severach

Most COA stickers are usable however they will not preactivate and will activate only by telephone. Some folks report that Microsoft won't activate their keys any more for any number of problems including because they've been used too many times and because they are being used on hardware different than issued with. Those keys are a big hassle and should be avoided. The OEM didn't use the key on the side of the case and you don't want to either. Here are the instructions that show you how to make the same no hassle install CD that the OEM used for any brand: http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=63258 >You're best bet may be to contact the maker of the computer to see if they can provide you with a new copy of the OS media for recovery. He doesn't want the recovery disk which is outdated and full of crapware. He wants the install without the OEM crap and Dell is one of the few companies that provide one and it raises their prices to be able to provide it. The recovery partition has all the special IBM info needed to produce the IBM CD from a standard CD.

Read the EULA when the new WGA installs. Right at the top it says it collects the IP and CD Key (Product Key). According to official reports they weren't collecting the CD key before. Why might they do this and place it right at the top for all us click-throughs to see? What are they going to do with that data that needs such hardening against class action lawsuits? This is all speculation. Think of a company who's VLK key hasn't escaped or has escaped but is tightly guarded. The reports will primarily come from one IP address, maybe a few others from people who have taken the key home or are traveling. Think of a University VLK key that has traveled around the state and beyond. If it hadn't traveled around the state the reports will come in from a large set of similar IP's. If it has it will come from an even larger set of very different IPS. Geolocating the IP's will help tell how far the spread is. Microsoft reviews the license with the institution and blacklists the key if the spread is too wide. Now that Vista is out and XP is pretty much dead shouldn't those institutions be giving out Vista VLK keys which are checked by a KMS server. The institution might choose to have the key blacklisted when presented with the additional bill for all the verified installations. Every time you reinstall and change the hash and report with the new WGA the institution potentially pays for another license. "You've paid for 100,000 installations and we have verified 250,000 installations. The additional bill will be $" "Go ahead and blacklist the key. We'll just reissue, and we would like to order some Vista keys. They are secure right?" It's all speculation so all I'm saying is that I've imagined a possible way that Microsoft could kill large numbers of VLK installations. A few still associated with the institution will get a new key and it may not be free. These might be some of those WGA screws that Balmer is tightening trying to push his crapware.

The normal use of KB905474 is to bug users with non legit windows until they go legit. This new WGA is collecting the CD Keys and IP addresses. I expect that those legit VLK keys that are being used all over because everyone thinks they are safe from the Eye of Microsoft will be blacklisted soon.

Each royalty can buy Home, Pro, TabletPC, and MCE volume keys. Dell has a volume key for MCE. Note that they are not the same as Volume License Kit (aka Corporate Edition) keys.

I don't mean to be arrogant. I just know that you'll give up if you burn a few bad ones. Starting with an OEM CD gives you the most likelihood of completion. Once you've done it a few times and have working examples to compare to you could try to build the disks from the folders on the hard drive created by the restore CD's. Here is a hologram cd. You can buy one, borrow one, or obtain one by other methods. The above CD as purchased installs with the key included. If you install this on a system that already has an OEM windows license you are purchasing an unnecessary extra license. If you have a big brand computer then a license is already on your case and the instructions in this thread show you how to build an install CD from the above CD that matches that license. Unless you have time or friends to learn how to build an install CD and can leverage that knowledge over many systems you might waste less time by purchasing a clean install like the one above and forget about preactivation. The new CD is a modification to the above CD which adds the CD Key and updates the OEMBIOS files so the new CD will preactivate with your system. To do that you will be copying the entire CD #1 onto the hard drive. Update 4 files and add 1 key file. Then you obtain an XP boot sector from online sources, then write out a new BOOT ISO CD with Nero or CDImage. CD #2 will function correctly as provided. The process is similar to "Slipstream" for which detailed instructions can be found all over the web. >Is it possible that I delete the trial softwares from the Recovery DVDs Consider the recovery CD's as unmodifiable. The most you could do is to restore them, modify the system to remove the stuff, and build new ones. There's a lot of tools involved in that process that you don't have. >Sorry cant find the OEM HOLOGRAM......in the recovery DVD kit? HP does not provide one because it gets them a better deal from Microsoft. Microsoft would rather OEM's supply crappy restore disks that apply only to a small number of models rather than generic install CD's that apply to a large number of models. HP would rather supply you with restore disks because tech support can lead most anyone through a restore and they like the revenue from the software deals. Dell supplies clean install disks for those who ask. For the other brands you'll need to live with what you got or learn to make your own.

If you already knew how to build an install CD you could do it from the right folders on the hard drive after those DVD's are restored. Since it appears you don't know how you should start with an OEM copy of MCE as instructed.

