Using a friends CD-ROM to install XP

[Chris Unitt]

Hi there,

About 18 months ago I purchased a laptop with Windows XP Home Edition
pre-installed. When the final of Service Pack 2 comes out I want to make
an 'integrated install' CD-ROM using the network download of the SP2
package and the tools to make it bootable located at
http://www.nu2.nu/bootcd/. This is to make future installs of XP SP2 as
clean and easy as possible.

My laptop (an advent) has a sticker on the bottom of it containing the
Microsoft hologram and my CD key. As far as I am aware this is all I
need to prove that I am legally entitled to install XP Home on my
laptop. As it came with one of those horrible recovery CDs with the
entire hard disk on an image I cannot simply pull the windows setup
files from my own CD-ROM. Will I be able to use my friends CD (also from
an OEM PC) and my own product key to install a bare copy of XP onto my
laptop or will Microsoft think I'm doing something dodgy?

Kind Regards,

Chris Unitt

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

Your computer came with an OEM Product Key. It will
not work with a different OEM Version of a Windows XP CD.
Therefore, you cannot do as you suggested because you'll be
unable to activate XP.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User

Be Smart! Protect your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


| Hi there,
|
| About 18 months ago I purchased a laptop with Windows XP Home Edition
| pre-installed. When the final of Service Pack 2 comes out I want to make
| an 'integrated install' CD-ROM using the network download of the SP2
| package and the tools to make it bootable located at
| http://www.nu2.nu/bootcd/. This is to make future installs of XP SP2 as
| clean and easy as possible.
|
| My laptop (an advent) has a sticker on the bottom of it containing the
| Microsoft hologram and my CD key. As far as I am aware this is all I
| need to prove that I am legally entitled to install XP Home on my
| laptop. As it came with one of those horrible recovery CDs with the
| entire hard disk on an image I cannot simply pull the windows setup
| files from my own CD-ROM. Will I be able to use my friends CD (also from
| an OEM PC) and my own product key to install a bare copy of XP onto my
| laptop or will Microsoft think I'm doing something dodgy?
|
| Kind Regards,
|
| Chris Unitt

 

[Shenan Stanley]

About 18 months ago I purchased a laptop with Windows XP Home Edition
pre-installed. When the final of Service Pack 2 comes out I want to
make an 'integrated install' CD-ROM using the network download of the
SP2 package and the tools to make it bootable located at
http://www.nu2.nu/bootcd/. This is to make future installs of XP SP2
as clean and easy as possible.

My laptop (an advent) has a sticker on the bottom of it containing the
Microsoft hologram and my CD key. As far as I am aware this is all I
need to prove that I am legally entitled to install XP Home on my
laptop. As it came with one of those horrible recovery CDs with the
entire hard disk on an image I cannot simply pull the windows setup
files from my own CD-ROM. Will I be able to use my friends CD (also
from an OEM PC) and my own product key to install a bare copy of XP
onto my laptop or will Microsoft think I'm doing something dodgy?

Kind Regards,

Unfortunately, I would assume your OEM key and the friends CD likely would
not work together.. Try it - find out.

However, you got screwed by whomever sold you the laptop in not getting a
true Installation CD in my opinion.

 

[Jetro]

There shouldn't be any problem. The only important thing either Retail or
OEM or VL setup asks is an appropriate valid Product Installation Key.

 

[Chris Unitt]

Your computer came with an OEM Product Key. It will
not work with a different OEM Version of a Windows XP CD.
Therefore, you cannot do as you suggested because you'll be
unable to activate XP.

How can you tell which 'OEM Version' your CD is and what version is on
the laptop?

My laptop contains an i386 directory on the hard drive, would I be able
to pull some/all files from that directory and replace them with the
version thats on my friends CD?

Thanks for your help, much appreciated!

Chris.

 

[Chris Unitt]

Shenan Stanley wrote:

Unfortunately, I would assume your OEM key and the friends CD likely would
not work together.. Try it - find out.

I don't really want to do that because I'll risk flagging my friends OEM
CD up with Microsoft and then he won't be able to install his copy on
his own machine either :-/

However, you got screwed by whomever sold you the laptop in not getting a
true Installation CD in my opinion.

Yeah, nothing I can do about it though I'm afraid, all I can say is if
you ever buy a computer from advent in the UK, make sure you insist they
provide an original Microsoft install CD-ROM before you sign anything.

Kind Regards,

Chris.

