RIS & Activation of XP

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

Preserving OEM Pre-Activation when Re-installing Windows XP
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/deploy/oempreac.mspx


--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows - Shell/User

Enjoy all the benefits of genuine Microsoft software:
http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/default.mspx

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| Will be deploying about 50 copies of XP Pro. Using 2003 Std as Domain
| controller for RIS. I have about 50 individual OEM copies of the xp
| software each with unique keys.
|
| How do I use RIS to maintain unique keys on 50 different machines and then
| go about Activating with MS?
|
| Also, what if I must redploy a messed up users desktop with RIS and I have
| already activated a particular copy, what then?
|
| Any help is greatly appreciated.
|
| George

 

[George K.]

Will be deploying about 50 copies of XP Pro. Using 2003 Std as Domain
controller for RIS. I have about 50 individual OEM copies of the xp
software each with unique keys.

How do I use RIS to maintain unique keys on 50 different machines and then
go about Activating with MS?

Also, what if I must redploy a messed up users desktop with RIS and I have
already activated a particular copy, what then?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

George

 

[Markus Schaaf]

Will be deploying about 50 copies of XP Pro. Using 2003 Std as Domain
controller for RIS. I have about 50 individual OEM copies of the xp
software each with unique keys.

If I understand you right here, you have purchased 50 system-builder
copies of Windows XP (not computers with preactivated images). If so,
the document to read is:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/deploy/wpadepl.mspx

Also, what if I must redploy a messed up users desktop with RIS and I have
already activated a particular copy, what then?

If the hardware is essentially the same, automatic activation will be
no problem. If you have to replace the computer (or major parts of it)
for some reason, you will have to activate by phone, if it's within
half a year since last activation. After that period, all counters are
reset, kind of.

The preceding paragraph may not be true anymore. I don't recall the
details, but M$ changed some policy some time ago, so that certain
system-builder/OEM keys won't activate automatically anymore, but you
always have to phone.