severach

2B9D18CF isn't the set you want, it's the set you get rid of when you make the preactivated CD. The OEM CD starts with 2B9D18CF and along with the SLP key you overwrite those OEMBIOS files with the ones that match your machine. If you fail to overwrite them correctly the 2B9D18CF gets installed which will result in a system that requires activation. Checking the CRC of the installed OEMBIOS.CAT shows whether or not the OEMBIOS files were copied correctly.

Let's hope you're not cloning a Windows that requires activation to multiple systems. Sounds like you're cloning your installed XP Home to make restoring it back to the same computer quick and easy. First you should activate it before cloning and most of the time it will be activated when you restore. Second, you should record the install date in your clone image and backdate the clock if there is a risk that you have changed enough hardware to trigger activation. Why is activation a problem? Isn't it as easy as connecting to the Internet and click go?

Have you modified any other files in \I386?

I'm pretty sure Service Packs uninstall some of the updates that came just before it. I've noticed that a fully updated system takes a lot longer to update than one without any updates. If you use Windows Update the files are downloaded into c:\WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution but few of them are downloaded in a canonical EXE form that you can actually use. Each is deleted right after install so the few that you can get you need to watch like a hawk to capture. If you use Windiz Update they are all downloaded in canonical EXE form to C:\WUTEMP and left there after install. You can capture them and use them for other projects or you can do what I do. I copy previously captured updates to C:\WUTEMP before Windiz starts and it reuses any of them that are current and apply to your machine.

To me the shame is that these devs didn't take action to ensure that this day could never come. Open sourcing Autopatcher ensures that all the lawyers in the world can't bring it down.

Total Commander is 100% functional without registration. There is only a 1/2/3 nag screen. I registered years ago but never applied it. The nag screen gets to be second nature just like the rest of the program.

Why would you change the desktop shell which 99 44/100 % of all your users know how to use? Why not let the unwashed masses use Windows Explorer and you install the addon of your choice, such as Total Commander? If you force them to use another file manager they will be lost, things won't work right, and you'll get complaint calls just because you changed it. Windows Explorer is the devil you know and is best left right where it is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EXE

Jellybean uses the official script so it can only switch Corporate Edition style VLK keys. It doesn't switch OEM SLP VLK keys. Some claim that older versions were able to switch more.

Building a Pre-activated CD from an existing installation This is how we make the disks for all the other brands. It should work exactly the same for yours. If you didn't get an overwrite prompt when copying then the files are named wrong or your folders are wrong. Perhaps Microsoft didn't send them back as compressed CAB files. These are the expected names of the file names on the CD. OEMBIOS.BI_ OEMBIOS.CA_ OEMBIOS.DA_ OEMBIOS.SI_ Once installed you should use a keyfinder and ensure that your key is the one running. You should also take CRC's of the installed OEMBIOS files and ensure that they match the files shipped.

http://driverpacks.net/ They provide the drivers and the tool to integrate them.

The install quality is the same. The network install is 260MB which only needs to be downloaded by hand once and the typical download through Windows Update is 120MB which will be downloaded every time. The smaller Service Pack from Windows Update does not install any faster. If you're going to install the Service pack upgrade more than once you are time ahead getting the network install. The real time savings is to slipstream SP2 into your install disks and you'll need the network install for that.

They are legal if the school accounts for them each time they count to ensure that they are within their purchased license limit. This would be the norm if you worked for the school or if the school subtracts a seat each time they install and doesn't add back a seat each time a license is formatted or otherwise disappears. Considering that it was stupid for the school to sell you a computer with their VLK license on it which you can now give out to all your friends and the school is on the hook if any problems arise, I suspect they do not know what they are doing and they will, among other things, not account correctly for your licenses. To stick on the legal side of things you should cover for their mistake. Format and choose another license or OS. Who knows what other licensed software they left on that thing! Don't call Microsoft. No reason to get the school in trouble for things that are pretty cut and dry.

http://www.bitsum.com/aboutwfp.asp

Pull the drive and scan with Kaspersky or AOL Active Virus Shield and any other tools you like. If it's NTFS you'll need to reset all the permissions first. To save time you should manually clear out all the temp folders. Not pulling the drive is a waste of time.

I found BAT files to be unworkable and Autopatcher, while nice, will never be current. I use WindizUpdate to stay current with all Windows OS at the minimum possible download cost.

