severach

You seem to be confusing technologies. For a time you could back up WPA.DBL, reinstall Windows, restore WPA.DBL, and your system would be activated so long as nothing changed from before. This would have been handy for Retail or Single User OEM editions but is not the least bit useful for VLK or OEM SLP installs that will preactivate if everything is right. Having system restore CD's I suspect you have a brand name PC which should preactivate. If so then you should build an install CD in this fashion. http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=63258

Slipstream the SATA drivers in your next install CD and stop wasting time with a floppy or compatibility modes or worrying about what manufacturers are or aren't doing. http://driverpacks.net/

Perhaps Alienware in their quest for maximum performance specified a high performance IDE controller that isn't recognized by the default install. When you have the system running you should look at the hard disk controller and see if it is a common one. If you're lucky that driver is already in the DriverPacks. Otherwise you'll need to download it, make a floppy, and hit F6 during the CD boot.

HP and many other Royalty OEMs use the same method. The key from a factory install will definitely not match the COA if installed properly. If the key does match the COA then someone has reinstalled the system improperly. While still legal it puts the system at risk of being tagged as non Genuine. I've posted instructions above to check whether the key is original HP or not. If you use the Magical Jellybean Keyfinder you'll also need to know what the correct key is to determine whether it's HP's System Lock Preinstall key or a pirate key. From the Neowin Crosspost this Microsoft solution may help too. A message popped up last night in another board and they printed the text of the message. It didn't sound like a Genuine request from a Microsoft program but sounded like a phishing attempt that necessitates a virus or spyware scan. Did the message ask for your credit card which will not be charged? >These are the two files to get rid of. I don't like WGA either but deleting the files will fail eventually. Most people want a more permanent solution. As long as you run with Windows Update turned on WGA will be a thorn in your side.

An original HP install should always pass Genuine. Someone might have reinstalled Windows improperly. To check if it has been reinstalled hit Window-Pause/Break and look at the PID. If it looks like #####-OEM-0011903-##### then it is original and there may be a license file damaged. If not then someone has reinstalled it improperly and Genuine finally caught them. You might need to force a Genuine Check. If it looks like the 0011903 PID above then a call to Microsoft will accomplish nothing. They never give out activation codes for those keys because they are expected to preactivate. Other solutions may be found in the Neowin Crosspost.

Why not take the CD down to a place that offers scratch repair? They will let you know whether or not the scratches are fatal.

You have the right key for HP Windows MCE. Assuming that OEMBIOS.EXE shows that 06D652A4 will work for your system you need to go into \WINDOWS\system32\ and c:\WINDOWS\system32\CatRoot\{F750E6C3-38EE-11D1-85E5-00C04FC295EE}\ and take CRC's of the OEMBIOS files that are installed. If the CRC's don't match the ones from the original set then you have made the install CD wrong.

I think you have the right OEMBIOS set but you can run this program to make sure. I think you have used the wrong key. The key on the COA sticker will not preactivate. You must use a SLP key. Here are some SLP keys that are appropriate for your brand. >where exactly are the instructions for adding the files from oembios.net into my next rvm cd? http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=63258

There's one on Hiren's boot CD.

http://www.scotsnewsletter.com/46.htm#60secs4 If work is networking with NetBEUI (always a more reliable choice than TCP/IP) then it's quite easy to get XP networking properly with Windows 2000. I haven't had any problem networking 2000 and XP systems.

It sounds like you are trying to reinstall Windows and preserve activation. If the laptops are a big brand name then they preactivate so there is no need to preserve anything. The complete instructions for making a preactivated CD for Windows XP are here: http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=63258 Vista is a work in progress so is more difficult but there is a topic here that can help: http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=91961

The stop error on boot is because the new motherboard has some different hardware than the old one. Some details about switching motherboards without reinstalling Windows XP can be found here. http://episteme.arstechnica.com/eve/forums...74/m/1400925745 The restore error is because the restore disk is not just tied to an Acer model, but probably a very specific set of Acer models. If you were to have one, an Acer Windows XP install CD would also be tied to the Acer brand but would cover a large number of Acer models. Microsoft's official policy is that the license was tied to the Acer motherboard. You lose the Acer motherboard, you lose the Acer license. Official policy says that when you buy a non Acer motherboard you need to buy a new license. However, if you can rustle up an XP OEM single user CD to install from, the product key on the sticker should come up Genuine, perhaps after a call to Microsoft with a sob story.

