Windows Product Key

S

surajvuk

New Member
I've been running a part-time computer service and with modern computers they tend to have a recovery patition or recovery CDs to reinstall windows/reset to factory settings. So no product key violation.

But what if the customer only has a product key sticker on the computer. Will the product key work with a copy of windows ?

Please also advise i should be recommending to this type of customer.
 
It *should* work fine. Those keys on prebuilt machines are OEM, so online activation won't work, you will need to ring them up to register.
 
I'm pretty sure it's legal to download a copy of that OEM's OS disk for re-installation, if there's no recovery partition.

If you're doing this with a Dell, you don't even have to put the key in...
 
Cheers thank you, does it matter if the OEM CD is only Service Pack 1 or does it require to be more specify to the product key?
 
surajvuk said:
I've been running a part-time computer service and with modern computers they tend to have a recovery patition or recovery CDs to reinstall windows/reset to factory settings. So no product key violation.

But what if the customer only has a product key sticker on the computer. Will the product key work with a copy of windows ?

Please also advise i should be recommending to this type of customer.
Click to expand...

With XP, as long as it is not a "retail" disc or another OEM disc (from Dell, Gateway, etc.) then it's fine. The OEM discs that NewEgg sells for system builders also do the trick.

surajvuk said:
Cheers thank you, does it matter if the OEM CD is only Service Pack 1 or does it require to be more specify to the product key?
Click to expand...

Doesn't matter. Though with XP, slipstreamed SP3 installs make life faster.
 
So is there are more than one type of OEM?

I have a windows xp shipped with a HP laptop i was going use this on a sony vaio desktop. Will this work?
 
surajvuk said:
So is there are more than one type of OEM?

I have a windows xp shipped with a HP laptop i was going use this on a sony vaio desktop. Will this work?
Click to expand...

No that won't work. That HP OEM disc is tied to the HP it was shipped with. If you try to use it with the sony, it will either not work, or it will install but the product key won't be accepted cause it's not the one from the HP.

If it's XP you're better off forking over $100 and buying a copy off NewEgg.
 
Drenlin said:
I'm pretty sure it's legal to download a copy of that OEM's OS disk for re-installation, if there's no recovery partition.
Click to expand...

Technically it isn't. Unfortunately MS and the various PC vendors (as far as I know) don't supply an official channel to download the OS without paying for it again. I've always felt they should though. We shouldn't have to download an OS via torrent when we lose our installation media.
 
thanks everyone i will get hold of oem windows xp home edition and possibly expanding this to the current version of windows.

What i want to do now is provide a recovery solution to these types of customers any suggestion on this??
 
In my experience, any OEM key will work with any OEM installation, and any retail key will work with any retail installation, provided that they are for the same version of Windows. Also, in my experience, the service pack does not matter at all.
 
surajvuk said:
thanks everyone i will get hold of oem windows xp home edition and possibly expanding this to the current version of windows.

What i want to do now is provide a recovery solution to these types of customers any suggestion on this??
Click to expand...

Create a copy of Windows slipstreamed with drivers and the auto-product key using nLite.
 
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