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

The OEM version is the version your PC manufacturer installed.
If you have a Dell PC, you have a Dell OEM version of Windows XP.
If you have an IBM PC, you have an IBM OEM version of Windows XP
and so on. Your PC manufacturer's supplied Product Key will not permit you
to use any other OEM Windows XP installation CD, nor can you make
a modified version of an OEM CD. It simply will not work because
the PC manufacturer does not permit its Product Key to be used in any
way other than with the PC manufacturer's original recovery or restore CD.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User

Be Smart! Protect your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

|
| How can you tell which 'OEM Version' your CD is and what version is on
| the laptop?
|
| My laptop contains an i386 directory on the hard drive, would I be able
| to pull some/all files from that directory and replace them with the
| version thats on my friends CD?
|
| Thanks for your help, much appreciated!
|
| Chris.

 

[Chris]

The OEM version is the version your PC manufacturer installed.
If you have a Dell PC, you have a Dell OEM version of Windows XP.
If you have an IBM PC, you have an IBM OEM version of Windows XP
and so on. Your PC manufacturer's supplied Product Key will not permit you
to use any other OEM Windows XP installation CD, nor can you make
a modified version of an OEM CD. It simply will not work because
the PC manufacturer does not permit its Product Key to be used in any
way other than with the PC manufacturer's original recovery or restore CD.

So how can I find out, by looking at the CD, what OEM version it is? The
CD I have is from an OEM Advent Desktop PC. If all Advent OEM CDs are
the same, this CD should work. Surely there is some kind of fingerprint
on the CD somewhere so it can be identified.
Failing this, will microsoft be able to provide me with an install CD?
Advent have already fobbed me off numerous times.

 

[Chris Unitt]

The OEM version is the version your PC manufacturer installed.
If you have a Dell PC, you have a Dell OEM version of Windows XP.
If you have an IBM PC, you have an IBM OEM version of Windows XP
and so on. Your PC manufacturer's supplied Product Key will not permit you
to use any other OEM Windows XP installation CD, nor can you make
a modified version of an OEM CD. It simply will not work because
the PC manufacturer does not permit its Product Key to be used in any
way other than with the PC manufacturer's original recovery or restore CD.

So how can I find out, by looking at the CD, what OEM version it is? The
CD I have is from an OEM Advent Desktop PC. If all Advent OEM CDs are
the same, this CD should work. Surely there is some kind of fingerprint
on the CD somewhere so it can be identified.
Failing this, will microsoft be able to provide me with an install CD?
Advent have already fobbed me off numerous times.

 

[Mike Brannigan [MSFT]]

So how can I find out, by looking at the CD, what OEM version it is? The
CD I have is from an OEM Advent Desktop PC. If all Advent OEM CDs are
the same, this CD should work. Surely there is some kind of fingerprint
on the CD somewhere so it can be identified.
Failing this, will microsoft be able to provide me with an install CD?
Advent have already fobbed me off numerous times.

Chris,

If you require a full install CD then you must request one from your OEM
9Advent in this case). They do not have to supply one as they have provided
a method to return then device to as shipped from the factory, using the
recovery CDs which is al they are required to do.
We (Microsoft) cannot provide you with a CD as this is an OEM license and
all support for your product and OS is provided by your OEM.

You still have the choice of purchasing a full retail Windows XP CD or you
could purchase a Generic OEM CD (with the appropriate piece of hardware for
compliance). In both cases you would receive a full CD that you could use
to slipstream SP2 (when it is released).
--

Regards,

Mike
--
Mike Brannigan [Microsoft]

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights

Please note I cannot respond to e-mailed questions, please use these
newsgroups

 

[Shenan Stanley]

Shenan Stanley wrote:



I don't really want to do that because I'll risk flagging my friends
OEM CD up with Microsoft and then he won't be able to install his
copy on his own machine either :-/


Yeah, nothing I can do about it though I'm afraid, all I can say is if
you ever buy a computer from advent in the UK, make sure you insist
they provide an original Microsoft install CD-ROM before you sign
anything.

Oh - you are one of those who thinks Microsoft actually keeps track of whose
machine what copy of what # was installed on specifically whose machine..

Essentially - create your CD (there is likely NOTHING on there to uniquely
identify it - and definitely nothing on the CD itself to communicate that
information to Microsoft) and try to install it on a machine with YOUR OEM
CD Key.. If it works - you are done. It means the OEM he had was barely
modified and your OEM number works fine. You nor your friend have done
anything wrong, nor would Microsoft have anything other than you activating
with your CDKey to track with - and then only the number - no names, nothing
else. (Although - again - you legally own XP, you just got screwed when you
got an image instead of a true OEM installation CD..)

And if you make your CD copy of their CD and use your number to install and
it works - then you are done. If you don't activate it, whether it works or
not, no one is the wiser but you.