Product Key Update Tool

  • Thread starter Thread starter Chris
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Chris

This tool doesn't appear to work to a machine that has been downgraded from
Vista to XP - it just says it is not a valid key for the system. Presumably
this is because the sticker on the case is for a Vista licence so the tool
just doesn't recognise it. Anyone got any ideas?
 
Chris said:
This tool doesn't appear to work to a machine that has been downgraded
from Vista to XP - it just says it is not a valid key for the system.
Presumably this is because the sticker on the case is for a Vista licence
so the tool just doesn't recognise it. Anyone got any ideas?
Click to expand...

If you are trying to enter a Product Key for Vista in order to activate an
install of XP, this will never work. You need to enter the Product Key
specific to the XP install you did. If you need more help, please post back
with clarification of exactly what you did and what Product Key you are
trying to use for XP, including the version of XP installed (ex. XP Home
Retail, XP Pro OEM, etc.).

Malke
 
This tool doesn't appear to work to a machine that has been downgraded from
Vista to XP - it just says it is not a valid key for the system. Presumably
this is because the sticker on the case is for a Vista licence so the tool
just doesn't recognise it. Anyone got any ideas?
Click to expand...

If you clean installed to XP , then you should have the key with the
disk .
 
Ok to make it a bit clearer: I've used an image to set up 3 PCs in exactly
the same way. Now I want to make sure they all have the correct licence
number. However, because they were all downgrades from Vista to XP, Dell have
just left the Vista licence key stuck on the box so I have no XP key to type
into the tool when it asks me. Hopefully that makes sense!
 
Chris said:
Ok to make it a bit clearer: I've used an image to set up 3 PCs in exactly
the same way. Now I want to make sure they all have the correct licence
number. However, because they were all downgrades from Vista to XP, Dell
have just left the Vista licence key stuck on the box so I have no XP key
to type into the tool when it asks me. Hopefully that makes sense!
Click to expand...

As Jim said, you'll need to use the Product Keys that came with your three
XP licenses. I'm guessing you didn't do the original clean install (the one
from which you made your image) with a Dell XP install disk. Normally one
doesn't need to enter a Product Key when doing a clean install on a Dell
using Dell installation media.

You might want to contact Dell for downgrade rights help.

Malke
 
It gets worse - I've contacted Dell and Microsoft will not allow them to give
out the XP serial numbers when doing the downgrade, or XP install disks.
Apparently they're instructed to install XP but leave the Vista licence on
the box and the Vista install disk in the box. So now I've cloned one to the
other two I have only one XP serail number and no way to get the other 2
back. I don't really know what to do now.
 
Chris said:
It gets worse - I've contacted Dell and Microsoft will not allow them to
give out the XP serial numbers when doing the downgrade, or XP install
disks. Apparently they're instructed to install XP but leave the Vista
licence on the box and the Vista install disk in the box. So now I've
cloned one to the other two I have only one XP serail number and no way to
get the other 2 back. I don't really know what to do now.
Click to expand...

Do a clean install with a Dell XP disk. Image that clean install to your
other Dell machines. As I already said, you don't need to enter a Product
Key during this installation. I don't understand why this isn't working for
you. You must be leaving something out, like maybe you aren't using a Dell
XP CD for your install. If you don't have a Dell XP install CD, you'll need
to purchase 3 copies of XP and use those product keys.

Malke
 
As I said I don't have the XP install disk. When you ask Dell for a downgrade
from Visat to XP they install XP on your machine but don't provide you with
the licence number or the disk - they leave the Vista licence number on the
case and the Vista install disk in the box. Therefore if your machine dies
you cannot reinstall XP. This is under Microsoft's instructions apparently.
 
Chris said:
As I said I don't have the XP install disk. When you ask Dell for a
downgrade from Visat to XP they install XP on your machine but don't
provide you with the licence number or the disk - they leave the Vista
licence number on the case and the Vista install disk in the box.
Therefore if your machine dies you cannot reinstall XP. This is under
Microsoft's instructions apparently.
Click to expand...

Downgrade rights only helps with your warranty. You must *own* the operating
system to which you are downgrading. Most businesses with volume licenses
have the installation media for the older operating system because they
purchased machines running Win2k or XP at one time. When you purchase a
Dell Vista machine but pay the extra to have XP preinstalled, they send you
reinstallation media for both XP and Vista.

So now it is obvious that you installed with some non-Dell XP CD. You will
need to purchase XP for your computers if that's what you want to run.

Malke
 
Chris said:
This tool doesn't appear to work to a machine that has been downgraded from
Vista to XP - it just says it is not a valid key for the system. Presumably
this is because the sticker on the case is for a Vista licence so the tool
just doesn't recognise it. Anyone got any ideas?
Click to expand...


Buy a legitimate WinXP license and use its Product Key?


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:


http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/555375

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand Russell

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot
 
Right I'm going to try one more time - maybe I'm not making this clear!

