Windows licenses suck. Seriously.

E

Elledan

[H]ard|DCer of the Month - April 2010
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Just got back from a client who wanted to have XP Home reinstalled, but never received an original install disc (according to them). I used an XP Home SP2 disc I had lying around, yet when I entered the license key as it was printed on the sticker on the side of the case it was rejected.

I opted to use another license key I had with me, one which is in common use, if you catch my drift. This meant I also had to patch the system to disable WPA and WGA.

Apparently license keys are locked to specific patch levels of install discs or so. At any rate it seems like legal customers of Microsoft suddenly got less legal due to some boneheaded decision at MSFT HQ.

Anyone else gone through similar situations? What did you do about it?
 
I'll try what you tried; using a disk I have with their key. If that doesn't work, i tell them they need to get the original manufacturer to give them a disk, or buy the OS new.

Reason being; I don't like the risk I put myself in by doing what you did. I have worked on enough systems that I try to minimize my legal risks in any way I can.
 
With XP, I never had this issue.

was that key an OEM key? (iirc, XP/VISTA/7 OEM keys look the same as retail keys - unlike older NT keys with had "OEM" smack dab in them, and in the OEM disc's entry field, too)

I have not had this problem, on my Dell lappy, even while slipstreaming SP3 onto an image of the original Dell SP1 CD.

XOR != OR said:
I'll try what you tried; using a disk I have with their key. If that doesn't work, i tell them they need to get the original manufacturer to give them a disk, or buy the OS new.

Reason being; I don't like the risk I put myself in by doing what you did. I have worked on enough systems that I try to minimize my legal risks in any way I can.
Click to expand...

I dunno, but maybe the laws in Europe are different.
 
XOR != OR said:
I'll try what you tried; using a disk I have with their key. If that doesn't work, i tell them they need to get the original manufacturer to give them a disk, or buy the OS new.

Reason being; I don't like the risk I put myself in by doing what you did. I have worked on enough systems that I try to minimize my legal risks in any way I can.
Click to expand...

I agree, but in this case the system is from 2003, they never got a recovery disc or better with it and I doubt Packard Bell is going to just pass them a new install disc. Having them splurge 50+ Euro on a new OEM copy of XP Home when they have a valid license seems like a hard sell as well. It's not like they're rich or anything.

I feel it was the morally correct choice. Perhaps not the legal one, though :)
 
jeremyshaw said:
With XP, I never had this issue.

was that key an OEM key? (iirc, XP/VISTA/7 OEM keys look the same as retail keys - unlike older NT keys with had "OEM" smack dab in them, and in the OEM disc's entry field, too)

I have not had this problem, on my Dell lappy, even while slipstreaming SP3 onto an image of the original Dell SP1 CD.
Click to expand...

The license key sticker on the side of the case didn't have 'OEM' written on it, so I assumed it was a regular version. It's really hard to tell an OEM copy/key apart as you described, though.
 
Elledan said:
Just got back from a client who wanted to have XP Home reinstalled, but never received an original install disc (according to them). I used an XP Home SP2 disc I had lying around, yet when I entered the license key as it was printed on the sticker on the side of the case it was rejected.

I opted to use another license key I had with me, one which is in common use, if you catch my drift. This meant I also had to patch the system to disable WPA and WGA.

Apparently license keys are locked to specific patch levels of install discs or so. At any rate it seems like legal customers of Microsoft suddenly got less legal due to some boneheaded decision at MSFT HQ.

Anyone else gone through similar situations? What did you do about it?
Click to expand...
The sticker on the side is always an OEM sticker. Unless John Doe builds the system for you as a favor, the chances of you receiving a retail version of Windows on your purchased computer is virtually zero. Even if you had a friend build a computer, anyone who is capable of that knows to buy OEM so you get a much better price. That means you have to use an OEM disc to reinstall. I do it all the time and have never had it not work.
 
