COA number?

[Tony]

Have a question that may be easy to resolve.

Which part of the COA is the actual Certificate Of
Authenticity number located on? Is this the Product Key?
Is it the number below the barcode?

 

[Alex Nichol]

Have a question that may be easy to resolve.

Which part of the COA is the actual Certificate Of
Authenticity number located on? Is this the Product Key?
Is it the number below the barcode?

The part that matters to you, that you need for a reinstall, is the
Product Key - this is the 25 characters in five groups, like

BH67Y-VMB8G- etc

If you have a machine with XP preinstalled, this will be on the COA
label stuck to the back of the machine.

If you bought a retail boxed XP, they are separate - the COA is on the
box, the Key on a yellow label stuck to a card inside, marked 'Do Not
Lose this Number

 

[Tony]

Sorry for not being specific enough.

I actually need to know the COA NUMBER, not what the
Product Key, Not the PID, not the FCC, not the FDA, nor
the FBI, nor the CIA.

I have a claim form. On the claim form it asks
specifically for the COA number OR the Product key (it is
a legal form that is from MS).

I need to know what the COA looks like. I already know
what a Product key looks like (I tend to reinstall my
WinXP every 40-120 days rather than defrag, so I think I
can recognize the 25-character product key).

I just need to know what they are referring to when they
ask for my COA. Is the COA the product key? Is it a
different number? How do I identify the COA and how is it
different from the Product Key?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Alex Nichol]

I actually need to know the COA NUMBER, not what the
Product Key, Not the PID, not the FCC, not the FDA, nor
the FBI, nor the CIA.

I have a claim form. On the claim form it asks
specifically for the COA number OR the Product key (it is
a legal form that is from MS).

In that case I'd be inclined to offer the Key. On the COA of a retail
XP Pro box in front of me here are four possibilities. Top left is a
bar code, and under that
E85-01011
which is I think a series identifier
then a line formatted
PO 440000nnnn LINE 11
which sounds a stock reference
then a format
WO 00nnnn - 1203 - L5

so I doubt if they are after those. Then there is a second bar code,
lower right with a number in two groups of five digits plus what would
be a check digit - form is
nnnnn mmmm x
which I would think is the number needed

BTW a reinstall rather than defrag strikes me as a way overt the top
procedure. Reinstallation should *not* be seen as regular maintenance