I purchased 3 PCs from Dell and asked them to downgrade from Vista to XP. I
then set up one how I wanted it and cloned it to the other 2. I then tried to
put the correct licences on the other 2 using the product key update tool.
However:

1) Dell do not put the XP licence sticker on the case, they leave the Vista
one on.
2) Dell do not supply you with XP install disks just the Vista ones.

Therefor I have no way of knowing what the XP licence number is on the two I
cloned to.

I phoned Dell support and they confrimed that this was the case, under
instructions from Microsoft.
 
Chris said:
Right I'm going to try one more time - maybe I'm not making this clear!

I purchased 3 PCs from Dell and asked them to downgrade from Vista to XP.
I then set up one how I wanted it and cloned it to the other 2. I then
tried to put the correct licences on the other 2 using the product key
update tool. However:

1) Dell do not put the XP licence sticker on the case, they leave the
Vista one on.
2) Dell do not supply you with XP install disks just the Vista ones.

Therefor I have no way of knowing what the XP licence number is on the two
I cloned to.
Click to expand...

You are making unnecessary work for yourself. When you use Dell installation
media - for any version of XP or Vista - you do *not* need to enter a
Product Key during installation and no activation is required. There is no
reason to change the Product Key as you are trying to do. The correct
licenses are already installed; the machines are using Dell's pre-activated
volume license. This situation applies whether you have hand-installed
three machines or whether you've hand-installed one and imaged it to
numerous others.

Simply put all your installation media and paperwork in a safe place and
move on. If you purchased downgrade rights at the time you purchased the
machines, you're legal.

Malke
 
Oh I see. Thanks. I was worried that they would all be running the same
licence key and therefore not be legal.
 
Chris said:
Oh I see. Thanks. I was worried that they would all be running the same
licence key and therefore not be legal.
Click to expand...

Well, they *are* all running the same Product Key *and* if you paid for
downgrade rights they are legal. Let me give complete clarification:

In the last 6 months or so my partner and I have purchased approximately 25
computers from Dell. All machines were purchased from the Small Business
Division and consisted of Vostro laptops, Vostro desktops, and Inspiron
desktops.

1. In all cases, we (or our clients) paid an extra $99 for downgrade rights
to XP on each machine.

2. In all cases, the machines came with XP Pro SP3 *preinstalled*.

3. In all cases, each machine came with:

a. A Vista Business or Ultimate reinstallation DVD;
b. An XP Pro SP3 reinstallation CD;
c. A Dell Resource CD (drivers and diagnostics);
d. CDs for Dell preinstalled software such as Roxio, WinDVD, etc.

4. Some of the laptops were kept for my partner's school laptop program.
After a master XP install was set up with all the laptop program software,
printers, settings, etc. exactly the way we want it - that master laptop
was imaged and the image stored on the server. We then imaged all the other
laptops we bought for the laptop program using the master image. Standard
procedure for schools/businesses. No activation was necessary of course and
of course we are legal because we paid $99/per machine for the right to run
XP on those laptops. It is certainly not necessary to change the Product
Key on all those laptops because we *paid* for XP as well as Vista.

I hope this makes things clearer for you. OTOH, if you (or someone else):

1. Purchased 3 machines from Dell's *Home* division; and
2. these machines were offered only with Vista *but* can run XP because
drivers are available; and
3. you then installed some copy of XP you had lying around

you are *not* legal because you did not pay for XP. In that case, you would
need to *buy* separate copies of XP (retail or generic OEM) and install
them on those machine. Those retail/OEM copies of XP would come with their
own Product Keys and in that case you *would* change the Product Key on
each machine after imaging to the correct ones because you would not be
using Dell's volume license key. And you would need to activate each XP
install with Microsoft.

HTH,

Malke
 
One more addendum:
3. you then installed some copy of XP you had lying around
Click to expand...

If this copy of XP you had lying around was a retail version (not OEM
because OEM versions are tied to the first machine on which they are
installed and the license dies with that machine) and was not installed on
any other computer, it would be legal to install it on one of the new
machines. You would use the Product Key that came with that install disk
and you would activate Windows with Microsoft. You would then need to
purchase 2 other retail copies of XP for the other computers. You could
still apply an image made from the first one, but in that case you *would*
change the Product Key to the correct ones from the retail copies you
bought.

Malke
 
Thanks for the addtional information. They are all legitimate downgrades done
by Dell. The only difference between your situation being they did not come
with an XP reinstallation disk and when I contacted Dell they said this was
their policy dictated by Microsoft. Maybe this is a difference betweeen the
UK and US (I assume you're in the US).
 
Chris said:
Thanks for the addtional information. They are all legitimate downgrades
done by Dell. The only difference between your situation being they did
not come with an XP reinstallation disk and when I contacted Dell they
said this was their policy dictated by Microsoft. Maybe this is a
difference betweeen the UK and US (I assume you're in the US).
Click to expand...

Yes, I'm in the US and certainly the difference could be our locations.
Since you paid for the downgrade, use a Dell XP install disk and don't
worry about this any more.

Cheers,

Malke
 
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