Yet another Activation Question ....

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jim
  • Start date Start date
J

Jim

I have 100+ Dell computers with the same configuration. They've been in
operation for a while. At one point for some reason that escapes me at the
moment, I reinstalled one machine using the media that came with the CD and
the product key on the label attached to the unit. I used Sysprep and
resealed the machine and then used Ghost to clone the image. Could I have
used the preactivated switch? I'm wiping about 50 of these machines clean
and don't want to have to activate if I don't have to do that. They must
have been preactivated at the factory so I'm wondering if I need to do this
again. Thanks.
 
Since each Dell computer apparently shipped with it's own
individual OEM Product Key, you'll have to manually enter
each individual Product Key assigned to each Dell PC. Only if
someone specified "Volume Licensing" can Product Activation
be avoided.

How to Use Sysprep with Windows Product Activation or Volume License Media to Deploy Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;299840&Product=winxp

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

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

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


|I have 100+ Dell computers with the same configuration. They've been in
| operation for a while. At one point for some reason that escapes me at the
| moment, I reinstalled one machine using the media that came with the CD and
| the product key on the label attached to the unit. I used Sysprep and
| resealed the machine and then used Ghost to clone the image. Could I have
| used the preactivated switch? I'm wiping about 50 of these machines clean
| and don't want to have to activate if I don't have to do that. They must
| have been preactivated at the factory so I'm wondering if I need to do this
| again. Thanks.
 
Jim said:
I have 100+ Dell computers with the same configuration. They've been
in operation for a while. At one point for some reason that escapes
me at the moment, I reinstalled one machine using the media that came
with the CD and the product key on the label attached to the unit.
Click to expand...

Did you have to activate that install?
I
used Sysprep and resealed the machine and then used Ghost to clone
the image. Could I have used the preactivated switch? I'm wiping
about 50 of these machines clean and don't want to have to activate
if I don't have to do that. They must have been preactivated at the
factory so I'm wondering if I need to do this again. Thanks.
Click to expand...

Unless your company paid Dell to preconfigure your machine in a specific
manner, then Activation has been disabled by BIOS-Locking, and as long as
the image is being put on another Dell machine with a Dell BIOS, then
activation shouldn't be necessary.

http://www.magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder.shtml

Check out to see what actual Product Key(s) was used on your Dells. Let us
know what you find out.

--
Peace!
Kurt
Self-anointed Moderator
microscum.pubic.windowsexp.gonorrhea
http://microscum.com
"Trustworthy Computing" is only another example of an Oxymoron!
"Produkt-Aktivierung macht frei!"
 
kurttrail said:
Jim wrote:




Did you have to activate that install?




Unless your company paid Dell to preconfigure your machine in a specific
manner, then Activation has been disabled by BIOS-Locking, and as long as
the image is being put on another Dell machine with a Dell BIOS, then
activation shouldn't be necessary.

http://www.magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder.shtml

Check out to see what actual Product Key(s) was used on your Dells. Let us
know what you find out.
Click to expand...

Interesting... I ran magicaljellybean on my work XP Pro machine, which I
did a clean istall of the OS using the CD from Dell and the key from the
sticker on the case. The reported key is not even CLOSE to what's on the
sticker.

Steve
 
Steve said:
Interesting... I ran magicaljellybean on my work XP Pro machine,
which I did a clean istall of the OS using the CD from Dell and the
key from the sticker on the case. The reported key is not even CLOSE
to what's on the sticker.

Steve
Click to expand...

Try Aida32

http://www.majorgeeks.com/downloadget.php?id=181&file=2&evp=50139b70b8e762d8f5fb83cc34498e2b

I'm curious.

--
Peace!
Kurt
Self-anointed Moderator
microscum.pubic.windowsexp.gonorrhea
http://microscum.com
"Trustworthy Computing" is only another example of an Oxymoron!
"Produkt-Aktivierung macht frei!"
 
kurttrail said:
Steve Nielsen wrote:




Try Aida32

http://www.majorgeeks.com/downloadget.php?id=181&file=2&evp=50139b70b8e762d8f5fb83cc34498e2b

I'm curious.
Click to expand...

It shows the same key as majic jelly bean does. Maybe I *didn't* use the
key from the sticker but I could almost swear I did. Heck, maybe I
didn't even re-install fresh on this one like I thought I did (you have
no idea how many machines I've worked on this year and it's been a long
time since I set it up). Doesn't much matter, this thing is full of
problems and I'm about at the point of doing a nuke/rebuild with it anyway.

Steve
 
Steve said:
It shows the same key as majic jelly bean does. Maybe I *didn't* use
the
key from the sticker but I could almost swear I did. Heck, maybe I
didn't even re-install fresh on this one like I thought I did (you
have
no idea how many machines I've worked on this year and it's been a
long
time since I set it up). Doesn't much matter, this thing is full of
problems and I'm about at the point of doing a nuke/rebuild with it
anyway.

Steve
Click to expand...

I bet it is the same as the PK in the unattend.txt under the i386 folder
on the Dell CD.

--
Peace!
Kurt
Self-anointed Moderator
microscum.pubic.windowsexp.gonorrhea
http://microscum.com
"Trustworthy Computing" is only another example of an Oxymoron!
"Produkt-Aktivierung macht frei!"
 
kurttrail said:
Steve Nielsen wrote:




I bet it is the same as the PK in the unattend.txt under the i386 folder
on the Dell CD.
Click to expand...

Nope. Don't know where it originated but looking at the unattend.txt
file on several CDs (Dell and non-Dell CDs) they are the same code.
What's up with that?

Steve
 
Steve said:
Nope. Don't know where it originated but looking at the unattend.txt
file on several CDs (Dell and non-Dell CDs) they are the same code.
What's up with that?

Steve
Click to expand...

Now I'm stumped to about what key you are finding, and that other OEMs are
using the same master key in the unattend file. Thanks for testing this
out, Steve, but now I gonna have to find a way to satisfy my curiousity.

--
Peace!
Kurt
Self-anointed Moderator
microscum.pubic.windowsexp.gonorrhea
http://microscum.com
"Trustworthy Computing" is only another example of an Oxymoron!
"Produkt-Aktivierung macht frei!"
 
kurttrail said:
Steve Nielsen wrote:




Now I'm stumped to about what key you are finding, and that other OEMs are
using the same master key in the unattend file. Thanks for testing this
out, Steve, but now I gonna have to find a way to satisfy my curiousity.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I know what you mean.

Steve
 
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