Product Key discrepancy

[Mike Easter]

I purchased a Compaq Presario SR2027X from HP/Compaq with Win XP Media
Center 2005 preinstalled. It has an official Proof of License Certificate
of Authenticity sticker on the side of the case with a Product Key code.

There is also a productid key in the registry hkey_local_machine which is
accessible by a number of tools including regedit. The stamp on the side
and the regkey are not the same.

I am a complete newbie to the nuances of such as WPA and MS license
enforcement practices, as this is my first XP OEM license to deal with its
complexities and user disadvantages. What is the significance of a
discrepancy (somewhere) in my productid code in the performance of such as
WPA or updates or whatever?

There has been no process of product registration or windows product
activation taken on my part. I've been accessing the operating system for
many months and the system hasn't demanded any product activation of me.
I assumed that HP had done whatever it is they do with OEM licenses and XP
installation.

I am aware of this MS page
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/fastFaqLiteDocument?lc=en&cc=us&product
=18703&dlc=en&docname=bph06642 or http://snipr.com/2bwpk HP and Compaq
Desktop PCs - Microsoft Windows Product Activation

 

[JS]

HP uses there own OEM key code when they install XP,
which will not match the sticker on your PC.

You would use the key code on the sticker only if you need to reinstall XP.

JS

 

[Shenan Stanley]

I purchased a Compaq Presario SR2027X from HP/Compaq with Win XP
Media Center 2005 preinstalled. It has an official Proof of
License Certificate of Authenticity sticker on the side of the case
with a Product Key code.

There is also a productid key in the registry hkey_local_machine
which is accessible by a number of tools including regedit. The
stamp on the side and the regkey are not the same.

I am a complete newbie to the nuances of such as WPA and MS license
enforcement practices, as this is my first XP OEM license to deal
with its complexities and user disadvantages. What is the
significance of a discrepancy (somewhere) in my productid code in
the performance of such as WPA or updates or whatever?

There has been no process of product registration or windows product
activation taken on my part. I've been accessing the operating
system for many months and the system hasn't demanded any product
activation of me. I assumed that HP had done whatever it is they do
with OEM licenses and XP installation.

I am aware of this MS page
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/fastFaqLiteDocument?lc=en&cc=us&product
=18703&dlc=en&docname=bph06642 or http://snipr.com/2bwpk HP and
Compaq Desktop PCs - Microsoft Windows Product Activation

I'm putting together that you believe the product key being used on your
system is not the same as the product key likely on a sticker on your
computer case. The OEM likely installed a single product key on all of the
systems for speed of distribution (and ease, etc.)

The product key is not in a legible for with *just* regedit... Belarc
Advisor will show you the key used.

You can change your product key to the one on the computer case if you
desire with a tool from Microsoft (or elsewhere - but since there is one
available from the people who made the OS - why go elsewhere?) You probably
will gain/lose nothing in doing so - but if everything is working - what is
your concern?

 

[Mike Easter]

Mike Easter wrote:

I used the SIW tool to get the registry productid.

I'm putting together that you believe the product key being used on your
system is not the same as the product key likely on a sticker on your
computer case. The OEM likely installed a single product key on all of
the systems for speed of distribution (and ease, etc.)
Yes.

The product key is not in a legible for with *just* regedit... Belarc
Advisor will show you the key used.

.... and others including jellybeans keyfinder etal.

You can change your product key to the one on the computer case if you
desire with a tool from Microsoft (or elsewhere - but since there is one
available from the people who made the OS - why go elsewhere?) You
probably will gain/lose nothing in doing so - but if everything is
working - what is your concern?

I may be passing this machine on to someone else who is less familiar than
I about product keys. I would like to be able to say "This is what your
product key is in case you need it."

The system came as SP2. It hasn't been upped to SP3. Is anything going
to arise about its identification in that process?

The only things which have been changed/added so far are ram replacement
and addition of a video card with reconfig in the bios to look at the card
instead of the integrated graphics.

 

[Shenan Stanley]

I used the SIW tool to get the registry productid.


... and others including jellybeans keyfinder etal.


I may be passing this machine on to someone else who is less
familiar than I about product keys. I would like to be able to say
"This is what your product key is in case you need it."

The system came as SP2. It hasn't been upped to SP3. Is anything
going to arise about its identification in that process?

The only things which have been changed/added so far are ram
replacement and addition of a video card with reconfig in the bios
to look at the card instead of the integrated graphics.

If the product key being different has not given you trouble - it is
unlikely to start now.

Also - you can just tell them that the sticker is their product key -
because it is. Given you are going to 'pass the machine on' as you
originally got it - with the recovery/installation media and all.

If you still want to change the product key to match the sticker...

If you know about all the product key finders - surely you have come across
this tool...?