There are benefits to NTFS like file security, joining a domain, large file support, integrated file compression, and faster performance for huge folders. Some of us don't need some features and desperately want to avoid the trouble caused by other. The "NTFS can be 10x faster than FAT32" is a ridiculous claim backed up with just as ridiculous Microsoft shill links while the opposite "FAT32 can be 10x faster than NTFS" can be true if the entire NTFS drive being compared has been compressed. FAT32 has good performance and is and equal or better choice in many situations. For anything other than carefully crafted situations FAT32 is consistently within 2% of NTFS. Performance is so close to equal so that is not a reason to choose one over the other. I like to have a drive that is read/write compatible with all operating systems so all my portable drives are FAT32. Probably the best FAT32 feature of them all is that you can convert from FAT32 to NTFS any time it becomes necessary. You can't go the other way without a reformat. >FAT32 might be ever so slightly faster than NTFS, but over time, that quickly degrades Performance degrades in NTFS too and it doesn't "quickly" degrade because of FAT32. I use plenty of full FAT32 drives and they have no performance problems. >XP's performance with FAT32 should not be taken as indication of the quality of FAT32 XP does not perform any more poorly with FAT32 than with NTFS. >if you only store large multimedia files If you store large multimedia files or DVD disk images you'll be using NTFS. FAT32 with the 4GB limit is not even an option. >There is also no place for Unicode characters in filenames. I see the claim all over the web that FAT32 doesn't support Unicode but I know that FAT32 stores unicode just fine. I went to a Japanese website in Firefox, copied some text, and saved the web page as that file name and it looks just right. Perhaps you're thinking of the problem of storing non unicode characters then changing the system locale which lame-o NTFS solves by locking the file system to the locale it was originally formatted as. The problem is Windows 2000 and below with atrocious or non existent Unicode support and without an OS that has mostly functional unicode support software unicode support will be just as poor. I could save the web page but it wouldn't launch with a double click. That isn't the fault of FAT32. >at least 5x faster than Fat32 partitions More ridiculous claims. An average performance delta greater than 2% is suspect. It takes specially crafted cases to get any more 2% and in some cases FAT32 has the advantage. >NTFS is better than FAT32. Period. Speak for yourself. NTFS is not better for everyone. >Permissions can help if you have to share your computer with friends or guests. This can help stop malware All I ever see is that permissions have been set on the malware to make it harder to remove. You are living in a dream world if you think that users can run as anything other than Administrator. Maybe Vista will fix this. >There is no degrading in performance or resources Neither NTFS nor FAT32 degrades much as they get full until they get to 99%. >Clocking boot time before was four to five minutes (from power on to usability). After was under two. You'll need more examples to back up an improvement as large as 10x or more. http://www.bbspot.com/News/2007/04/google-...ne-storage.html >You can easily replace files in Safe Mode Safe mode is nearly useless because there are many locked and secured files and safe mode won't run if the drive is damaged enough. Those limitations are a show stopper so I use DOS instead. >You actually can do everything you want in safe mode Can I read the SAM in safe mode? Can I delete any key I want from the registry? I have a problem with Bill Gates telling me what I can and cannot do. FAT32 is one of my secret weapons that says that I can do with my computer what I want and Bill Gates is powerless to stop me. I don't care to run NTFS where Bill Gates has far more control over what I do. FAT32 is like MP3 and NTFS is like WMA. Sooner or later you'll get bitten by WMA and NTFS and will decide that it's not so good any more. >FAT is inefficient due to cluster size, speed, lack of security, does not support Unicode, no support for long file names, low fault tolerance, no recoverability FAT32 is efficient due to lack of security. FAT32 supports Unicode. FAT32 supports long file names. FAT32 was the original recoverability. A long time later good recovery tools showed up for NTFS, no thanks to the dimwits at Microsoft who keep the NTFS spec secret. I'll get more interested in NTFS when the specification is released to the public in a timely fashion.

You may or may not be able to build an install CD from what's on the hard disk. It's better to start with a plain OEM copy and do this http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=63258

Why does it need to be encrypted? Anyone can get the key with a keyfinder after install.