>Is this correct? You got it. >A friend has a 'generic' copy of media center 2005 That's the disk you need but if it is a Retail copy you'll need to make a quick mod to Setupp.inf before writing the new CD. Instructions are all over the web. >Thats why I wanted to strip and re-build my OS from the install disks I already have. You can write CD's from the I386 folders from your hard drive but it is less likely to produce a working CD and harder to do if you don't know what a CD looks like. You won't get the apps either. Those were added by HP staff after install before ghosting. >But I didn't want to try to install that because it seems it does not have 'some' of the things I do want to keep.. That is an impasse. You need to find the installers for these apps. Most of what they supply is trial or crippleware which is why I don't want any of it. I'd rather use the full program or none at all. If you need the trial programs you can just uninstall the stuff you don't need from a system restore or hunt around for the installers. Sometimes HP provides the installers on the disks or in hidden folders on the hard drive. A few might be on the HP support website. >Perhaps I'm wanting to go about fixing my problems the wrong way? The problem is solved if you decide the freebies are bad and go looking for the good versions. Sonic MyDVD is $50 and Easy Media Creator is $80 and that's if you don't go looking for sales. They don't make it easy to get rid of their bloated installs.

The only difference between HP's windows and an OEM or Retail you buy is that HP's will preactivate on select HP/Compaq hardware and match the license already afixed to your case. If you don't care about preactivation buy a new copy at the computer store and afix a second license next to the first. If you want to install the Windows that matches the license you already have build the preactivated CD. You can't remove the bundled crap from the system restore but you can restore your system if formatted already, extract the key and OEMBIOS files with the scripts provided, then produce a perfectly clean Windows XP install CD that matches your OEM hardware.

Yes, you can. http://episteme.arstechnica.com/eve/forums...74/m/1400925745 You can also send your motherboard in for repair.

http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=52012 When running MGADIAG pay particular attention to "Validation Diagnostic." Blank means you are A-OK. A long hex code may not immediately cause the system to be non Genuine but it does indicate there is some problem. You may find that the failing systems show hex MSOOBE can tell you that the local activation was successful but the system hasn't really passed until you do the online Genuine check. The online check usually happens during Windows Update but you can force it to happen here: http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/ This installs Microsoft's WGA spyware tool so use XP-AntiSpy or other utility to remove it after the check is complete if you don't approve.

It can't work in a home built legally.

One of the many reasons I install with FAT32 is to permanently prevent the file system from using compression.

Sounds like your laptop has a touch screen and you're using TabletPC or Media Center Edition. TabletPC and Media Center Edition have a second disk to them. The first disk is essentially the same as a XP Pro CD and the second disk has the Tablet or MCE addon. Pro and Home disks don't ask for a second disk preactivation or not.

Try deleting your CATROOT2 folder. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/910359 . I don't rename it I just delete it.

It is not necessary to extract all that. Start with a new install CD and only extract only the pieces you need to obtain preactivation. http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=63258

Build your own http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=63258

Petzold Programming Windows is the way to get started. Win32 API is quite easy if you build everything on a dialog box. The Dialog Box Manager does all the hard work for you. Here's a sample project. http://smorgasbordet.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2059

http://www.dagondesign.com/articles/window...comment-page-5/

This change occurs because of Google Searches. A Google search will drop you into whatever thread style happens to best match your search terms then the forum saves that style as your preference.

Here is a scanner for those that install from single disks because they can't figure out how to produce a multi disk or are troubleshooting why their multi disks won't preactivate. It scans the BIOS and reports which OEMBIOS.CAT CRC's are expected to preactivate. It is a DOS program so you can identify what to install before installing. Version 1.0/148/56 1/15/2007 (86 downloads) Version 1.0/156/59 3/15/2007 (9 downloads) Version 1.0/158/60 4/1/2007 (105 downloads) Version 1.0/168/66 8/23/2007 (501 downloads) Version 1.1/249/99 10/4/2009 (105 downloads) Version 1.1/273/106 1/23/2010 (3 downloads, this version is perfectly acceptable but includes 4 unnecessary Evesham table entries) Version 1.1/269/106 1/23/2010 OEMBIOSv11_269_106.ZIP

http://www.granneman.com/techinfo/linux/th...ndhardlinks.htm A soft link is a separate file usually a few dozen bytes that points to another file or folder. Windows has its poorly integrated soft .lnk file and Unix has a better integrated and more transparent soft link. A hard link causes the same real file to appear in multiple places. The file system must support it which is why it can't be done in FAT32.

Preactivation trumps saving the WPA.DBL which doesn't work half the time anyways. The strikeout OEMBIOS files are ones that you don't want because there is another that supersedes it. They are listed to indicate that they are not wanted for submission.

Here's now to construct an install CD. http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=63258

The Royalty key alone is useless because it can never be activated. It must be paired with the set of OEMBIOS files that matches your Royalty OEM computer which makes the key preactivate. This won't work for a build-your-own system.

Theoretically speaking a program that is 1KB long is likely to be faster than a program that is 1PB long. Realistically speaking there is a strong correlation between program size and speed. This is probably because the authors that care about their memory usage are the same authors that want their programs to be fast and reliable. The authors that don't care about memory usage are the same ones that buy crashy bloated libraries from any low quality vendor just to add one more unnecessary gewgaw. All the memory in the world can't counteract the poor quality products that result from practices that use too much memory. Lazy bloatware programming is fine for occasional use programs but there's no place for it with stuff that sits in your system tray particularly when it monitors everything that goes on in the system. Either you're perfect or you're out!