XP license Key

[Asad Mehmood]

Is it possible to check from a licesence key what version of windows you
installed. I have installed a License key and still have it. But using a
key checker it says that my key is an invalid key for XP Profesional and
XP professional VLK. IS there any way of finding what kind of Windows CD
i need to use with my CD Key

 

[Daave]

Is it possible to check from a licesence key what version of windows
you installed. I have installed a License key and still have it. But
using a key checker it says that my key is an invalid key for XP
Profesional and XP professional VLK. IS there any way of finding what
kind of Windows CD i need to use with my CD Key

What you need to check is the Product ID.

(From http://wiki.djlizard.net/Product_IDs

Microsoft uses various Product IDs to identify variants of the Windows
platform. A Windows product ID (currently, as of XP/2003/Vista) has the
following format: xxxxx-yyy-zzzzzzz-zzzzz


'xxxxx' -- the Microsoft Product Code
The xxxxx section is the Microsoft Product Code, which in this case
describes the platform, build, and version of Windows. Other product IDs
with the same format, such as those found in Microsoft Office (and many
other Microsoft products), serve the same purpose.


Microsoft Product Code list


55274 : XP Pro generic OEM
55276 : XP Pro (upgrade)
55276 : XP Home (?) ?
55277 : XP Home generic OEM
55285 : XP Pro ?
55661 : XP Pro (retail)
76475 : XP Home (upgrade) (?)
76477 : XP Home Royalty OEM ?
76481 : XP Pro Dell OEM
76487 : XP Media Center Edition 2005
76487 : XP Pro Royalty OEM ?
76487 : XP Pro volume license (with '640' channel ID)
76500 : XP MCE 2005 (which is XP Pro with no domain capability)
76588 : XP Pro x64 OEM
55372 : XP Home - German (OEM)
55375 : XP Pro - German (VLK)
55677 : XP Home - Dutch
55679 : XP Pro - Dutch
76392 : XP Pro - Danish
76396 : XP Pro (also Home?) - Dutch
76412 : XP Home - French (OEM)
76413 : XP Pro - French (OEM)
76440 : XP Pro - Norwegian (retail)
76460 : XP Home - Spanish (Royalty OEM) ?
76470 : XP Home - Traditional Chinese (Royalty OEM) ?


Notes:


? : DjLizard has an English version of XP Home upgrade that uses 55285,
and XP Professional Upgrade that uses 55276.
? : Royalty OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) means manufacturers
that are special to Microsoft's endearing heart. They get their own
private key and generated product keys that typically don't require
activation (or are different than the product key on the COA sticker
affixed to the computer). Certain big OEMs [Dell, Gateway, HP, Compaq,
and more] are Royalty OEMs, and the little guys (your local mom + pop
store) are obviously not. The mom + pop stores get 55277 for Home and
55285 for Pro. Typically, generic OEM discs (such as 55277 and 55274)
will work on these systems, but activation will often fail -- you will
have to call Microsoft's activation hotline and speak to a
representative in order to activate Windows. This usually only takes a
few minutes.


'yyy' -- the Channel ID
This section of the PID describes the channel (OEM, Volume License,
Retail, bundle/Not For Resale) a given XP CD/system has come from.


Channel ID list


000 : Other (includes some retail, upgrade and evaluation versions)
007 : FIXME : Retail
009 : Not for resale - bundle
011 : Upgrade (XP Home?)
OEM : OEM (This does not specify royalty or normal OEM)
270 : Volume License
296 : MSDN
308/347 : Microsoft Action Pack subscription
335 : Retail
640 through 652 : Volume License (usually generated via 270 CID in
setupp.ini)
699 : Volume Windows XP Tablet Edition
071 : FIXME : Unknown.


NOTE: According to DjLizard.net visitor Catalyst, newer discs now check
to see if the CD's volume label matches the type of CD you have. So if
you make a CD with the wrong volume label, then it still won't work. I
haven't been able to confirm this because most of my CDs have a custom
label and all of them work fine thus far. Visit TACKtech to see a list
of volume labels.

