Comments on: How to Tell What Type of Windows XP CD or License Key You Have

By: John Calgar

John Calgar — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 23:48:53 +0000

All topics very helpful, but has anyone come across my situation?

I recently bought a secondhand DELL laptop which has a License key for Windows XP Pro. However, the OS on the computer itself is Windows XP Home, which seems to suggest that at some stage, there has been a reinstall, but not as per the License sticker.

Despite the latter, everything seems to be working correctly, and Windows updates are occurring perfectly OK, but is there any (simple) way for me to change from the Home version to the Pro version, especially as the laptop does have a License key for XP Pro?

(The laptop didn’t come with any XP CDs, whilst I do have a ‘reinstallation CD’ for XP Pro which came with my DELL desktop PC).

Thanks

By: Nic B

Nic B — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 07:18:20 +0000

Well, the generic key worked but not my key generated by Jelly Bean – even when I tried to change the key using various methods! Will try to activate over the phone with MS later but it looks like we may have to upgrade to Windows 7 before the 30 Day Activation period runs out.

By: Nic B

Nic B — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 10:09:41 +0000

Erik has raised a topic which has puzzled me for ages. Why does Jelly Bean sometimes reveal the same product key as is on the COA and sometimes something which is completely different?

I am attempting a repair (XP Pro OEM) on a PC which was rebuilt using the Product Key generated by Jelly Bean but, the repair installation now says that this key is invalid!

I will try the generic key quoted by MikeB and report back.

By: Erik

Erik — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 05:54:01 +0000

If all you have is a generic OEM WinXP cd, and don’t have the OEMBIOS files for the Manufacturer, you can still install. However, you can’t use the SLP key the Manufacturer used (this is the product key you find when using jelly bean and will be different from COA key). The generic XP OEM key from Microsoft will probably not work either (don’t know for sure, haven’t tested). Instead, you have to use the COA key located as a sticker on the outside of the computer. It will work like OEM Product key that must be activated. The 1st time, it should work online. After that, you may have to activate through phone or MS may just give you another key if you reason w/ them and tell them you changed hard drive. I have used the COA key recently on a computer and was able to activate online using a generic OEM XP disk.

By: Bryce W

Bryce W — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 16:45:20 +0000

Granto, noone is going to show you the key over E-Bay. They would just copy and paste that and never buy the product.

By: Granto

Granto — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 16:11:11 +0000

Your information is very generic and not specific at all if one is attempting to buy XP on eBay. There must be something about the key itself that identifies the version and you ignore that completely.

By: MikeB

MikeB — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 22:56:55 +0000

For those curious:

Step 2 makes the CD bootable (not needed, but a HECK of a lot easier).
Step 3 ties the install to the hardware which is what makes this legal and allows it to pass WGA. The install is the same, it’s only the source that’s different.
Step 4 tells the install to accept OEM keys instead of retail ones.

By: MikeB

MikeB — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 22:52:24 +0000

If you have a branded PC (Dell, Compaq, HP, etc.) and
If that PC uses XP Pro and
If you have an XP Pro retail CD and
If you are comfortable making a custom, bootable CD then

Yes, you can make a new XP disc that can be used to reinstall that system. It will be legal and it will not require activation and it will pass WGA because it uses the “license” that comes with the computer. I put “license” in quotes because this process will use a generic key from MS’s site that will work due to this install re-tying the OS to the hardware.

Step 1: copy XP CD to your HD.
Step 2: extract the boot image from the CD or download a new one (search the net for instructions or a copy).
Step 3: replace 4 files in the \i386 folder with the ones from the computer in question (or from a matching branded computer). The files in question are all named OEMBIOS but with different extensions. They need to be compressed; makecab.exe in the same folder will do it. Note: only three are needed, but I got tired of remembering which three.
Step 4: open setupp.ini and modify the pid entry so the last three characters are OEM. In my case, it’ll look like Pid=76487OEM (full strings can be found all over the net).
Step 5: burn the new CD. It should be identical except for those 5 files.

XP Pro generic OEM CD key from Microsoft’s own website:
MVF4D-W774K-MC4VM-QY6XY-R38TB

If the case has a COA sticker, that key should also work.

If the system uses XP Home and has a COA sticker, the same process should work; but use the COA key!

A lot of sites all over the net have you making a LOT more changes than these. Many of them are convenient but these are the bare minimum required to make this work.

By: Mark

Mark — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 19:58:38 +0000

Hi, I bougt a IBM thinkpad at a gov. serplus sale with no hdd.(I installed a new one) It’s sticker said “windows xp pro, IBM corporation” on it. All I had was a oem dell xp pro disc, I used that and it installed and during the install it went to ibm and got all the drivers for touch pad and such and all seems to work fine. My question is, is there any advantage to have used the ibm disc? Is there functions that the mboard isn’t using as the disc was not meant for this specific computer? Not sure how to tell as there are no problem devices and all seems fine but if there is an advantage to using the ibm disc I would like to reinstal with the ibm disc if I could find one.
Cheers

By: ajhoward

ajhoward — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 08:52:56 +0000

Does anyone know how to find out the license type with Windows Vista Ultimate?. If it is in a proper case, does that rule out a MSDN license, if it doesn’t is there anyway to distinguish whether it is MSDN or not?. I ran the WGA diagnostics, and it showed up as 5 – Retail. I gather that it is definately not OEM because I know that they don’t come with a case.