"Migrating" from Box license to Volume License

[Harrington]

I have a system running Windows XP Professional SP2 that was not legal.
Because of this it would not validate and I could not download any updates.
My attempt to resolve this was to "upgrade" the system using our volume
license CD. I put the CD in, entered our VL key, and then proceeded to
upgrade the system. Now there are various issues including not being able to
install any windows updates.

Before I explain any further on the current issues, is this the correct
method of going from box license to volume license? A co-worker is telling
me that the system has to be re-installed from the VL cd.

Any help or insight would be appreciated.

 

[Shenan Stanley]

I have a system running Windows XP Professional SP2 that was not
legal. Because of this it would not validate and I could not
download any updates. My attempt to resolve this was to "upgrade"
the system using our volume license CD. I put the CD in, entered
our VL key, and then proceeded to upgrade the system. Now there are
various issues including not being able to install any windows
updates.

Before I explain any further on the current issues, is this the
correct method of going from box license to volume license? A
co-worker is telling me that the system has to be re-installed from
the VL cd.

Any help or insight would be appreciated.

When you say 'upgrade' - do you mean a repair installation?

Co-worker is incorrect. However - you could have also tried this:

The Genuine Advantage Product Key Update Tool is only valid for
users attempting to change their current non-genuine Product Key
to a genuine COA sticker or genuine Product Key - all without a
reinstall!
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=50346&clcid=0x409

Reason you cannot get updates is likely explained here:

Updates are not installed successfully from Windows Update,
from Microsoft Update, or by using Automatic Updates after
you repair a Windows XP installation
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/943144
(Try it even if you did a clean, not repair, installation.)
(Try it even if you performed some sort of restore - not repair install.)

 

[Harrington]

When I put the VL cd in, I used the "Upgrade" option. Similar if I were going
from Home to Pro..

 

[Harrington]

Excellent, the fix for the updates worked. As far as the
ProductKeyUpdateTool I can use that on a OEM or BOX install of Windows XP Pro
and use a Volume License key?

Thanks much for your help!