FixWindowsUpdate.BAT REM [url="http://www.updatexp.com/0x8007043b.html"]http://www.updatexp.com/0x8007043b.html[/url] fixnetsv.exe net.exe stop wuauserv rd /s /q %SystemRoot%\SoftwareDistribution regsvr32 /s wuapi.dll regsvr32 /s wups.dll regsvr32 /s wuaueng.dll regsvr32 /s wucltui.dll regsvr32 /s msxml3.dll regsvr32 /s atl.dll net.exe start wuauserv I wrote FIXNETSV.EXE to automatically apply the fix at the website shown. FIXNETSV.EXE

Back before 9/11 when flying wasn't too difficult to bother with I would take my mid-tower on flights. Remembering that airlines (used to) provide counter to counter freight I just tried packing it into original case box and they accepted it with no fee so long as your total luggage doesn't exceed some amount. The box doesn't last long with the rough treatment from the airline crew. After 9/11 if they accept any of this at all they will probably X-ray it until it's a molten lump of metal or try to take it apart so you might want to use thumbscrews left on *loose*. Drives that get X-rayed by luggage detectors require warranty service in a short time so you might try to pull the drives and take those through carry on where the X-ray is much more mild and less likely to get lost. You could go through all this crap from the Airline or just pay $25 ground shipping. The box will last longer and is much more likely to actually arrive. Losing your computer is a lot worse than losing your underwear.

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=63258 If they are brand name PCs you can build an install CD for them. Activation disappears forever! Unless you bought 80 different home built PC's a few install CD's should cover the whole lot. > if we got investigated by somebody from Microsoft Would that investigation include clicking YES to the current WGA which collects your IP and CD Key? I'd keep those VLK inside the correct company and under the limit.

http://www.bitsum.com/aboutwfp.asp

This guide should be easy to follow. You can skip Steps 2 & 3 for the SP2 upgrade if your media is already SP2. You can use any other slipstream tools like copying OEMBIOS and WINNT.SIF files, RyanVM, or DriverPacks before step 4. Slipstreaming Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (SP2) >http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_sp2_slipstream.asp Install from the Gateway CD one last time and make a new Gateway install CD from the OEMBIOS files and key. You can have SP2 integrated, Driverpacks that are superior to the crap drivers that Gateway included, and integrate some windows updates just for fun. The Gateway disk was only good until you found out how to make a better one. Alternately you could remake the Gateway CD after chopping out some stuff in WINNT.SIF until it looks more like the simple one that the scripts make. A Pro CD can't install Home and the Pro key in your registry or on the case will not be accepted by Home. Pro is better so if that is the license your laptop carries then use it. If you need Home then you start with an XP Home OEM SP2 CD, overwrite the OEMBIOS files, and include a key in WINNT.SIF from a Royalty OEM system running Home. >This Service Pack cannot be integrated into a destination that also has integrated Software Updates. Those can be hacked out by hand. I did it once but I didn't use the result because it wasn't obvious why there would be such a message when it was so easy to remove them. Your solution is the same as what Gateway would do. Start with an unmodified XP OEM, slipstream it to the latest service pack, and apply updates.

I've had print spooler crashes with a Brother HL-1440. It crashes when you display Control Panel Printers and after the crash all printers including printers that aren't HL-1440 have disappeared. In my case the driver supplied on the CD worked and the web driver crashed. The crash was probably caused by a DLL written by Brother that the print spooler calls for advanced printer functionality. If you bought one of those Dells that has 50 printers preinstalled I'd delete them and see if the spooler crashes stop. If you have just a few necessary printers you can delete them one by one until the crashes stop. I suspect you need to reboot after each crash to ensure that your spooler isn't mortally wounded from it's previous crash.

The Synaptics driver supplied with my Acer wasn't fully functional in Firefox so I only use the one from Synaptics which works correctly.

The advantage you give the customer by buying Retail instead of OEM is that they can format and reinstall on as many new computers as they like. Since 99.999% of all customers never do this you are only charging them extra for something they don't need. You may be able to get volume discounts on OEM licenses.

http://news.com.com/2110-1001_3-212667.html http://news.com.com/2100-7350_3-5081273.html Symantec bought Ghost from Binary Research which uses .gho files then later bought Drive Image from Powerquest which uses .pqi or .v2i files. I run Ghost from DOS and on my Intel platform and SATA drives are readable without a driver. Drive Image is available in Windows which won't need a driver. Since Ghost and Drive Image require 2 drives to do anything I usually pull the drive and put it into a computer that has the backup software and a drive to write it to.