XP keys were never tied to SP level, or else no one would ever be able to slipstream the latest SP into their existing discs. Retail vs OEM is the issue, however. As mentioned, those keys on the stickr are always OEM, meaning you'll need an OEM disc. If you have clients you are supporting, you should have one of these handy. I would also be very weary (as in don't do it) using a patched version of XP for a client. Get the proper media, and you'll be able to use their legit key.
 
Elledan said:
I agree, but in this case the system is from 2003, they never got a recovery disc or better with it and I doubt Packard Bell is going to just pass them a new install disc. Having them splurge 50+ Euro on a new OEM copy of XP Home when they have a valid license seems like a hard sell as well. It's not like they're rich or anything.

I feel it was the morally correct choice. Perhaps not the legal one, though :)
Click to expand...

If that computer is from 2003, they might like Ubuntu on it since they won't be gaming. It actually might be faster for them since they won't need the virus/spyware scanning stuff.

Anyway, how damn expensive is it for these OEM's to just actually ship a Windows CD with their computers? What's a blank CD cost? 20 cents? No. They put that retarded restore partition on your hard drive. That way if you need to reinstall, you get all your crapware back too.

These are legal customers that have to wrestle with these problems. Hard drives can fail or get corrupted. And the quickest and least expensive solution is to install XP corperate edition with SP3 +WGA crack which can be found on any torrent site.

Then there are customers who just don't want crapware. I have wiped XP off my last two laptops and used a pirate XP version just so it truly is fresh and clean from the start. Illegal? Maybe. But technically I have 3 valid CD keys.
 
DeaconFrost said:
XP keys were never tied to SP level, or else no one would ever be able to slipstream the latest SP into their existing discs. Retail vs OEM is the issue, however. As mentioned, those keys on the stickr are always OEM, meaning you'll need an OEM disc. If you have clients you are supporting, you should have one of these handy. I would also be very weary (as in don't do it) using a patched version of XP for a client. Get the proper media, and you'll be able to use their legit key.
Click to expand...

Not directly tied to SP level, but they were tied to some revisions of the install disk.

Trust me, they were. I had all OEM copies and you had to match the disk up sometimes. It was to help combat piracy (ironic isn't it).

In any event, I would NEVER have a customer with an illegal version of the OS. Either they buy a new one if there is no other option, or usually I have decent luck using keys as I have quite a collection of install disks.
 
Every oem computer i have worked on with the restore partition has a utility to make a restore disk......And most oem's have it so even if you boot into the restore partition(f11as you boot on most) you can do a full factory restore or back up and restore.

Point is Burn the restore disk.But unless the drive has failed ,the restore feature is faster and the drivers and applications are all included in the factory image.
 
if it's an OEM key, which it most likely is if it's a Dell, Gateway, etc.. than you will need a OEM XP Home disk and it will take the key / activate no problem.
 
I3roknI3ottle said:
if it's an OEM key, which it most likely is if it's a Dell, Gateway, etc.. than you will need a OEM XP Home disk and it will take the key / activate no problem.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I thought this disc I got was an OEM version, but other than someone telling you it's not like you have any way to verify it before trying the keys. AFAIK :)

Anyway, this client needed their PC working ASAP because the woman is looking for a new job and email/internet is essential for her right now. Can't wait for next week to buy a copy of XP Home, assuming it still can be bought anywhere in this city which is something I'm not sure of either.

I may have done it technically in a less legal fashion, but the client is happy, Windows works, they can get updates and will (should) notice no changes compared to their previous '100% legal' install.
 
Elledan said:
Yeah, I thought this disc I got was an OEM version, but other than someone telling you it's not like you have any way to verify it before trying the keys. AFAIK :)

Anyway, this client needed their PC working ASAP because the woman is looking for a new job and email/internet is essential for her right now. Can't wait for next week to buy a copy of XP Home, assuming it still can be bought anywhere in this city which is something I'm not sure of either.