 

[Asad Mehmood]

OK Then:

My product is:

76487-OEM-xxxxxxx-xxxxx

So If I were to reinstall XP. What version of a CD would i need to create.

I'm sure this wasn't Media Center Edition.

The about windows reviels:

Microsoft (r) Windows
Version 5.1 (Build 2600.xpsp_sp2_gdr.070227-2254 : Service Pack 2)

I'm guessing I need XP Professional. Is there a specific one i need or
is any XP Pro CD compatible

 

[Gordon]

OK Then:

My product is:

76487-OEM-xxxxxxx-xxxxx

The clue is in OEM......

 

[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

That key has "OEM" in it.
That narrows it down to the hardware it was sold.
Or the OEM package you bought.

Is the key original and not a copy and do you have the original media?
If you only have the key and nothing more, it is possible you have an
invalid license.

 

[Asad Mehmood]

The Key I have is on a Microsoft Sticker of Authenticity on the rear of
my machine. It is also the same key used by my computer (I have checked
using ViewXP). The key is genuine it can passed WPA and WGA.

If I were to give the key to some program is there anyway which I could
create a media which can reinstall windows incase of an incident using
that key. I believe a normal Xp Professional CD would not work

 

[Bob I]

The correct way to do this is contact the PC vendor for the correct media.

 

[Gordon]

The Key I have is on a Microsoft Sticker of Authenticity on the rear of my
machine. It is also the same key used by my computer (I have checked using
ViewXP). The key is genuine it can passed WPA and WGA.

If I were to give the key to some program is there anyway which I could
create a media which can reinstall windows incase of an incident using
that key. I believe a normal Xp Professional CD would not work

You need to find someone that has a CD of the same type as your key - i.e.
OEM Pro or whatever you have, and make a copy of it. It's the licence key
you pay for, not the media... I did the exact same thing when my Acer
recovery CD failed to boot and they wanted £50 for a replacement....

 

[Gordon]

The correct way to do this is contact the PC vendor for the correct media.

Not necessarily - the OP just needs to find someone with the same type of OS
and make a copy of the CD - I did that when the recovery CD I got with my
Acer failed and they wanted £50 for a replacement....

 

[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

Then you need to contact the manufacturer.
Surely you know what operating system shipped with your computer.

Most computers that ship without media give at least 2 options:
1. A method to make your own media.
2. Information on ordering the media.

In both the above cases, a hidden partition can be used to restore the
computer to original configuration.
Check your manual and/or contact the computer manufacturer for
details.

"If I were to give the key to some program..."
No such program exists, AFAIK, that can make the correct media based
on the Product Key.

 

[Daave]

OK Then:

My product is:

76487-OEM-xxxxxxx-xxxxx

So If I were to reinstall XP. What version of a CD would i need to
create.

I'm sure this wasn't Media Center Edition.

The about windows reviels:

Microsoft (r) Windows
Version 5.1 (Build 2600.xpsp_sp2_gdr.070227-2254 : Service Pack 2)

I'm guessing I need XP Professional. Is there a specific one i need or
is any XP Pro CD compatible

What is the make and model of your PC? Did you buy it new or used?

If the list I gave you is accurate, then it must be one of the following
three:

76487 : XP Media Center Edition 2005
76487 : XP Pro Royalty OEM ?
76487 : XP Pro volume license (with '640' channel ID)

If you're sure it's not MCE, it must be Royalty OEM (like Dell) since
the channel ID is OEM rather than 640. Then again, there's a question
mark!

What means did Dell give you to reinstall the OS or at least restore
your PC to its original condition? If you have either a recovery CD or
recovery partition, you may be able to make your own installation CD. If
they gave you an installation disk, which you later lost, you can try
contacting them to see if they can give you a replacement for a
reasonable fee. Otherwise, you can borrow a generic OEM version of XP
Pro, which is fine since you have the license to use it and you know
your Product Key. This method should also work for the first two
scenarios.