Ghosting OEM XP....licensing?

[Guest]

I've got five XP OEM systems to install. I've already setup one, including all necessary application software, and activated windows. I then cloned the first machine's HD to the other four. However, I now realize that all five have identical licenses, since the original was activated with it's own CD key. How can I re-install the other CD Keys on the other four machines *without* having to reinstall my apps? Windows reports that all five are "activated", but *I* know they are all using the same license right now.

BTW, MS knowledgbase articles on volume licenses do not apply--I tried this workaround already and it does not work.

 

[Guest]

Hi, First I am not sure if your useing XP-Home or XP-PRO. IF your useing PRO then the utility you want is sysprep.exe
I do not know if this will work for Home. What this does is wipes all the user settings from the load, and forces the user to reenter all this info, user name key reactivate etc... This is what you need, it will prep the image for deployment. I hope it works with HOME. (I think it will) IF not, there is a way to change the XP KEY after installation useing the MSOOBE.exe utility that sets it up in the first place. NOW THIS IS IMPORTANT, DO NOT ACTIVATE WINDOWS UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. NOT UNTIL THE SYSTEM IS IN PLACE FOR THE FINAL END USER TO DO THIS THEM SELVES!!!!!!
I REPEAT, THIS IS AN END USER OPERATION!!!!! NEVER NEVER NEVER ACTIVATE WINDOWS FOR YOUR CUSTOMERS.
There is a 30 day grace period for a tech to prep the system and deliver to the end user. Then the end user can activate.
Now that being said. IF you cant get around it in any other way, you can reactivate and reenter the KEY like this.

Change Product Key without Reinstall:

1. Run regedit and go to:
HKey_Local_Machine.Software.Microsoft.WindowsNT.Current Version.WPAEvents,
on the right double click on "oobetimer" and change at
least one digit of this value to deactivate windows.

2. Choose run from start menu and type in this command:
c:\windows\system32\oobe\msoobe.exe /a to get the activation
screen and go to the second option which is activate by phone.

3. In the new screen choose the option to change product key,
and type in the new product key.

4. Close that window, reboot your system.

The system should now be ready to deploy to the end user.

 

[Guest]

This is XP Professional. It isn't for customers--merely a complete installation of XP *and* our applications, which can't be installed until *after* XP has completed installations--since you must install a key first, this key is "sent" with the clones.

Unfortunately, the method you suggest (the registry change to "fool" xp into believing it hasn't been activated) does not seem to work on SP1. THis method is well documented on the net, and I've tried it many times to no avail. The Activation wizard *always* thinks that windows has already been activated, to you never get to the "phone tech support" option. It thinks you've already finished, no matter the registry changes you make first.

 

[Guest]

RE:merely a complete installation of XP *and* our applications, which can't be installed until *after* XP has completed installations--since you must install a key first, this key is "sent" with the clones.
I understand the problem Sam, and sysprep.exe IS DEFINETLY THE TOOL. As it REMOVES the key code, and calls on a 'mini setup wizard' that runs on the next boot, to ask for the key code.

So to put this in point form:

a) install windows, use a key code from one of the packages, get it loaded. BUT DO NOT ACTIVATE.
b) Install all drivers and apps, whatever they may be antivirus office whatever.
c) Extract sysprep.exe from the deploy.cab file in the support\tools folder on the xp pro cdrom.
e) run sysprep.exe
f) Shut down the system and reboot from a dos disk.
g) ghost the system to your media (removable HDD CDRW whatever)
H) Deploy the KEYLESS NON ACTIVATED IMAGE TO THE REMAINING SYSTEMS.
i) boot the new systems that will now ask for a key and after completeing installation will ask for activation.
Thats all folks. I have done this only a few hundred times so I think it might work

RE: The msoobe.exe reactivate fix, I did not know it only worked on pre:sp1 systems, thanks for that info, but that is understandable since I
have not used it in ages, since I discovered sysprep.exe
As I said of cource in my first reply tho, if you got XP-PRO use sysprep.exe if XP-HOME try sysprep.exe and if it does NOT work then msoobe.exe

I dont know if sysprep.exe will work after activation, but as I emphisised in my last post, activation is the absoulute last step.
The reason I am so adamant about that is you only have so many activations per KEY Code, MS will not activate you after it sees the Key has been activated a certain number of times, I dont know how many that is. So if you activated it prior to now, that is one (or more) activations you have lost.

 

[Lorne Smith]

RE:merely a complete installation of XP *and* our applications, which

can't be installed until *after* XP has completed installations--since you
must install a key first, this key is "sent" with the clones.

I understand the problem Sam, and sysprep.exe IS DEFINETLY THE TOOL. As

it REMOVES the key code, and calls on a 'mini setup wizard' that runs on the
next boot, to ask for the key code.

