Inadvertent upgrade OEM -> Retail

[Guest]

Okay, I'm an idiot.

A friend had a problem. Their machine had XP Home, an OEM version, and it
wouldn't boot. I fixed that, but there were other problems, so I decided to
do a repair from the setup disk. The owner had lost the original XP Home
disk. I borrowed one, and didn't even think to check if it was OEM or retail.
It was retail.

I started what I thought was the repair process. I was wrong. It was an
upgrade process. Got to the point of entering the CD Key, and entered the
number on the COA ticket -- got "CD Key is invalid" message, and couldn't go
any further.

Called MS Support. Tried to explain, but at that point I had not yet
realized I had inadvertently started an upgrade, not a repair. They verified
that my key was valid, and gave me a new one. (It didn't work either, of
course.)

I now have another borrowed XP Home OEM disk, but it doesn't find the
previous installation, probably because I never got past the CD Key entering
screen. I am afraid to go ahead with the OEM installation -- afraid I will
lose the owner's applications and data. And I'm afraid to finish the retail
upgrade.

If I finish the retail upgrade, can I go back and "upgrade" to OEM and use
the original OEM Key? Is there any way out of this mess?

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Okay, I'm an idiot.

A friend had a problem. Their machine had XP Home, an OEM version, and it
wouldn't boot. I fixed that, but there were other problems, so I decided to
do a repair from the setup disk. The owner had lost the original XP Home
disk. I borrowed one, and didn't even think to check if it was OEM or retail.
It was retail.

I started what I thought was the repair process. I was wrong. It was an
upgrade process. Got to the point of entering the CD Key, and entered the
number on the COA ticket -- got "CD Key is invalid" message, and couldn't go
any further.

Called MS Support. Tried to explain, but at that point I had not yet
realized I had inadvertently started an upgrade, not a repair. They verified
that my key was valid, and gave me a new one. (It didn't work either, of
course.)

I now have another borrowed XP Home OEM disk, but it doesn't find the
previous installation, probably because I never got past the CD Key entering
screen. I am afraid to go ahead with the OEM installation -- afraid I will
lose the owner's applications and data. And I'm afraid to finish the retail
upgrade.

If I finish the retail upgrade, can I go back and "upgrade" to OEM and use
the original OEM Key? Is there any way out of this mess?

The owner's applications are probably history. However, he
has to accept responsibility for this himself: In a robust installation
one always keeps the source media of all applications, regardless
whether they are CD-based or downloaded. He should treat his
machine as if he had to completely reload it next week.

With respect to the user's data, you would have to share the
responsibility. He does not appear to believe in regular backups
to an independent medium and you did not back up the user's
files before this major repair job. However, there are several safe
methodes to salvage his data. Here are two of them:

- Install his disk as a slave disk in some other WinXP/2000 PC,
then copy the data to some other disk.
- Boot the machine with a Bart PE boot CD, then copy the
data to an external disk in a USB case.

In both cases make sure to include the owner's EMail files and
perhaps his favourites.

Let the user know how little a 2.5" disk in a USB case costs
and how effective it is as a backup medium.

 

[Guest]

I already copied *everything* (Bart PE). The data will be okay if we can find
the application installation disks -- given that he lost the XP disk, not a
reasonable expectation. My question is about the operating system; more
precisely, about the setup process.

He had a perfectly legal OEM installation of XP Home. I accidentally began
an "upgrade" to retail. It was entirely my fault -- who cares -- is there
anyway short of starting from scratch to "go back" after an upgrade?

Specifically, if I proceed with the retail installation -- the upgrade --
can I "upgrade" back to OEM?

I'm starting to think of crazy things: suppose I go ahead with the retail,
then install the OEM on another machine, can I merge the retail Windows into
the OEM Windows -- copy only files that don't already exist in the OEM
Windows; then merge the application-specific entries into the OEM registry;
and then replace the retail Windows folder with the merged OEM folder, will
that give me an OEM version? One that will work enough to let me repair it
with the right version this time?

Why wouldn't that work?

 

[DandyDon]

Call the computer manufacturer tech support line, (or email them for free),
with model & serial # ; and explain what you did. Be honest. If anyone can
help you, they can. At the very least they can sell you another OEM disc
like your friend had and lost,
and you can try a restoration with it.

 

[Guest]

Not possible. This is not a Dell or HP -- it doesn't have models or serial
numbers. I have no idea who originally put it together.

I do have an OEM disk (borrowed). How would I attempt a restoration at this
point?

 

[Mistoffolees]

Not possible. This is not a Dell or HP -- it doesn't have models or serial
numbers. I have no idea who originally put it together.

I do have an OEM disk (borrowed). How would I attempt a restoration at this
point?

If I understand the situation presented in this thread, there
is really nothing to restore without the original installation
Windows XP cdrom or recovery disc(s) or complete backups. Might
as well proceed to the bitter end. And be nice and give the poor
bloke complete ownership and rights to the OEM disc and COA that
was used for the repair and "upgrade"...which should not have been
attempted in the first place without the proper materials.

 

[Guest]

He already has rights to the OEM disk and COA. Those are worthless if I
continue to the bitter end. It will not be an OEM machine anymore; it will be
retail. He doesn't have rights to that, and neither do I.

I don't know what good the original disks would do at this point anyway. I'm
stuck in the middle of an "upgrade" I never intended.

Look, I admit I screwed up. I should not have borrowed a retail disk. I
didn't look. The person who loaned it to me didn't know the difference
between OEM and retail. Neither did I, for that matter. (Why in the world
would anybody "upgrade" an OEM version to a retail version anyway?)

Nobody is trying to rip off Microsoft here. Nobody is trying to get anything
for free. This guy's machine wouldn't boot. I tried to help.

All I want to know is can I undo an upgrade? Will System Restore take me
back? I could just go ahead and find out, but I'm afraid the answer is no.
Before I do another irreversible thing, I'm asking if anybody in the world
knows?

 

[Guest]

I did some experimenting. New OEM install, changed the background, and
installed an app, set restore point, and "upgraded" to retail (still no idea
why anyone would do that on purpose). There's no going back -- restore point
is gone.

I then tried to upgrade to OEM. No, you can't do that. But you can do a new
installation. OK. Put in the OEM Key, and kept going. After the reboot, setup
proceeded, and when it was all said and done, I had an OEM version, with my
changed background and my app still installed. Ha!

So I saved the guy's applications and data. He has his original OEM license.
Everything is legal, and everyone is happy.