Product Key troubles

[cherold]

Since Vista died and I had to start over I decided to go back to XP
Pro. Unfortunately, I couldn't find my XP Pro disk, but I had another
unopened one (no idea where it came from). So I installed from that
only to discover the Product Key had been removed. I decided to find
a product key online and try and fix things later.

I found an explanation of how to find the product key of an XP Pro
disk (http://ehacks.wordpress.com/2008/01/11/how-to-find-your-windows-
xp-product-key-on-the-windows-xp-cd/) and how to use the registry to
let you change your product key in an XP Pro installation (http://
pcsupport.about.com/od/productkeysactivation/ht/changexpkey.htm).

But it doesn't work. When I try the Product Key from unattend.txt, it
tells me it's not a valid key. I also found my original XP Pro disk
the next day and tried that Product Key with no more success.

Is there any way to get this working, or am I just going to have to do
another reinstall now that I've found the right disk?

 

[G. Morgan]

I found an explanation of how to find the product key of an XP Pro
disk (http://ehacks.wordpress.com/2008/01/11/how-to-find-your-windows-
xp-product-key-on-the-windows-xp-cd/) and how to use the registry to
let you change your product key in an XP Pro installation (http://
pcsupport.about.com/od/productkeysactivation/ht/changexpkey.htm).

But it doesn't work. When I try the Product Key from unattend.txt, it
tells me it's not a valid key. I also found my original XP Pro disk
the next day and tried that Product Key with no more success.

Is there any way to get this working, or am I just going to have to do
another reinstall now that I've found the right disk?

Try using RockXP to change the key:
http://www.korben.info/rockxp/


--
"Newspaper claims car thief transformed into a goat"
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090124/ap_on_fe_st/odd_goat_thief_5

**Important Update**
Magic goat detained for armed robbery:
http://news.uk.msn.com/odd-news/Article.aspx?cp-documentid=13298291

 

[cherold]

Try using RockXP to change the key:http://www.korben.info/rockxp/

No, it doesn't seem able to do it. I put in the new product key, it
runs for a while and then there's no change. I even found a bunch of
illegal product keys to try to see if it could change to any of them
and it couldn't; it insists on keeping this one key. I'm beginning to
fear a reinstall is unavoidable. :-(

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

You'll need to purchase a brand-new, full retail version of WinXP Pro. (And
good luck finding one as well as XP-specific drivers for the machine!)

 

[G. Morgan]

No, it doesn't seem able to do it. I put in the new product key, it
runs for a while and then there's no change. I even found a bunch of
illegal product keys to try to see if it could change to any of them
and it couldn't; it insists on keeping this one key. I'm beginning to
fear a reinstall is unavoidable. :-(

I'm thinking the CD you installed from is a different version than the one you
found. Maybe one is an OEM and the other a retail, is that possible?

Look for I386\eula.txt on the CD's and at the bottom of each one it will have
the version. Compare the two.

If that is the case I think you would need to re-install.

 

[cherold]

I have a retail XP Pro; I have two, in fact. The problem is the one
I've installed before was temporarily lost, and the other one was
missing its key so I used a different key and now can't change it to
the correct one (as explained above).

I'm not that worried about drivers for XP. So many people never went
to Vista, or rolled back after having terrible problems with Vista,
that I would expect software publishers to support XP computers, so
drivers will be on their sites.

 

[Daave]

Since Vista died and I had to start over I decided to go back to XP
Pro. Unfortunately, I couldn't find my XP Pro disk, but I had another
unopened one (no idea where it came from). So I installed from that
only to discover the Product Key had been removed. I decided to find
a product key online and try and fix things later.

I found an explanation of how to find the product key of an XP Pro
disk (http://ehacks.wordpress.com/2008/01/11/how-to-find-your-windows-
xp-product-key-on-the-windows-xp-cd/) and how to use the registry to
let you change your product key in an XP Pro installation (http://
pcsupport.about.com/od/productkeysactivation/ht/changexpkey.htm).

But it doesn't work. When I try the Product Key from unattend.txt, it
tells me it's not a valid key. I also found my original XP Pro disk
the next day and tried that Product Key with no more success.

Is there any way to get this working, or am I just going to have to do
another reinstall now that I've found the right disk?

Since Retail or Generic XP installation disks don't come with keys (that
is, there is no data on these CDs that corresponds with a Product Key --
the keys come printed on a unique sticker that is affixed to the
packaging), what you are describing sounds like an OEM's recovery disk.
Also I know that Dell XP Reinstallation disks come with Golden Master
keys, but they won't do you any good.

So before we go any further, what kinds of CDs are these? Describe them
in detail!

Since keys are valuable, I'm curious as to why you think you can find
one online! The only kind I am aware of are unauthorized volume license
keys. Please tell me that's not what you're looking for.

 

[Daave]

Since Retail or Generic XP installation disks don't come with keys
(that is, there is no data on these CDs that corresponds with a
Product Key -- the keys come printed on a unique sticker that is
affixed to the packaging), what you are describing sounds like an
OEM's recovery disk. Also I know that Dell XP Reinstallation disks
come with Golden Master keys, but they won't do you any good.

So before we go any further, what kinds of CDs are these? Describe
them in detail!

