Windows XP RIS and Pirate Corporate Key

[bcleever]

Hi,

I have taken over administration of a few sites that use 2003 SBS and
RIS to deploy Windows XP Pro. It seems that the CD Key used in the
answer file is a pirate key and the PCs are displaying the the software
piracy message. All the PCs have their own XP license key stuck onto
the PC cases.
What I need to know is this:

Is there any way of replacing the Product Key taken from the RIS answer
file with the one on the case easily to get rid of the message?

i am hoping that I do not have to reinstall all of these PCs with their
recovery disks!

Thanks

 

[Guest]

Keys attached to cases are usually OEM keys, which will not work with a
volume-licensed copy.

I think the first thing to establish is why this is happening - is the
volume licence pirate, or is this a false positive? There should be some
documentation onsite to prove the existence of a volume licence.

If the management can't show you any paperwork, then they have the option of
either paying for a legitimate one, or else reverting to the OEM licences on
the computers. Which would mean reinstalling.

You could of course ask Microsoft if the licence belongs to your company. I
wouldn't do that without first discussing that option with management,
though. As man-in -the-middle you do need to tread a little cautiously here,
if the company is pirating and you 'rock the boat' they may just fire you and
get an engineer who IS prepared to pirate. Not a pleasant situation to be
in, but you need to play it carefully (or find another job, then report
them!) if that is the case.

 

[bcleever]

Thanks for reply Ian,

The key is a pirate key and it was used to install the images via RIS
for ease of install. I have just tested running a repair over the
install with the oem CD and it allows me to put in the correct cd key.
It is a bit of a pain but it does work. I need to do this on all the
PCs now.

If anyone has an alternative suggestion that would be quicker than this
I would appreciate a comment!

 

[Mario Schmidt]

Thanks for reply Ian,

The key is a pirate key and it was used to install the images via RIS
for ease of install. I have just tested running a repair over the
install with the oem CD and it allows me to put in the correct cd key.
It is a bit of a pain but it does work. I need to do this on all the
PCs now.

If anyone has an alternative suggestion that would be quicker than this
I would appreciate a comment!

Simple: Deploy Windows XP OEM via RIS. Let the user input the key on the
sticker at the Windows Welcome page (Use a generic key for setup, you'll
even find them at microsoft.com!).