Can't do scratch install of XP Home on HP Pavilion with key code on sticker

  • Thread starter Thread starter Tee
  • Start date Start date
Tee said:
It's gone, I had to buy a new one just to attempt the install.


It belongs to a friend, I'm fixing it for her; as I said, I used the
same CD with an XP Home Upgrade key with an eMachines, so the OEM CD &
Key were interchangeable in that case. To me that means they don't
necessarily need to be matched.
Click to expand...

I'm afraid I'm not following you, Tee.

It appears that the PC (which presumably came with a non-volume OEM XP
Home license -- does it?) belongs to your friend, but who owns the
Retail disk? Is it Full or Upgrade? Is the license associated with it
already in use in another PC?

What does "I used the same CD with an XP Home Upgrade key with an
eMachines" mean? What version of Windows was originally on the eMachines
PC?
It didn't, and there's someone else responding that said they
shouldn't. I would side with you, if it were a matter of opinion.
Click to expand...

This is not a matter of opinion; it is a matter of fact. When "someone
else" responded that it shouldn't, they were mistaken. (Perhaps they
were thinking the key was a volume license key obtained though Magical
Jelly Bean Keyfinder or Belarc Advisor. In that case, they would be
correct, but that key is different from the one on the COA sticker.)

If you used a branded OEM disk or if the disk were not the same flavor
of XP as what the license for that particular HP stipulates (i.e., Home,
Pro, Media Center Edition, etc.), then it won't work. Otherwise (i.e.,
using a *generic* OEM disk along with the OEM key on the COA and
assuming the flavors match), it will. Perhaps you made a mistake
entering the characters. An "I" can look like a "1", an "O" can look
like a "0," etc.
 
in message


NOTE: The list of newsgroups in this reply matches the original list,
so the comp.sys.hp.hardware that was added by Tee in mid-discussion
was ignored. Do not add newsgroups in the middle of a discussion.
Users in the other newly added newsgroup won't have any of the posts
in the thread to provide historical context.
Click to expand...

Good catch, I didn't think it would be a problem, I was just doing
some Google Groups searches after my original post and saw that group
was there so I added it. Since the threads have remained in each of
the reponses to which I added the new group, I don't think the
'missing post' criticism is valid. Since I'm replying to you here,
I'll leave the original groups, as you desire.
Well, are you still under the warranty or period for support that you
paid for or was included in the price of the product?
Click to expand...

No, does that mean that the SW license is no longer valid as well? I
need to keep buying it every time a piece of HW fails?
You "received it broken". Hmm, so someone dumped their broken
computer on you? Well, then you knew it was broken and probably would
incur some cost and/or time to get it unbroken. Since you bought or
otherwise "acquired" a broken computer, it's a good bet that a
legitimate license for Windows was NOT included.
Click to expand...

A broken HD is not equivalent to a SW license. Nice try at a new
business model, but no go. Who in their right minds would equate a
crashed HD to additional SW costs? Your claim that this PC doesn't
have a legitimate license is baseless.
A recovery CD is an image. It will wipe out the partition to install
the exact same setup as when HP produced the computer. This [attempts
to] return the computer to its buy-time setup. You lose everything in
the partition where the image gets restored. Some recovery CDs will
also recreate the hidden partition that is tried on bootup to recover
the computer. With a non-OEM install CD, you could elect to perform a
Repair (in-place) install to get the OS running again. However, you
said "crashed HD" which makes it appear that you had to replace the
hard drive, and that means the instance of your old OS install is
gone. An advantage of a recovery CD is that all the drivers and 3rd
party software are already included to get the computer back to its
buy-time state. With an install CD, you'll have to go find all those
drivers yourself, and some of the 3rd party software, like from HP,
may not be available for download (i.e., you get it pre-installed with
the pre-installed OS on the pre-built computer that you bought).
Click to expand...

That's a fair trade-off, if you know you are making it. I assumed that
would be the case, and getting rid of the bloatware 3rd party stuff
sounds like a win. I think it's pretty commonplace to visit the
vendor's site to get specific drivers, so that's not a big deal.
No, not just HP charges for replacement CDs. Microsoft will charge
for replacement CDs. If you have a warranty or service contract that
covers hardware or software, rarely does it include shipping costs.
After all, if they were selling you the OS, the cost would be a lot
higher. You are paying for shipping and handling charges. What, you
thought that everyone should ship you replacement products for free?
Do you ship anything for free?
Click to expand...

You're missing the point, I didn't suggest that anyone should send me
anything for free. I was saying that I should expect to be able to
install XP using Microsoft's own media, and using a key code that came
with the PC. Like other manufacturers do.
Click to expand...

No other manufacturer allows you to use a retail copy with a OEM code from the
side of a pc.They all have their own customized installs of XP. Not just HP.
By the tone of your reply, you're clearly trying to bait me into a
fight. I'm going to focus my efforts on fixing the problem at hand, so
feel free to swing wildly. I won't respond. I just wonder why people
who aren't willing to help will waste so much more time & energy
lashing out at people they don't know.
Click to expand...

Get the damn recovery CD's from HP and be done with it.
 
The product key from the HP sticker will not work with a retail distribution of
Windows. Microsoft uses different key generation algorithms for XP retail,
OEM, upgrade, Home, Pro. Even the OEM SP2 versions have different key
algorithms between the original SP2 and the latest SP2c.