Since keys are valuable, I'm curious as to why you think you can find
one online! The only kind I am aware of are unauthorized volume
license keys. Please tell me that's not what you're looking for.

I guess there's another kind: those inadvertantly posted by clueless
newbs inside a log/report they foolishly upload to the Internet. Again,
please tell me that's not what you're looking for. Your post, as it is,
is not quite right!

 

[cherold]

Actually, I've been very clear, but I feel not everyone is reading
this carefully. It is true that if you get XP pre-installed, the
product key is stuck on the side of the CD. However, if you have a
retail XP CD, which is the one that I temporarily lost, it has the key
on the packaging. In either case, as I learned online, all XP Pro CDs
have a document called unattend.txt that has the product key written
inside it.

Neither disk is a recovery CD, this are installation CDs for XP Pro.
One, that I never opened until I couldn't find the disk I've used
before, apparently came with a PC I bought at some point. The other,
as I said, is the retail version.

None of which is really relevant. Either there's a way to swap my
product key for the right one, in which case I can then go ahead and
activate, or there isn't, in which case I'm going to have to wipe the
hard drive again and reinstall XP with my retail disk, which is just a
pain because it takes a while to install an OS and it's a shame to
have to do so when I've just installed it.

 

[R. McCarty]

Unattended.Txt is an example file. The Product Key in the file is
a sample. XP install type is determined by a file Setuppi.Ini inside
this file is a string PID that defines whether a disk is OEM, Retail
and a full product or upgrade. That PID value is the controlling
factor on what product key is accepted. An XP Pro Upgrade disk
will not accept a XP OEM key. The PID ( Disk ) and key must
match or the install will fail.

Actually, I've been very clear, but I feel not everyone is reading
this carefully. It is true that if you get XP pre-installed, the
product key is stuck on the side of the CD. However, if you have a
retail XP CD, which is the one that I temporarily lost, it has the key
on the packaging. In either case, as I learned online, all XP Pro CDs
have a document called unattend.txt that has the product key written
inside it.

Neither disk is a recovery CD, this are installation CDs for XP Pro.
One, that I never opened until I couldn't find the disk I've used
before, apparently came with a PC I bought at some point. The other,
as I said, is the retail version.

None of which is really relevant. Either there's a way to swap my
product key for the right one, in which case I can then go ahead and
activate, or there isn't, in which case I'm going to have to wipe the
hard drive again and reinstall XP with my retail disk, which is just a
pain because it takes a while to install an OS and it's a shame to
have to do so when I've just installed it.

 

[G. Morgan]

Unattended.Txt is an example file. The Product Key in the file is
a sample. XP install type is determined by a file Setuppi.Ini inside
this file is a string PID that defines whether a disk is OEM, Retail
and a full product or upgrade. That PID value is the controlling
factor on what product key is accepted. An XP Pro Upgrade disk
will not accept a XP OEM key. The PID ( Disk ) and key must
match or the install will fail.

That is good information. So, in theory I could make an "all-in-one" XP
installation CD media and use any flavor of the client's key?

I'm thinking what about a script that would replace the values in setupp.ini
based on this list:
http://wiki.lunarsoft.net/wiki/Product_IDs

That way, I could use the same XP install CD for everybody and just change the
PID code to match what CD key they already have.

Would that work?

 

[R. McCarty]

Can't give you a definitive yes, but in theory it may work. However the
Setuppi.Ini can also contain a string "ExtraData" and I've forgotten it's
purpose in the installation/validation key process.

 

[cherold]

Okay, now I see. unattended.txt is useless (that's the problem with
finding stuff on the internet). The one I never opened is an OEM for
some computer I don't have any more, meaning there's no way to get a
key for it, which means it's not good for much. This means I have to
reinstall using my retail CD (I was being sloppy in my original post
on what "retail" means in this context; I have one retail and one
OEM), because I can't use my product key for my retail CD with the OEM
install.

The retail CD does, of course, have a product key, or I would not have
been able to have run it on my computer for the several years before I
foolishly "upgraded" to Vista. As far as I know, you can't run XP Pro
for more than a month without a legitimate product key, so to suggest
otherwise is to suggest that I know how to do something I was assuming
was impossible. My belief that it was impossible is probably why I
didn't feel it necessary to say, I have a retail XP Pro and the
product key that came with that CD that is actually a legitimate
product key and not a magical one I found on the internet that somehow
allowed me to activate and run XP Pro for years; I felt saying I have
a product key for my retail XP Pro seems to imply all the rest.

 

[cherold]

Reinstalled, activated, and am now in the endless process of
reinstalling all the software and getting all the updates. Thanks for
everyone's input.

 

[G. Morgan]

In case you missed my reply to OP, it appears this can be done. See:

"Unlocking WinXP's setupp.ini"
http://www.thetechguide.com/howto/setuppini.html

Got it, thanks.

 

[Daave]

Have fun!

Reinstalled, activated, and am now in the endless process of
reinstalling all the software and getting all the updates. Thanks for
everyone's input.

 

[Daave]

Got it, thanks.

YW.

 

[marika]

That is not true. The COA sticker, which contains the Product Key, is
normally stuck on the side of the *PC*.

Now, I have two choices.

mk5000

"i told her i'll be waiting
inside to see her faces
to touch my favorite places
i'll run her waist "--stepping out tonight, justin timberlake