Reactivating XP after changing only the IP address?

[Guest]

We are applying a ghost image on several computers. After applying the image,
we activate XP Professional with the product key from each machine. XP
Professional activates and is happy. If I simply change the IP address of the
NIC and reboot, XP wants me to reactivate again? Why?

I saved the wpa.dbl file immediately after activating the first time and
tried copying it back in safe mode after I made the IP change, but that did
not make XP happy. It still wanted to reactivate.

I do not want to reactivate a long line of PC's every time I make a change
as simple as changing an IP addr of the NIC. How can I fix this?

Thanks

 

[BrianC]

Either get a Volume License (no activation period) or set static addresses
in Control Panel/network and internet/network connections/adapters
properties.

 

[kurttrail]

We are applying a ghost image on several computers. After applying
the image, we activate XP Professional with the product key from each
machine. XP Professional activates and is happy. If I simply change
the IP address of the NIC and reboot, XP wants me to reactivate
again? Why?

I saved the wpa.dbl file immediately after activating the first time
and tried copying it back in safe mode after I made the IP change,
but that did not make XP happy. It still wanted to reactivate.

I do not want to reactivate a long line of PC's every time I make a
change as simple as changing an IP addr of the NIC. How can I fix
this?

Thanks

Change the IP addy before using the PK and activating it? If you were
changing the mac addy I'd almost understand it, but PA shouldn't NOT be
trigger by an IP addy change. I'd say their is something screwy with
your image, but with PA who really knows. Sometimes it just is flakey.
If you reload images often, then you might want to consider getting a VL
license for your organization's computers, which have PA disabled, but
I'd try changing the order of what you do after reloading the image
first.

PA sucks, has no useful purpose, and only adds another thing that can
and will go wrong with an OS. Good Luck!

--
Peace!
Kurt
Self-anointed Moderator
microscum.pubic.windowsexp.gonorrhea
http://microscum.com/mscommunity
"Trustworthy Computing" is only another example of an Oxymoron!
"Produkt-Aktivierung macht frei"

 

[Mike Fields]

Say what ?? I change IP addresses all the time on my machine
when I am working on the network stuff and XP Pro (full retail)
never asks me to re-activate. I could understand if he was
changing the NIC, but not the address (and yes, I have switched
between DHCP as well as static IP's -- just doing that the other
day with a new router in the system). I know the NIC is part of
the activation thing, but not the IP address.

mikey

 

[Kerry Brown]

We are applying a ghost image on several computers. After applying the
image,
we activate XP Professional with the product key from each machine. XP
Professional activates and is happy. If I simply change the IP address of
the
NIC and reboot, XP wants me to reactivate again? Why?

I saved the wpa.dbl file immediately after activating the first time and
tried copying it back in safe mode after I made the IP change, but that
did
not make XP happy. It still wanted to reactivate.

I do not want to reactivate a long line of PC's every time I make a change
as simple as changing an IP addr of the NIC. How can I fix this?

Thanks

Did you run sysprep before imaging? It sounds like a problem with the image.

Kerry

 

[Steve N.]

We are applying a ghost image on several computers. After applying the image,
we activate XP Professional with the product key from each machine. XP
Professional activates and is happy. If I simply change the IP address of the
NIC and reboot, XP wants me to reactivate again? Why?

I saved the wpa.dbl file immediately after activating the first time and
tried copying it back in safe mode after I made the IP change, but that did
not make XP happy. It still wanted to reactivate.

I do not want to reactivate a long line of PC's every time I make a change
as simple as changing an IP addr of the NIC. How can I fix this?

Thanks

Are you sure you changed the IP address or the MAC address of the NIC?
If you change the MAC address then that could trigger re-activation,
since that counts for three out of ten "votes" for hardware changes that
can trigger re-activation. Like Kurt said, PA is a big PITA and is flakey.

Steve

 

[Guest]

I am just changing the IP addr, not the MAC addr. I ran Sysprep before making
the image, but froom the sounds of the previous discussion, there may be a
problem with the image.

Steve

 

[Steve N.]

I am just changing the IP addr, not the MAC addr. I ran Sysprep before making
the image, but froom the sounds of the previous discussion, there may be a
problem with the image.

Steve

Yes, that is certainly possible. I've seen cases recently where imaged
machines re-detect nearly all hardware at first bootup, too.

Steve