WinXP - OEM, upgrade, Full - how to tell?

[SepticTank]

I'm a technician and would like to know if there's any way to
determine if a person's installed version of XP is the OEM, Retail or
Retail upgrade (or any other variation if there is one).

Thanks!

 

[BigJIm]

just right click on my computer and read the number, it will say OEM in the
string.

 

[Ken Blake]

In

I'm a technician and would like to know if there's any way to
determine if a person's installed version of XP is the OEM, Retail or
Retail upgrade (or any other variation if there is one).

Assuming a complete generic OEM version, no. Once installed, they
are identical.

 

[SepticTank]

Well, here's the problem. We often have to reload XP on our
customer's computers due to them screwing it up, etc.

I have a program that will extract the product key. However, that
product key WILL NOT work with every copy of XP. For instance, if the
user had an XP upgrade disc/key, you cannot load an OEM version and
use that key. Same applies to a full version Retail. You need to
have the appropriate "version" for the key.

XP itself obviously knows the difference, since you can't mix product
keys. My question is, how can *I* tell so I'll know which "version"
to install?

 

[Steve Nielsen]

I do not know that this applies to an upgrade install of XP but I do
know for a fact that you can indeed use a Retail XP CD and an OEM PID.
We do it here nearly every day.

Steve

Well, here's the problem. We often have to reload XP on our
customer's computers due to them screwing it up, etc.

I have a program that will extract the product key. However, that
product key WILL NOT work with every copy of XP. For instance, if the
user had an XP upgrade disc/key, you cannot load an OEM version and
use that key. Same applies to a full version Retail. You need to
have the appropriate "version" for the key.

XP itself obviously knows the difference, since you can't mix product
keys. My question is, how can *I* tell so I'll know which "version"
to install?

 

[Alex Nichol]

just right click on my computer and read the number, it will say OEM in the
string.

And you will not be able to distinguish between an upgrade done with an
upgrade CD or with a Full one; but if it was installed as an upgrade
over a Win98 or ME system, then
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup
should have a sub-key Win9xUpg with the user's name in it