Simple XP SP2 To Tablet PX edition

[Nouki]

Hi,

I have a little question...

is it possible to transform a install cd of a windows XP pro SP2 to a Tablet PC edition ???

[aresgodofwar]

from what i understand tablet pc is windows xp pro + tablet stuff. you would have to have the tablet stuff and know how it was integrated with xp pro.

[Nouki]

I search how to integrate. I have found a stuff of Tablet PC on WinXP CD but how to integrate ????

[arablizzard2413]

Unless you have Windows XP Professional disc 2 (which contains the Tablet and Media Center files) there is no way to integrate. The only way to install the Tablet files is by using a Tablet PC serial number, and the only way those files will work is if they are on a Tablet PC made by an OEM. Unless you have a Tablet PC and a Tablet PC serial number, there is no way to install or use the software.

is it possible to transform a install cd of a windows XP pro SP2 to a Tablet PC edition ???

The Service Pack 2 contains the needed files to update a Tablet PC and Media Center, the install will work for those types of installations but you still need valid keys and Windows XP Professional disc 2. If you do not have a valid serial number (that came with your computer or from MSDN) and the second disc, then you CANNOT do this. If you make an integrated sp2 install cd from the retail version of Professional, then you have the same cd that Tablet PC's use, and can use that with the second cd. Judging from your question, you do not have Tablet PC and should not be attempting this, otherwise you would be using the Tablet PC cds that came with your computer instead of asking how to transform the install cd into Tablet PC.

[Gionames]

arablizzard,

I got a tablet pc but the OEM cd that came with the tablet isn't a full blown WinXP TPC install cd. Instead it is a "recovery cd".

This means if I want to reinstall the system, I end up with xp sp1 with no progs installed other than manufacturer s***s...adding sp2, office03, adobes...the whole thing eats up hours! which keeps me from reinstalling even if I would benefit from a clean reinstall.

The problem, if I am not wrong, is how to make a XP TPC unattended install cd given a XP pro cd and the recovery cd from the tablet manufacturer (acer in my case).

Any idea how to do this?

thx

Gionames

[DisabledTrucker]

The problem, if I am not wrong, is how to make a XP TPC unattended install cd given a XP pro cd and the recovery cd from the tablet manufacturer (acer in my case).  Any idea how to do this?

thx

Gionames

Though you can incorporate the two, I would doubt that unless your able to load it with a DVD, you'd be able to do it all on a CD. If it were possible to put it all on a CD/DVD, then I would suggest you take a look at the folder structure of both disks, and see how they are layed out. If there are files in an i386 folder on the Disk 2, then you would have to worry that your not overwriting something important on the Disk 1, unless it's needed to make it work. You also will want any drivers from the Disk 1 so you can install it once your done slipstreaming everything. Not having Disk 2 myself, I couldn't tell you exactly how to go about doing it.

Though I would venture to say, that unless your using the OEM disks from the manufacturer, the key you have wont work with any other purchased copy of the disks as they are usually coded to a certain disk. Which is my problem with HP's MCE that I have. Without the actual OEM disks, I am screwed as I cannot just download the Disk 2 from somewhere and use my copy of XP Pro with the Disk 2 to make the slipstreamed copy using the key I have from my HP computer.

From what I was told by M$, the keys that they send to manufacturers such as HP/Compaq, are keyed to certain disks/computers. Therefore, if you go to an OEM supplier and get a copy of a disk from them, (being the same exact O/S version such as XP Home/Professional/MCE/TE,) the key from the HP/Compaq wont work that new disk as it's coded to a certain disk. The key from my Mac OS X Virtual PC version of XP Professional, for example wont work on my PC as either a stand alone copy of XP Professional or on the Virtual PC for the PC. The Home keys I have from my HP Home, won't work with an OEM CD with Home that can easily be purchased from places such as New Egg for use on another computer, as they are keyed to the disks that put them on the comptuer to begin with.

Hope you can understand my explanation of this, I realize it's a tad long winded, but that was how it was explained to me by a M$ tech at their 900 number, also what it says on the M$ website, after I did an exhaustive search there for it. I finally found it, from an email they sent me to the link, which I no longer have due to a recent reformat of my HDD's, I lost it.

Edited September 11, 2004 by DisabledTrucker

[Gionames]

DisabledTrucker

That's really weird. I'm not an expert so I can't comment on M$ techies but I recall a friend of mine managing some 15 computers with XPs . Each time he had to reinstall, he used the same key for any of the computers. I know he had a legit license so maybe it was a Corporate license and key, which may work differently from XP professional and home , not to mention Win TE and MCE.

(rant ahead)

Anyway it doesn't seem too fair selling a computer without the possibility to reinstall and personalize the system (unless you don't care spending an afternoon doing stupid things like launching installation programs, typing keys in, and of course getting rid of bad OEM software in your laptop). If M$ does all this for piracy prevention, it does pop up to everyone's eyes that the sole person who they put in trouble is the legit user.

