XP Serial Number Issue.

[Neil Parsons]

Hi,

I have a Advent Laptop which has Windows XP Home installed
on it and I also have a Genuine copy of Windows XP Home
(which I brought from PC World).

Now i'm messed up the laptop (stopped a system restore
halfway through) and need to install windows XP home back
onto the laptop. It has a genuine Product Key on the
bottom, yet when I use the disk I brought from PC World is
saying my Serial number is invalid.....

Can anyone explain why A genuine Copy of windows XP would
say a Genuine Product licience key would be invalid????

I also no longer know where the restore cd's are for the
laptop.

Can anyone help?

 

[Andre Da Costa]

Because the Serial Number at the bottom of the laptop is a OEM (Original
Equipment Manufacturer), version of Windows XP, cannot be used with a retail
copy of Windows XP regardless if both are Home Edition, the binaries that
make up which type of product keys both are installed are different.

Obtain the original product key from the place of purchase for retail copy.

Andre

 

[Alex Nichol]

I have a Advent Laptop which has Windows XP Home installed
on it and I also have a Genuine copy of Windows XP Home
(which I brought from PC World).

Now i'm messed up the laptop (stopped a system restore
halfway through) and need to install windows XP home back
onto the laptop. It has a genuine Product Key on the
bottom, yet when I use the disk I brought from PC World is
saying my Serial number is invalid.....

Can anyone explain why A genuine Copy of windows XP would
say a Genuine Product licience key would be invalid????

I also no longer know where the restore cd's are for the
laptop.

The key on the bottom is one of a series that only works with the 'OEM'
restore CDs. To install a retail CD such as I gather you bought you
must use the key that came with that. On a yellow sticker on the back
of the folder the CD came in, marked 'Do Not Lose this Number'

And it means it! Do NOT lose the number

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Hi,

I have a Advent Laptop which has Windows XP Home installed
on it and I also have a Genuine copy of Windows XP Home
(which I brought from PC World).

Now i'm messed up the laptop (stopped a system restore
halfway through) and need to install windows XP home back
onto the laptop. It has a genuine Product Key on the
bottom, yet when I use the disk I brought from PC World is
saying my Serial number is invalid.....

Can anyone explain why A genuine Copy of windows XP would
say a Genuine Product licience key would be invalid????

I also no longer know where the restore cd's are for the
laptop.

Can anyone help?

Product Keys are bound to the specific type and language of
CD/license (OEM, Volume, retail, full, or Upgrade) with which they are
purchased. For example, a WinXP Home OEM Product Key won't work for
any retail version of WinXP Home, or for any version of WinXP Pro, and
vice versa. An upgrade's Product Key cannot be used with a full
version CD, and vice versa. An OEM Product Key will not work to
install a retail product. An Italian Product Key will not work with
an English CD.

Bottom line: Product Keys and CDs cannot be mixed & matched. You
have to have the specific type of installation CD for which that
license and Product Key was designed.

Contact the laptop's manufacturer to see about obtaining a
replacement CD.
--

Bruce Chambers

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[Guest]

This is kind of similar to a problem I have at the moment. I have bought,
second hand, a Dell professional PC, with windows XP Pro....came with all the
CD's, including the Dell XP cd. However, now I come to format my hard drive
and reinstall everything, I find the product key sticker is missing off the
PC. It is not OEM as the serial number under system properties does not
contain 'OEM', so was presumably bought under a group license or whatever its
called.
Now I cannot get hold of the guy I bought it off (strange that!) and Dell
have no record of product keys.
My only option as far as i can see is to pay for microsoft support and take
a chance on them being able to provide me with a key.
Can they do this? anyone have any other ideas?
Cheers

 

[Richard Urban]

Microsoft can not supply you with a key. If the O/S that was installed was a
volume license edition you need the volume license number from the
corporation that previously owned the computer. If you can't obtain that you
will have to purchase a retail or O.E.M. copy of Windows XP.

--
Regards,

Richard Urban

aka Crusty (-: Old B@stard

If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

 

[frodo]

it sounds as if you have not wiped the machine yet; if so use this to
retrieve your current key, then wipe and reinstall (assumes the cd you
have is the one used to do the install in the first place!).

http://www.magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder.shtml

 

[Bergo]

If you have a Dell PC with a genuine Dell supplied XP disc then XP should
re-install without you needing to activate as the Dell disc will recognise a
Dell bios and bypass activation. If the disc you have is not a Dell
supplied disc you will almost certainly have to activate and for this you
will need a valid retail XP disc with a matching unused key.

In all probability if you use a third party XP keyfinder on a corporate pc
all you will get is the manufacturers bulk OEM key which will be no help if
you need to activate.