Disk Imaging XP and licensing issues

[Dennis]

At work, we have a Volume License with Microsoft. We have
purchased about 70 new PC's with an OEM Windows XP
installed on each computer. What I want to do is add all
our software specific applications on one computer, make
an image and deploy it to the other PC's to save time.
With a VL I can use the same CD Key for all the images and
still comply with the Microsoft licensing of XP. But if I
image an OEM licensed XP, can I deploy the image to other
computers and still stay legally licensed? From what I
read in a few other posts, OEM's use a generic CD Key, but
have a CD Key specific to each machine only used to
reinstall the OS. If that's true, then it shouldn't be an
issue to image the PC since the CD Key is generic anyway.
Also, the OEM software is pre-activated at Dell, but will
imaging the computer, cause the system to want to activate
XP? Is there software available that I can use to just
image our specific software load and copy it to the other
PC's without having to do a full image of OS and software?
Thanks.

 

[Patrick J. LoPresti]

You could use the OEM media and keys to perform unattended
installations. Type the keys into a spreadsheet once, index it by
(say) MAC address, and generate unattend.txt automatically with the
correct key just before launching the unattended install.

That is what I do, anyway.

- Pat
http://unattended.sourceforge.net/

 

[Diane McCorkle]

FYI,

Dell does not use individual PID's in their preinstalled systems, they also
do not require activation since it's an OEM based install off OEM BIOS
locked CD's, The COA on the side of the box does not show at any point in
the system unless you do a repair install, even a restore off the Dell CD
will not ask for a PID

If you look at a restored system, one that you just placed the XP restore CD
in, and run a Key viewer, it will show the same PID as a straight from the
factory Dell system, this is their Manufacturer ID that will only work with
their OEM Media install.

You can use that key in the .SIF file for the install provided you use the
Dell CD for the flat media on your RIS,

We do this to 'redeploy' our Dells in OEM base, with our software and
registry keys preinstalled.

HTH.

Diane

 

[Manda Luyong]

That's nice to know. Never have used Dell Restore CD at all. All I know is
that Dell affix the PID on the case just like what it is supposed to be.
Everytime I get a Dell PC, the first thing I do is wipe everything clean and
reinstall XP using our VLK. This totally eliminate the activation
nightmare.

 

[Dennis]

We still have an NT 4 domain and I believe that RIS only
works on a W2K domain with Active Directory installed. We
will most likely use a program called Imagecast to do the
image and also to deploy the image. But with XP, I wasn't
sure how the licensing worked because I just found an
article on Technet (KB#162001) that states that if you do
images by duplicating fully installed copies of Windows,
Microsoft no longer provides support for that system. It
also says that Microsoft supports operating systems imaged
using Sysprep, but XP isn't on the list (and it's dated
5/12/2003). Also, my understanding is that you can only
use the VL software if you buy the VL license. You can't
buy a retail version then load the VL software just to get
around the activation. Am I wrong?

 

[Manda Luyong]

Maybe this article will help:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/tr...rodtechnol/winxppro/deploy/depovg/depxpii.asp
Also, on your previous post, you said that you already have VL with
Microsoft. What kind of licensing did you purchase?