CD key not valid after slipstreaming sp3

[Wildprairie]

I am trying to upgrade a laptop with an oem mce 2004 system. I have an older
version xp pro upgrade disk and when I try it, I get a message that the
installed version is newer than the one I am trying to install. I
slipstreamed sp3 into the disk and now it is willing to make the upgrade, but
then says my cd key is not valid.

FYI concerns about piracy: The xppro disk was on a P3 that I salvaged for
parts. It will be on only 1 machine.

PS: When I start a clean install with the original disk it does accept the
key that came with it. I also tried all the keys in the pid.inf and the
unattend.txt files.

 

[Wildprairie]

After I posted my question, I installed an old version of xp home on a clean
hd and tried upgrading with my slipstreamed disk. It worked fine, so the
trouble must be with mce 2004 ???

 

[smlunatick]

I am trying to upgrade a laptop with an oem mce 2004 system.  I have anolder
version xp pro upgrade disk and when I try it, I get a message that the
installed version is newer than the one I am trying to install.  I
slipstreamed sp3 into the disk and now it is willing to make the upgrade,but
then says my cd key is not valid.

FYI concerns about piracy: The xppro disk was on a P3 that I salvaged for
parts.  It will be on only 1 machine.

PS: When I start a clean install with the original disk it does accept the
key that came with it.  I also tried all the keys in the pid.inf and the
unattend.txt files.

XP versions and CD keys are not interchangeable! Media Centre Edition
(MCE) keys require a MCE install media. XP Pro CD requires an XP Pro
key. You can not update the XP while using a different type of CD
key.

MCE XP version is a modified XP Pro version with a lot of network
setting removed and additional "media" applications added.

 

[Wildprairie]

Thanks smlunatick for responding. However, the first key I tried in many
attempts was the one that came with the xp pro disk. Sorry if I worded the
original question poorly.

 

[Daave]

After I posted my question, I installed an old version of xp home on a
clean
hd and tried upgrading with my slipstreamed disk. It worked fine, so
the
trouble must be with mce 2004 ???

Only XP Home may be upgraded to XP Pro. See "Windows XP supported
upgrade paths":

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/292607

 

[sgopus]

The key supplied was for the original cd and service pack level, since you
added the scv pk3 I would think the install key is no longer valid.
since you discovered this by installing clean and using the original cd,
problem solved.