To verify that you have a corporate edition go to System Properties and look at your PID. #####-640- Corporate (these tools will not produce what you want) #####-OEM-0011903-##### Compaq (these tools will produce what you want) If you have a corporate key then these tools will not help you because you already have the corporate key and a corporate install CD. The tools were meant to be used on your Compaq before your company overwrote the OS with their corporate edition. If you have factory restore CD's then restore them and these tools will produce the key and OEMBIOS files you need. Without those, use this tool to detect what OEMBIOS files you need and download them from here. The key can be obtained from any Compaq or HP running the same Windows you are: Home, Pro, TabletPC, or MCE. Unfortunately we can't trade it here though it is quite easy to find in Google if you know what to look for.

The Windows 2003 OEMBIOS files are completely different and not compatible.

* No hard links. * No compression. I avoid NTFS wherever possible. However NTFSDOS and GetDataBack for NTFS seem to work quite well. Thanks to those NTFS is only a small pile of poo and not a large one. Edit: NTFS is fine for a data drive but I don't want it for the boot drive.

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=63258 The entire process is described there. On your old CD and your I386 folder in your SLIP folder you'll find the 4 OEMBIOS files with the underscore (_) on the end. Those are the ones you'll overwrite before writing your boot CD. You also need Dell's key in the WINNT.SIF file. You could type it in during install but that is unnecessarily difficult.

You've made a good choice to zap Vista and install XP and let others suffer with the total s***e that is Vista. You can go back to it any time in case it proves to be something other than total s***e forever, assuming your laptop isn't too crappy to ever run Vista well. You should test your laptop with my OEMBIOS Program in Post #225 of this current thread before formatting to ensure that you can run a preactivated Windows. Rumor is that some manufacturers are hacking their BIOS strings to block their preactivated Windows XP. If you're installing XP just one time for one system you'll probably find Building a Pre-activated CD from an existing installation the easiest solution. Some Sony keys can be Googled.

It attaches to WinLogon so it doesn't show up as an extra task. It runs all the time. It isn't needed after the first run so it can be removed with XP Antispy. It will be reinstalled from time to time by Windows Update and when you need pass Genuine for a download at microsoft.com.

It will install but it will never activate either by Internet or phone. Microsoft knows that the Dell key must preactivate or it is being used on the wrong system. The Dell CD on a non Dell system gives you a Windows that lasts no more than 30 days. There isn't any legit way to bypass and for Dell there isn't even a non legit way to bypass. The Dell CD is trash without a Dell that includes a COA. Lose your Dell, discard your license. >pretty much a useless OS cd in the box if it couldn't be used in a different machine IMHO This wasn't an accident. It was a design goal and it's official Microsoft policy. >I can't get past "This can only be installed on a Dell". Any idea how to get around this? You have a Dell restore CD that is locked to a particular model which is useless for anything but that model. The Windows Install CD for Dell Computers does not produce such a message and is useful for most Dell models. Without your Dell motherboard neither CD will be of any use to you. >Do you know which key I should use for this OS, or should I stick to your first advice A key obtained via your "first advice" is the correct key for the brand it was obtained from so long as it is an original install or proper factory restore. The keys are all the same so keep using it. >but unfortunately if someone steals the product key or cd, and activates another computer your out of luck because you won't be able to reactivate for 120days... This does not apply to the CD key that Dell uses for preactivation. All Dell's get the same key. This allows the CD's to be made at a mastering plant instead of being custom burned for each shipped system. >must back up wpa.dbl This doesn't seem to work any more and is not the least bit needed with a preactivated system. >For anyone who's interested I re-installed an OEM copy of Windows XP Home for a family member last night, using nothing but the original reinstallation CD that came with the PC Very nice but now that Dell is no longer the #1 brand, what about the rest of us who own the #1 brand? The #1 brand (HP) does not supply a ready made Windows Install CD that works on 99.999% of their product line. Dell's CD works so well that some believe that Dell is the only company that has preactivation. Dell is the only one that preactivated reliably before anyone knew how the process worked.

You can install your Dell CD on anything as long as you don't mind reformatting every 30 days and not getting any updates. Your license is only legal for use with a Dell motherboard. You might find that a replacement motherboard from eBay is more convenient and cheaper than the "free" one you'll get from Dell. Read all referenced threads.

Look up Slipstream on the web. The instructions are everywhere and the process is always the same. Copy CD to folder. Modify folder contents. Write new CD with boot sector.

It might be possible if you knew what you were asking. If you have a brand name PC which preactivates with the recovery disks then you can make a clean install CD from what the recovery disks install. You won't be using your own key. You'll use the same key as is used on the recovery disks. You can make your own custom recovery disks after the system is preactivated and set up the way you want. If you have a home built PC then you are on your own.