I may have done it technically in a less legal fashion, but the client is happy, Windows works, they can get updates and will (should) notice no changes compared to their previous '100% legal' install.
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Ever get computer service here in Taiwan?

uuugh...
they will pump a pirated version on you, as the tales go.:p
 
I've run into that, XP home SP2 CD rejects the key on the sticker, XP home CD with no SP accepts the key. :confused: I keep copies of install CDs/DVDs with no SPs just for working on friends and families PCs. They never have the disks, never got them or have since lost them. :(
 
Hmm I haven't had this issue before. I've used a Windows XP Pro w/ SP3 disk from Dell in an OEM box of another manufacturer, and used the license key on the side of their case. Even if it was a circa SP1 box.
 
So you put a copy of windows on a customer's computer that isn't fully functional and could be a malware/backdoor pit because you weren't properly prepared to service it?

Windows licensing with XP was always a bit funky with the keys specific to an OEM version. As others have said if you do this on a regular basis you should have a set of various media ready.

I hope you let the customer know you gave her a pre-hacked system.
 
This is why CDs with SP3 are great - you can skip entering the key, and when you get to Windows it will accept your key no matter what, if it's for the right version. I've had the SP3 CD deny my key before during the install but accept it in Windows.
 
darkpaw said:
So you put a copy of windows on a customer's computer that isn't fully functional and could be a malware/backdoor pit because you weren't properly prepared to service it?

Windows licensing with XP was always a bit funky with the keys specific to an OEM version. As others have said if you do this on a regular basis you should have a set of various media ready.

I hope you let the customer know you gave her a pre-hacked system.
Click to expand...

I installed it with the client's permission. They are fully aware of what is going on. It also isn't a less functional version and I made sure it's a proper (not hacked) ISO I got.

Anyway, this was the first time in years I had to do a Windows reinstall for a client and I probably could have prepared better. That's one of the reasons why I started this thread.

The SP3 thing sounds interesting. Anyone can confirm it?
 
repoman0 said:
This is why CDs with SP3 are great - you can skip entering the key, and when you get to Windows it will accept your key no matter what, if it's for the right version.
Click to expand...
It is a nice process, just the same as VIsta and W7. Everyone should be using SP3 discs and only SP3 discs, because it is the latest SP and saves time when it is installed.
 
*makes a note to get SP3 XP CDs from now on*

:D
 
Someone else will have to confirm, but I thought you could add this functionality simply by slipstreaming an existing disc to SP3. Within a few minutes, you could test this with Autostreamer and a VM.
 
I don't know about the slipstreaming part but yes as of sp3 you don't have to enter a product code during the install of XP. You will end up in a trial mode until you enter a key.
 
Yeah... I definitely ran into this problem with XP Pro. No idea what the deal was.... luckily I was well-prepared enough to not have to worry about it.

I actually did a XP Pro install a few weeks back, much to my surprise. The key with the CD would not work for activation, so I found it easier to bypass activation than to actually activate it. The reason I did that is because it's for my home computer running W7 Ultimate, I just wanted XP Pro to run in a VM for 3 programs.
 
You should never accept payment for installing illegal software. Regardless of whether you she has a key or not, it's illegal. And since you accepted payment for it, when the next person works on her computer, they're going to tell her that she was running a bootleg version of the OS and she'll come back at you, and rightly so.

In the future, grab yourself a VM to test things on. Get an ISO for all the versions of XP you can and then boot the VM with the ISO and try the key... you'll find one that works.

If you need to convert retail from an OEM version (or vice versa) then you can do that by changing a couple of letters in a file. Here is a link to show you how to convert between OEM and Retail.

If you're not prepared, you shouldn't accept the job. I'm not trying to flame, but people live by their comptuers these days. If they loose data or something stops working and they find out they've got a bootleg version they are going to come back after you. They're not going to remember you told them (even if they understood the implications of installing pirated software) when Microsoft is telling them they need to get legit and fork over $150 is they want to use their comptuer again...
 
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