That said, I think there should be a way out. First, anyone can suggest what l should look for in the TabletPC OEM recovery CD in order to slipstreaming it into a WinXP Corporate CD?

Thank you in advance - gionames

[DisabledTrucker]

DisabledTrucker

That's really weird. I'm not an expert so I can't comment on M$ techies but I recall a friend of mine managing some 15 computers with XPs . Each time he had to reinstall, he used the same key for any of the computers. I know he had a legit license so maybe it was a Corporate license and key, which may work differently from XP professional and home , not to mention Win TE and MCE.

Not being sure how they do it, but from what I was told from M$ the keys that are attached to the sides of the case from HP wont work with say an OEM disk that you can purchase from New Egg for example, so unless he was using a new key, or one that was from his MSDN account, then I am unsure how he was able to do it, to a system such as HP/Compaq. For those which have OEM disks such as you can purchase from New Egg included with their systems, using their key attached to the side of their cases, shouldn't have been any different than using one of his from his MSDN account.

Anyway it doesn't seem too fair selling a computer without the possibility to reinstall and personalize the system (unless you don't care spending  an afternoon doing stupid things like launching installation programs, typing keys in, and of course getting rid of bad OEM software in your laptop). If M$ does all this for piracy prevention, it does pop up to everyone's eyes that the sole person who they put in trouble is the legit user.

They figure the "legit" user wouldn't care one way or another and wouldn't want to "personalize" their system beyond what the manufacturer has already done. Furthermore, they can't and don't control how the manufacturer supplies the files to restore the system, and from what they told me was that different compainies have "different licenses" which allow them to do it different ways.

Apparently companies such as HP/Compaq, get around the How To Tell (see also attached file,) by putting everything on a restore partition on your hard drive.

But if your HDD becomes corrupted you have nothing else to resort to when you replace it. HP/Compaq says that you should send your entire computer back to them and it could take up to 4 weeks for you to get it back, when all it was is a defective hdd, to replace the hdd along with the software. They will reblast a hdd for you and put it in, or at their descrepancy send you a new computer altogether.

That for me poses a problem, because if I have a p.o.s. hdd, I am going to ship it back to the manufacturer, and they aren't going to have the O/S to reinstall on it, which leaves it to me. So HP/Compaq, will for another fee send you disks that they, (didn't when I got my computer mention,) say you are responsible for not only providing, but doing yourself the copy of the restoration disks from a utility which, either isn't or barely, documented outside of their website. Someone who is in need of this information, isn't going to look for it untill it is needed, then you have to hunt it down through multiple searches to find it.

HP/Compaq feel if you want a copy of these M$ softwares on CD you'll either provide your own disks and use their utility to perform a "backup" of their system, or you can pay them, (about $20 U.S.,) for a copy of them. Which is a complete violation of M$ own policy, as M$ specifically states, that when a purchaser buys a computer that has M$ Windows "blasted" on it, it has to come with the actual CD's to replace that software with if it's destroyed on the HDD for whatever reason. HP/Compaq has since modified their installations so that now it tells you to start with to provide 7-8 CD's to copy this before it will let you into Windows.

But that still is not what it says on M$ website, that they are the ones responsible for providing the actual CD's that they used to burn it with to begin with. This is something HP/Compaq cannot do apparently because they only have a "few" copies of the original disks and modify it's installation to "suit them" so they cannot provide the individual owner with these disks.

So to me, the individual owner is screwed, unless they either return the entire computer and seek one elsewhere, go out and buy, (at full cost, around $200-300 U.S.) the full version again, or do as they say and live with it. Mind you, if you go the route of buying again the full version of M$ windows, your HP/Compaq's warranty is void and you have to do all the customizing yourself, along with attempting to find the non-existant to barely locatable drivers that your computer will need to install the O/S back.

Since your comptuer is an HP/Compaq, (for example of course,) your not going to get the actual manufacturer of the hardware to help you because HP/Compaq even screws around with the hardware to where the actual drivers from the actual manufacturer of the hardware wont work or wont work correctly, so you will need drivers from HP/Compaq to get it to work, which they wont provide unless you either pay extra for them or you somehow modify the drivers they initially shipped with their products to work.

That said, I think there should be a way out. First, anyone can suggest what l should look for in the TabletPC OEM recovery CD in order to slipstreaming it into a WinXP Corporate CD?

Thank you in advance - gionames

I give you some advice in my previous post, but beyond that your on your own, unless someone is willing to allow for me to download from them an .ISO with the disk 2 from both MCE and Tablet for purposes of researching this. Yes, I do have an HP MCE, but I don't have the Disk 1 & 2 from M$, mines all in a "recovery set" that I got from HP to restore my system. It would take me a few days or so, but I believe I could debug it and figure out what it would take to produce a single CD/DVD to do what he is asking.

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