Invalid Product ID

[jsposato]

Anyone ever encounter this before?

You use XPCREATE to make a Win2K CD. After the hardware discovery process, it pops up a 'Your Product ID is invalid' error. When it shows the product id from the winnt.sif file, it is the correct one! Re-entering it gives me the same message.

I have installed 2K from the source before, so I know it's valid. Any chance there's an option either in XPCREATE or the winnt.sif that could cause this?

Thanks

[Alanoll]

perhaps it's a blacklisted key. Could always happen.

If upon reentering, it still doesn't work. Perhaps the key is invalid.

[jsposato]

No, it's our Select License Product Id. They would have told me if they blacklisted it. I work for a University, and our keys are valid. We don't do the piracy thing.

The key is valid, as I've used it before. Besides, this is Windows 2000, which requires no activation.

[turbomcp]

windows 2000 select versions dont need any product keys:)

its not like windows 2003/xp select

so dont bother

delete the productid from winntsif

[jsposato]

I think you are confusing product id's and activation. You always need a product id to install Windows. However, select licenses don't require activation. Windows 2000 didn't have activation anyway.

The product id used to work, then I started tweaking winnt.sif and XPCREATE. My last two CD's have given that error. Manually entering doesn't work.

Just wanted to know if anyone else has had this problem or knows what could cause it.

[turbomcp]

beleieve me

i am not confusing anything with anything else

you can verify this

if you have select agreement with microsoft

then :

1.windows 2000(all versions) dont need serial(productid) and you have no activation.

2.windows 2003/xp needs serial(productid) but doesnt need activation(when using select versions only).

thats the whole story

if your cd does prompt you for serial when using select windows 2000 cd's then you are not using select or you modified files other then winnt.sif

[jsposato]

Ok, I'll test. If so, then I'll have to start from scratch.

Thanks for your replies.

[jsposato]

Ok, so after hours of digging I found that the media I have was bought before we got the Select license.

Any chance that using the OEMPreinstall stuff is causing this since it's possible that the the Product ID is not and OEM product id? I just started trying to use the $OEM$ folder when I started getting this message.

Thanks.

[Alanoll]

shouldn't matter. I've tried the OEMPreInstall with a Retail and OEM copy of Win2k. Never had a problem. Same with Windows XP.

[jsposato]

My original CD says not for retail or OEM distribution. So, I figured by trying to do the OEM stuff in the winnt.sif file, perhaps it wouldn't accept a non-OEM product id. I am testing this now, but does anyone have the answer?

[Alanoll]

Using OEMPreInstall does not change how the Product key is identified. It jsut sets a flag for the $OEM$ folder to be copied over. Have tried removign it and see if it works again? Shouldn't make a difference, but seeing as how XPCREATE is going to save you 300 man hours, you could use 1 trying it

[jsposato]

lol, yes I am trying that now.

[tarquel]

Hi all

Skimming thru this quickly I'd just like to add this:

Volume licensed products can be "OEM" installed - by whatever custom methods are needed, just like the OEM equivelents.

However, a volume Product key *WONT* work with OEM media, any full product version (as I recall) or vice versa.

Putting simply, only the following will work:

- OEM Product key = OEM Media

- Volume/Select Product Key = Select Media

- Full Retail Product Key = The Full Retail Media

I think this applies for most, if not all of the many windows OSes out there so providing you followed this rule, if you still get problems when using XPCREATE and unattended installs, I suggest that you double-check your other settings.

Remember to use a failsafe XPCREATE build before you add more.

Note: I also use select products in my educational work place.

Regards & hope this helps,

N.

[ToBe]

Windows 2000 select media does not need any product key. You can check if it is a select media by opening the file setupp.ini file in the i386 folder. If the line pid=XXXXXXXX ends with a number higher than 200, it's select media.

[GreenMachine]

Looks like most everyone else posting here knows more about select media than myself: I only use what's included in the MSDN subscription. Still, nice to learn something here for a change! Thanks, all you helpers, for your input. Just wish there was a way I could convert those 300 hours (and I do believe it) to 300 hundred GreenMachine Beach Hours! Florida? How 'bout 300 Daytona Beach Spring Break Hours! (Though my neck would get sore from all the turning, my eyes dried from the popping, and my belly wet from from the drewling ... )