Re: XP product key............

"BoyPete" <petcrow@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:58fh5pF2gda52U1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
pmj wrote:
<snip>
There are plenty of standalone KeyFinder Utilities you can get
for free.
NirSoft ProduKey 7 Magical Jelly Bean will both do it - they Run as
a standalone Executable File & show the Key (& also Create a Text
File with it in)...

http://nirsoft.net/utils/product_cd_key_viewer.html
http://nirsoft.net/utils/
http://magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder.shtml
<snip>
BTW - the Product Key *isn't* stored on the CD itself.
So you can actually use any Product Key with any CD.
Subject of course to using the right *sort* of Product Key for the CD

The type of CD that it is is specified in the Setupp.ini File, in
the i386 Folder on the CD.

& there are different types of Product Key & CD, such as Retail, OEM,
Academic, VLK (Volume Licence Key), Full, Upgrade etc.

So long as you use the right *type* of Product Key for the type
of Install CD that you are using, it doesn't matter which Product
Key you use.

(Except that it will affect the WPA - windoze Product Activation,
which checks the Hardware that it's Installed on & makes an
Activation Code based on a "Hash" of the hardware & the Product Key).
The idea of that is to try & stop people from Installing it on
more than one PC.

'That's what I,m concerned about.

One of the Conditions of the WinXP OEM EULA - End User Licence
Aggreement (that is included with every Legitimate OEM Install CD),
is that when the Package is Opened & the Operating System is Installed
on a PC, the "System Builder" (i.e. the person doing the installing)
is *s'posed* to take the Sticky Label off the Wrapping & Stick it onto
the PC itself.

That's done, so as to avoid precisely the sort of probs that you
say you are having!
:-)

If the person doing the Installing of an OEM Installation (the System
Builder - i.e. you!) does it properly & according to the Rules, then
there's never any Confuzzlement about which Product Key goes with which
Installation.
:-)

Thanks :)

No probs! - You're welcome!
:-)

Of course there are some (legitimate) reasons why someone might
actually want (or need) to Extract (& Decode) the Product Key
from the Registry, which is why there are Utilities available
(such as those mentioned above), which will do it.

--
pmj


.

Relevant Pages

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