win xp oem activation

tim_m

tim_m

i'm so nice
Joined
Feb 10, 2003
Messages
5,539
as you may or may not recall, i work at my college's computer help desk and fix people's computers. often this results in the need to format and reinstall their OS. many times i've reloaded an oem computer with no problems, just use an oem xp cd and the key from the sticker on the bottom of their computer. fine. but just yesterday and today for the first time ever for me, windows would not activate over the internet. i called the number for the phone and entered it into the voice recognition thing but it naturally didn't work and i ended up talking to someone in india and i explained this was a reinstall on a hp/dell, it was preinstalled when they got it but i had to reinstall. fine, she gives me the confirmation number and it goes in. but it again happened today on another computer (the first one was hp, this one was a dell). but today the system was down for maintainence or whatever so it took me all day before i could actually accomplish it.

has this happened to anyone before? as far as i know, since both were preinstalled from the manufacturer and they never reloaded it themselves it should have let me activate it.

and fyi, i figured out that you can press 1 instead of saying yes when it asks if you're activating xp, and if the activation wizard is up, also you can enter the key on the keypad, much faster than saying it and waiting for it to recognize your voice
 
This is normal as of a few weeks ago.

Microsoft killed online activation for loads of OEM COA Keys to stop piracy or some junk.
 
hmm, does that mean that all the xp keys on most of the lab pcs at my school (that have a win2k image on them and thus the xp keys will never be used) won't work? (they're all hp/compaq)
 
tim_m -

I am not sure if they will work, Ive had about 100 (give or take 25) that have activated online with no problem since the change went into effect on 2/28/05
I even did a few tests of my own :>

installed XP Home+XP Pro (OEM from HP/Compaq) onto a totally home built PC (activated fine)
-this was on 3/1

reinstalled the OS onto the same hardware on 3/8, re-activated online with no problem

re-reinstalled the OS onto the same harware on 3/14, again re-re-activated with no problem

From my reports and tests, it seems only certain COA's are effected, even though MS says all OEM are .

But according to MS,the OEM license is tied to the hardware it was installed on originally (the HP machines), so legally your not supposed to use those COA;s on anything but those machines :rolleyes:
 
i Have two OEM installations and have had to call the peeps over in India like 5 times already, it is getting irritating...

However, yesterday I did a reinstall and in regged over the net fine...
 
The theory is that the Key on the OEM COA sticker won't work for online activations anymore.

So far not all OEM COAs have been killed, but All the Keys issued to the top 20 OEMs (Dell, HP etc) have been, with the rest following later.

I think that the inconsistency in implementation comes from the way the keys are used by the OEM, for instance, I'm pretty sure that Dell doesn't activate each PC it sells with the Key that's on that machines COA, they'll probably be using an image that was activated using a single volume-license key, so the key on the box has never been used, and probably won't be because most users will use the generic pre-activated restore image if things go wrong (which is why pirates love them).

To be honest I don't know exactly how the licensing system for COAs works, so I don't know if there is only one model, or multiple licensing models which make blanket killing of COA keys impossible, which is why some still work and some don't.

In my last job I made and maintained the disk images for all our (HP) client machines, but they were all built from scratch using our volume license key, I never went near the COAs or HPs image.

I'd be inclined to harvest all the COA keys and go to Microsoft with them and try to swap them/do a deal for a volume license (just tell 'em you'll have to go *nix if they don't, they hate that).
 
whoaw whoaw whoaw

i have an OEM copy of WinXP. you guys saying if i decide to reformat now, no activation? thus i can only use windows for 30 days?
 
option141 said:
whoaw whoaw whoaw

i have an OEM copy of WinXP. you guys saying if i decide to reformat now, no activation? thus i can only use windows for 30 days?
Click to expand...

No, I think (for now anyway), it's just the keys that come on the label stuck to the side of yer Dell/HP/etc that are affected, I don't think generic unbranded OEM copies of windows are being treated the same way (yet. At least I hope so).
 
it's questionable for MS to do this with bulk keys, but i see the reason in it. it would be ludicrous to do it to normal oem licenses
 
The reason is :>
if you bought a Dell, HP, Compaq (possibly other brands) with XP on it, it comes with a restore CD, that restores the windows and all other applications back to the "shipped state"
The CD/reinstall disk, checks and confirms that the 'image' it has, belongs on that model/brand PC, and doesnt make you call in or internet activate.

If you take an OEM CD and install the OS onto the same machine, but inut the CDKeyon the side of the case, you will have to call in, Internet activation will not work.

What they are trying to stop, is folks buying a "Dell, HP, etc, etc" PC and keeping the COA and selling the PC with the restore disk, then selling the COA by itself
 
^^ it's funny actually. i was about to type it would be nice if anyone actually provided their restore cds but in my 2 cases they both did but it was the time of win xp sp1a. i used my slipstreamed sp2 cd because there was no way i was going to wait an extra 45 minutes for sp2
 
off topic:

before you reformat, locate wpa.dbl. make a copy of it. after your reformat, boot into safe mode and pop that file in the same folder (i think its system32).

now you wont' have to activate.

please note, i haven't tried this in a long time. i dont know if it works any longer.
 
i tried that on my last format actually. the way it's supposed to work iirc is that once you replace it you still have to go through the activation wizard but it doesn't actually contact microsoft, though i don't think i disconnected my lan cable to see if it actually didn't
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top