So to put this in point form:

a) install windows, use a key code from one of the packages, get it loaded. BUT DO NOT ACTIVATE.
b) Install all drivers and apps, whatever they may be antivirus office whatever.
c) Extract sysprep.exe from the deploy.cab file in the support\tools folder on the xp pro cdrom.
e) run sysprep.exe
f) Shut down the system and reboot from a dos disk.
g) ghost the system to your media (removable HDD CDRW whatever)
H) Deploy the KEYLESS NON ACTIVATED IMAGE TO THE REMAINING SYSTEMS.
i) boot the new systems that will now ask for a key and after completeing

installation will ask for activation.

Thats all folks. I have done this only a few hundred times so I think it might work

RE: The msoobe.exe reactivate fix, I did not know it only worked on

pre:sp1 systems, thanks for that info, but that is understandable since I

have not used it in ages, since I discovered sysprep.exe
As I said of cource in my first reply tho, if you got XP-PRO use

sysprep.exe if XP-HOME try sysprep.exe and if it does NOT work then
msoobe.exe

I dont know if sysprep.exe will work after activation, but as I emphisised

in my last post, activation is the absoulute last step.

The reason I am so adamant about that is you only have so many activations

per KEY Code, MS will not activate you after it sees the Key has been
activated a certain number of times, I dont know how many that is. So if
you activated it prior to now, that is one (or more) activations you have
lost.

Rubbish... MS will activate your key as many times as you need, please don't
spread FUD. What you are thinking about is the online activatation. This
will only work on the first PC and from then on you must phone MS to
activate, but there is NO way they can refuse to activate a legitimate copy.

The MSBOOBE reactivation fix DOES work on post SP1 systems (unsure about
SP1a), you just need to reset the correct registration key first.

But you ARE right about sysprep. Extract and run it, set as a factory
reseal and Bob's your auntie...

Lorne

 

[Guest]

Okay, I wanted to let you know what I ended up doing:

Dale, I took your advice and tried sysprep....Unfortunately, my original machine (to be cloned) had already been activated, but I figured I had nothing to lost at this point. I followed the procedure you suggest, albeit a little out of order.

1-I took my original system, already activated, installed with applications, and cloned it to the other hard drives.
2-Then, I installed the hard drives in the new systems.
3-I installed sysprep (with the -mini option) on each machine, ran it and rebooted.

Each machine then came up asking for the CD-KEY, machinename, ip, etc....exactly what I wanted (particularly the CD-KEY, so I could enter the legitimate codes).

In case you're wondering why I didn't install sysprep on the original *before* I cloned it, it was because I wanted to make sure the original could be altered easily right up until the clones were made.

Incidentally, after two hours on the phone with various MS support personel, none could tell me how to remove/re-install a key code like this. They told me it was impossible. And, despite being already activated, sysprep worked.

Lorne--you mentioned that the MSOOBE.exe solution should work on SP1--however, I was unable to get this option to ever succeed in "initializing" my key code state. I tried several different variation I found on the web (change the last registry digit, the first two digits, etc...). I even tried deleting the entire registry key and it always restored to the original state after a reboot. I'm thinking that this registry entry is "protected" in a manner similiar to the system32 directory--delete something, and the system restores it.

Any way, thanks to you both for the help!

 

[Lorne Smith]

See inline...

Okay, I wanted to let you know what I ended up doing:

Dale, I took your advice and tried sysprep....Unfortunately, my original

machine (to be cloned) had already been activated, but I figured I had
nothing to lost at this point. I followed the procedure you suggest, albeit
a little out of order.

1-I took my original system, already activated, installed with

applications, and cloned it to the other hard drives.

2-Then, I installed the hard drives in the new systems.
3-I installed sysprep (with the -mini option) on each machine, ran it and rebooted.

Each machine then came up asking for the CD-KEY, machinename, ip,

etc....exactly what I wanted (particularly the CD-KEY, so I could enter the
legitimate codes).

In case you're wondering why I didn't install sysprep on the original

*before* I cloned it, it was because I wanted to make sure the original
could be altered easily right up until the clones were made.

Incidentally, after two hours on the phone with various MS support

personel, none could tell me how to remove/re-install a key code like this.
They told me it was impossible. And, despite being already activated,
sysprep worked.
Just shows you what MS support know! Glad you got it sorted....

Lorne--you mentioned that the MSOOBE.exe solution should work on

SP1--however, I was unable to get this option to ever succeed in
"initializing" my key code state. I tried several different variation I
found on the web (change the last registry digit, the first two digits,
etc...). I even tried deleting the entire registry key and it always
restored to the original state after a reboot. I'm thinking that this
registry entry is "protected" in a manner similiar to the system32
directory--delete something, and the system restores it.
I usually leave the key intact but zero out ALL the digits... There are
some utils out there for resetting the activation status too, but as you've
found, the sysprep tool is the best way

Any way, thanks to you both for the help!

I'm glad you got it sorted Thanks for letting the group know so that
other in a similar predicament are helped too

Lorne