The Genuine Advantage Product Key Update Tool is only valid for
users attempting to change their current non-genuine Product Key
to a genuine COA sticker or genuine Product Key - all without a
reinstall!
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=50346&clcid=0x409

( Example of usage:
http://www.mydigitallife.info/2007/...indows-product-key-update-tool-free-download/ )

 

[Big Al]

I purchased a Compaq Presario SR2027X from HP/Compaq with Win XP Media
Center 2005 preinstalled. It has an official Proof of License Certificate
of Authenticity sticker on the side of the case with a Product Key code.

There is also a productid key in the registry hkey_local_machine which is
accessible by a number of tools including regedit. The stamp on the side
and the regkey are not the same.

I am a complete newbie to the nuances of such as WPA and MS license
enforcement practices, as this is my first XP OEM license to deal with its
complexities and user disadvantages. What is the significance of a
discrepancy (somewhere) in my productid code in the performance of such as
WPA or updates or whatever?

There has been no process of product registration or windows product
activation taken on my part. I've been accessing the operating system for
many months and the system hasn't demanded any product activation of me.
I assumed that HP had done whatever it is they do with OEM licenses and XP
installation.

I am aware of this MS page
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/fastFaqLiteDocument?lc=en&cc=us&product
=18703&dlc=en&docname=bph06642 or http://snipr.com/2bwpk HP and Compaq
Desktop PCs - Microsoft Windows Product Activation

I have a Dell laptop with OEM MCE 2005. I've got a sticker just like
you that says one thing and the system says another. I've reloaded it
with the CD's Dell game me that are Windows XP MCE the OEM version with
their little tweaks, and it does not ask for a KEY. Its in the CD to
just put it there for me, and that key is not the one on the sticker.

My theory is, Dell gave them to me and I'm licensed and I don't worry.
It works and runs and nothing, not even SP3 fails to work. WGA runs
great too. Let 'em check me out all they want.

 

[Mike Easter]

I have a Dell laptop with OEM MCE 2005. I've got a sticker just like
you that says one thing and the system says another. I've reloaded it
with the CD's Dell game me that are Windows XP MCE the OEM version with
their little tweaks, and it does not ask for a KEY. Its in the CD to
just put it there for me, and that key is not the one on the sticker.

My theory is, Dell gave them to me and I'm licensed and I don't worry.
It works and runs and nothing, not even SP3 fails to work. WGA runs
great too. Let 'em check me out all they want.

The other part of my problem is that I don't really like the way the box
came from HP. In addition to the OEM XP Media Center which I feel that I
am licensed to use on that hardware 'as I please' in accordance with MS's
licensing, it is laden with all kinds/ tons/ of bloated semi-spy
(callhome) ware.

Rather than pick off the unwanted items one by one by one by one by one by
one, I would consider reinstalling 'my' XP MCE from scratch by building a
install disk as is being described in another current thread here and
using drivers for the various devices which I can access various places.

The 'restore' partition and the restore disks are designed to restore not
only 'the/hp' XP MCE but all the rest of the garbage that HP and its
cronies got together and decided to dump into the system first and /then/
make an image of it. That also means there is a significant amount of
useful software added for which there are no installation disks.

I would rather be able to get a fresh start. Maybe. I'm not sure whether
I want to do it backwards or forwards. There are a few features of the
Compaq XP branding that I don't mind - actually like.

 

[Big Al]

The other part of my problem is that I don't really like the way the box
came from HP. In addition to the OEM XP Media Center which I feel that I
am licensed to use on that hardware 'as I please' in accordance with MS's
licensing, it is laden with all kinds/ tons/ of bloated semi-spy
(callhome) ware.

Rather than pick off the unwanted items one by one by one by one by one by
one, I would consider reinstalling 'my' XP MCE from scratch by building a
install disk as is being described in another current thread here and
using drivers for the various devices which I can access various places.

The 'restore' partition and the restore disks are designed to restore not
only 'the/hp' XP MCE but all the rest of the garbage that HP and its
cronies got together and decided to dump into the system first and /then/
make an image of it. That also means there is a significant amount of
useful software added for which there are no installation disks.

I would rather be able to get a fresh start. Maybe. I'm not sure whether
I want to do it backwards or forwards. There are a few features of the
Compaq XP branding that I don't mind - actually like.

An option is to load a fresh load once, take the time to clean it and
get it all nice and tidy. Then Image it with something like Acronis
True Image or Norton Ghost. These seem to be the best 2 vote wise.
Once imaged, and I got mine down below 4.3 gig to put on a DVD, you can
reload it instead of the restore CD. ATI will make a boot CD for you
and then you use this DVD to restore from.

Acronis is great to have to do image backups or incremental file backups
anyway so you kill two birds with one stone.