't the case, since no sticker was on the laptop.
In terms of SP level, that doesn't have any effect on the key working or not. If it works with your disc pre-SP1, it will work for all SP levels of the same disc.
In terms of SP level, that doesn't have any effect on the key working or not. If it works with your disc pre-SP1, it will work for all SP levels of the same disc.
The SP has nothing to do with the key.
But I suspect it's a pirated copy of XP, unless the customer upgraded from a previous version of Windows (But where is that COA? The manufacturer always has the COA on the laptop). I'd call the customer and ask where their XP disc is. No point in formatting the drive, only to find out you have the wrong version of XP to use that key on.
But I suspect it's a pirated copy of XP, unless the customer upgraded from a previous version of Windows (But where is that COA? The manufacturer always has the COA on the laptop). I'd call the customer and ask where their XP disc is. No point in formatting the drive, only to find out you have the wrong version of XP to use that key on.
S1nF1xx said:The SP has nothing to do with the key.
But I suspect it's a pirated copy of XP, unless the customer upgraded from a previous version of Windows (But where is that COA? The manufacturer always has the COA on the laptop). I'd call the customer and ask where their XP disc is. No point in formatting the drive, only to find out you have the wrong version of XP to use that key on.
Well There is a sticker for home. But i guess they got it from their husbands company and so im guessing the disk is gone. What now?
Lugztaz said:Well There is a sticker for home. But i guess they got it from their husbands company and so im guessing the disk is gone. What now?
That depends. If the computer is a company computer, tell them to bring it to his IT department. If it's not a company computer, ask him how he got XP Pro on it. If it's legit, make him cough up the CD for it. Otherwise, I wouldn't touch it with a 10' pole.
At the shop we assume that a COA key is legit until its proven otherwise. If say, a customer wants to upgrade his machine....even to the point of trading in his machine for a custom build......his key is reused on the new machine, regardless if he has the disk or not as we have them all. I will know at the time of activation if the key is valid or not. Sometimes it has to be reactivated personally by phone to M$, but if it fails that then its buy-a-new-OS-or-we-don't-do-this. An OEM Pro disk won't work with say, an educational TPCRY key, and vise versa.
Toonage said:At the shop we assume that a COA key is legit until its proven otherwise. If say, a customer wants to upgrade his machine....even to the point of trading in his machine for a custom build......his key is reused on the new machine, regardless if he has the disk or not as we have them all. I will know at the time of activation if the key is valid or not. Sometimes it has to be reactivated personally by phone to M$, but if it fails that then its buy-a-new-OS-or-we-don't-do-this. An OEM Pro disk won't work with say, an educational TPCRY key, and vise versa.
Ya, I am having the guy b4 me call me and let me know what the Pro was. OEM, VLK or Retail and to repeat the key to me to see if it s the same. I will also get the disk