Deploy 50 Windows XP units - Help!

[bill artemik]

(I originally posted this last week but it doesn't seem to show up here for
some reason.)

We are upgrading 50 workstations from XP Home to XP Pro using our OEM
Windows XP Pro with SP2. We have 50 CAL's for this.

In our first test of this we installed XP Pro, and other apps used in the
office. We then ran SysPrep and resealed the box (removing the SID). We
imaged the box with Acronis True Image Workstation 9.x. We then imaged our
test system and restarted (which was a breeze with Acronis.) However, when
we went to active the system, the auto-activation failed and we had to call
Microsoft (and wait 18 minutes) to get a valid code.

What can we do so this does not happen again? We had to enter the correct
key when the system started (we checked off the Mini-Setup option) so the
key is new and unused.

With 49 more boxes to go we don't want to have to make 49 calls to Microsoft
to activate what is legitimate copies of Windows XP Pro.

Any ideas are welcomed...this is delaying our deployment of the OS.

Bill

 

[Guest]

I've met this numerous times with OEM computers, even on brand-new ones that
have to be reinstalled straight-out-the-box because of preloaded junk. On
some HP models the key won't even work for INSTALL, let alone activation.

Unfortunately what you're experiencing is the result of Microsoft's attempts
to stamp-out the alleged piracy of numbers on OEM stickers. Whether or not
it's justified, it's costing a lot of honest people a great deal of money.

BTW, you aren't really supposed to apply OEM licenses to used computers, but
that is a comparatively trivial point; I think any judge would say that you
have licences so you are legally entitled to use the software.

However, IMHO what Microsoft are doing now is sailing very close to the wind
as far as legality is concerned; they are in-effect selling a product (a
licence key) in the full knowledge that it is a nonfunctional product, and
will not work. I know very little of Stateside consumer-law but I do know
that if you're going to contemplate doing that sort of thing in the UK, then
you'd better have a very, very expensive lawyer. (Which I'm sure Microsoft
have, and is maybe why they're continuing to do this...) That doesn't make
it right, though.

 

[bill artemik]

Ian,

Thanks for the reply. We are a system builder, too (hence why we have the
OEM copies of XP Pro.) Our client asked for the Pro version.

As an OEM builder, we need to install XP from a master image going forward.
We don't want to send out a computer (0r batch of them) to clients where we
have to call Microsoft for activation. There's absolutely NO REASON that XP
should not activate automatically (I mean, how does DELL do it? They don't
use corporate licenses and I've never had to call Microsoft to activate a
Dell box!)

I'm sure I'm missing something when it comes to the config (is this a
SysPrep setting??)

Bill

 

[Guest]

Bill,

I had the same issue with about a 120 desktops from Dell. Here are my
findings:

To avoid activation with microsoft you have to ensure that
- the chipset and hardware are the same on all machines
- the machine that you sysprep to make the master image has to have an
activated copy of XP on it. To be more specific, you have to contact
Microsoft to get the "The product is activated message" If this does not
occur, I found that you will always have to activate when you go through the
minisetup. If you were to sysprep the machine that you activated with
microsoft (assuming it is still a clean image) it would satisfy this
requirement.

Good Luck