BecauseScience
[H]ard|Gawd
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2005
- Messages
- 1,047
I have an old Dell Dimension 4100 server that I'm trying to get up and running again. It has a Windows 2000 Professional COA on the case. My problem is that I don't have the original Dell branded install disks.
My goal is to get Windows 2000 Pro installed using the serial from the machine's COA. I want a fully legal, license compliant, OS install. it must pass WGA and function for the long haul without licencing issues. i am not asking for (and will not do) anything that violates the original license terms.
I know that serial on the COA is good and that it hasn't been abused. This machine was bought by a business and has lived an uneventful life running billing software in the back room of a medical office. The machine was running Windows 2000 Pro (with SP's) until some time about 1.5 years ago when the disk died.
I have at my disposal a legal retail Windows 2000 Professional CD (no service packs). I tried to install with that but the setup refused the serial from the COA. This was without an internet connection and long before the OS was up and running.
Just to get this out of the way I do not want to use my retail license on this machine. This machine isn't going to be mine.
I did some research and found that there is a PID number that restricts the type of serial number that setup will accept. I made a copy of my retail disk with the PID and volume label changed to match that of an OEM Windows 2000 Professional CD. I installed with it but setup didn't accept the serial from the COA.
I couldn't find PID's and volume labels for Dell Royalty copies of Windows 2000 Professional so I could not try that.
I thought I'd go to Dell and see what they wanted for a set of restore disks. I entered both the "service tag" and "express service code" and neither was recognized. Could it be that this machine is too old? It's a PIII class machine but it was bought through the business channel. I would think that Dell should still have record of it.
The Dell's parts website has an automated system where some activex stuff identifies your machine and tells you what parts you can buy. I installed my retail copy of Windows 2000 on the machine with my retail key just so that I could run the Dell parts tool. That failed too. I wiped Windows from the machine. As I said I'm not going to give away my Windows 2000 license.
I have one last idea but I have my doubts about it producing a 100% kosher install. I could install from my Retail Windows 2000 Professional CD and use my own valid serial. Then before I connect the machine to the internet I could use a key changing program to switch the key to the one on the machine's COA. Somehow, I think that this would run into problems. I have read that WGA checks for certain files that are present on Dell licensed media and their resulting OS installs. Also, I don't want to put my own retail license at jeopardy just to get this machine running.
Does anyone have any suggestions for getting this done with a minimum of fuss? I've already put more time into this than the machine deserves. These things go for $50 on ebay.
My goal is to get Windows 2000 Pro installed using the serial from the machine's COA. I want a fully legal, license compliant, OS install. it must pass WGA and function for the long haul without licencing issues. i am not asking for (and will not do) anything that violates the original license terms.
I know that serial on the COA is good and that it hasn't been abused. This machine was bought by a business and has lived an uneventful life running billing software in the back room of a medical office. The machine was running Windows 2000 Pro (with SP's) until some time about 1.5 years ago when the disk died.
I have at my disposal a legal retail Windows 2000 Professional CD (no service packs). I tried to install with that but the setup refused the serial from the COA. This was without an internet connection and long before the OS was up and running.
Just to get this out of the way I do not want to use my retail license on this machine. This machine isn't going to be mine.
I did some research and found that there is a PID number that restricts the type of serial number that setup will accept. I made a copy of my retail disk with the PID and volume label changed to match that of an OEM Windows 2000 Professional CD. I installed with it but setup didn't accept the serial from the COA.
I couldn't find PID's and volume labels for Dell Royalty copies of Windows 2000 Professional so I could not try that.
I thought I'd go to Dell and see what they wanted for a set of restore disks. I entered both the "service tag" and "express service code" and neither was recognized. Could it be that this machine is too old? It's a PIII class machine but it was bought through the business channel. I would think that Dell should still have record of it.
The Dell's parts website has an automated system where some activex stuff identifies your machine and tells you what parts you can buy. I installed my retail copy of Windows 2000 on the machine with my retail key just so that I could run the Dell parts tool. That failed too. I wiped Windows from the machine. As I said I'm not going to give away my Windows 2000 license.
I have one last idea but I have my doubts about it producing a 100% kosher install. I could install from my Retail Windows 2000 Professional CD and use my own valid serial. Then before I connect the machine to the internet I could use a key changing program to switch the key to the one on the machine's COA. Somehow, I think that this would run into problems. I have read that WGA checks for certain files that are present on Dell licensed media and their resulting OS installs. Also, I don't want to put my own retail license at jeopardy just to get this machine running.
Does anyone have any suggestions for getting this done with a minimum of fuss? I've already put more time into this than the machine deserves. These things go for $50 on ebay.