May I say that it is possible to install XP and use the product key from the
bottom of the system? How? If one does not have any HP XP install CDs, a
Dell XP install CD (for example) will install properly. Then, before
attempting to activate the product, use the free Keyfinder to change the product
key. Thereafter, the XP activates OK, and Windows updates even work properly.
I have heard that this works properly. Is it legal or a violation of the
Microsoft licensing agreement? Only Microsoft can tell. Or can it?

Dell is one company that shipped (and still ships on request) true Windows
install CDs, albeit with a Dell logo that says "restore" on it. Other
companies, notably GateMachines, ship restore CDs based on Ghost... Ben Myers
 
Dell is one company that shipped (and still ships on request) true
Windows
install CDs, albeit with a Dell logo that says "restore" on it. Other
companies, notably GateMachines, ship restore CDs based on Ghost...
Click to expand...

The Dell XP install CDs I have seen don't say "restore." They say
"Reinstallation."
 
I don't believe that could have worked. Perhaps he is mistaken about one or
the other.
 
An OEM cd will have "For use on a new computer or a computer without an
operating system" printed on it. Does the cd have that on it? If not it is
likely a retail cd.
 
A recovery cd commonly writes an image to the hdd rather than installing the
software by using Setup.
 
Better try retail upgrade and full edition product keys against each other.
I believe that you'll find that upgrade and full edition cd's do not require
anything other than just a retail pk of either kind. I have successfully
used full edition pk's with upgrade edition cd's and vice versa.
 
I would take "reinstallation" to mean restoration to factory condition. If
it were a standard OEM XP cd it would say "for installation on a new
computer or a computer without an operating system." In other words,
installation rather than reinstallation.
 
Daave said:
I'm not sure I agree with this statement. Unless this HP laptop had
a volume license associated with it, the original owner can't keep
the original XP Home license because it is tied to the laptop. Sure
if the original owner had loaded XP Pro on it using a Retail or
Upgrade disc, he or she would have the option of retaining *that*
license.
Click to expand...


Hmm, you're probably right on that. It would be an OEM license from
HP. That means the owner has to surrender all installation media and
the license in the sale. However, it appears there was no sale and
that the OP is probably repairing the laptop for the original owner.
Since the owner didn't create the recovery CDs, the OP will have to
tell the owner that the owner needs to order the recovery CDs. The HP
products key the OP is trying to use won't work with the OEM and
retail CDs that he is using to reinstall Windows. From the bouncing
around from the product key sticker and the OP using retail CDs, I'm
not sure what version was originally installed on the laptop. Don't
OEM versions have "OEM" in the product key?

Some installs are BIOS-locked but I don't know if the product key
reflects that fact.
 
Clearly that is a Dell cd rather than a Microsoft XP (hologrammed) OEM cd.
You would have to view the files on it to know whether it transfers an image
to the hard drive or is basically just a modified MS cd.
 
Clearly that is a Dell cd rather than a Microsoft XP (hologrammed) OEM
cd.
Click to expand...

Yes, this is what Ben and I have been talking about.
You would have to view the files on it to know whether it transfers an
image to the hard drive or is basically just a modified MS cd.
Click to expand...

If you were to view the files, you would see it is a slightly modified
Microsoft XP installation disk.
 
You can trust me on this one. I have refurbished and reloaded Windows onto
countless Dell boxes I have resold in the secondary market.

Whether XP Home or XP Pro, the Dell reinstallation CD reinstalls Windows from
scratch, little different from an OEM Windows install CD. It goes through all
the steps that one would see if mindlessly watching any other Windows install
running from scratch. When installed on a system with a Dell motherboard BIOS,
it does not request a product key and it does not require activation, so
obviously there are some smallish differences with a big effect somewhere in all
the binary bits. It also leaves the installer scouring about for drivers for
any devices which came to life after the original XP classic betaware was
released. For all practical purposes, this includes drivers for most any
Pentium 4 motherboards. Dell also packages (maybe past tense by now) another
CD with the drivers for whatever motherboard is in the system. One exception,
the Dell SP2 reinstallation CD, just like the OEM and (I think) retail versions,
has slipstreamed SATA drivers, doubtless as a consequence of major serious
pressure on Micro$oft from both the hard drive manufacturers and the name brand
companies like HPaq and Dell... Ben Myers
 
Then at least you can do a repair install and use the system file checker
with it in addition to reinstalling the system. You can also make a
slipstreamed cd for keeping up to date with the current service pack. Does
it include any Dell proprietary drivers or are those on a separate Drivers
and Utilities cd?
 
Colin Barnhorst said:
Then at least you can do a repair install and use the system file
checker with it in addition to reinstalling the system. You can also
make a slipstreamed cd for keeping up to date with the current service
pack. Does it include any Dell proprietary drivers or are those on a
separate Drivers and Utilities cd?
Click to expand...

In my case, there is a separate Drivers and Utilities CD.
 
Just for your info, I arrived at this site because I also have receive
a zd8000 for to be reinstalled (viruses/spyware etc.) from a friend
and thought I'd google before trying the install. (It made me a bi
worried!)

He also had no backup/restore/install disks.

I've just done a brand new install using the OEM CD belonging to my P
(but using his XP product code). Worked perfectly, and activate
without problem.

Maybe your problem lies elsewhere? Good luck anyway
 
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