XP repair install / EULA issue...

[RJK]

Hello,

I've tried to ask this question before, in here, and to be frank, am still
not clear on the issue.

e.g. a XP Home ed. system box has come in for repair, and whilst Windows
updating it, online, the "tan" coloured MS "Windows Genuine Advantage"
tool/window appears to alert that "this" is an "illegal" or "pirate" copy of
Windows. Of course one can cough up ones credit card no. | license it
online with MS | and do the "hotfix" etc. (I've done that for other
machines).

As a slightly cheaper alternative;
IF, I had, ready to hand, an unused/non-activated XP Home ed. OEM SP2b or
c - can I slap that in and do a "repair install" ? i.e. would that then
produce a legal PC ? ...which would preserve motherboard and other drivers
etc.

regards, Richard

 

[Shenan Stanley]

I've tried to ask this question before, in here, and to be frank,
am still not clear on the issue.

e.g. a XP Home ed. system box has come in for repair, and whilst
Windows updating it, online, the "tan" coloured MS "Windows Genuine
Advantage" tool/window appears to alert that "this" is an "illegal"
or "pirate" copy of Windows. Of course one can cough up ones
credit card no. | license it online with MS | and do the "hotfix"
etc. (I've done that for other machines).

As a slightly cheaper alternative;
IF, I had, ready to hand, an unused/non-activated XP Home ed. OEM
SP2b or c - can I slap that in and do a "repair install" ? i.e. would
that
then produce a legal PC ? ...which would preserve motherboard and
other drivers etc.

If you had another UNUSED and GENERIC OEM license (Product key and all -
never been opened, never been installed on another PC) - you could do a
repair install (or possibly - and even easier - just change the Product key
to the new one form the CD/License combo you are referencing) and be good to
go...

Someone had to pay for that CD/product key though - otherwise, where'd you
get it?

If you do a Repair install - do this after:

Updates are not installed successfully from Windows Update,
from Microsoft Update, or by using Automatic Updates after
you repair a Windows XP installation
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/943144
(Try it even if you did a clean, not repair, installation.)
(Try it even if you performed some sort of restore - not repair install.)

If you just want to try changing the product key to a legitimate one:

The Genuine Advantage Product Key Update Tool is only valid for
users attempting to change their current non-genuine Product Key
to a genuine COA sticker or genuine Product Key - all without a
reinstall!
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=50346&clcid=0x409

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

I assume you are selling the system builder OEM cd to the customer and would
have done a clean install under other circumstances. A repair install would
not disturb the drivers, apps, files, or settings. One problem you may
encounter is if the service pack level on the computer is different from the
cd you are using. SP2b or c would be OK as long as XP Home SP2 is on the
hard drive now. The 'b' or 'c' is just a designation for a system builder
rollup of updates since SP2 released and does not constitute a different
service pack.

 

[RJK]

Thanks for your response, ...much appreciated, ...I think ...... :-(

"Someone had to pay for that CD/product key though - otherwise, where'd you
get it?"

Not sure if you've slightly misconstrued my question ?
....it would have been bought, by me, with my money, ...of course ...how else
?!
....and then charged to customer ...where else would I get one ???

Not knowing, (and not being interested in, AND not having the time to read
up on), how an MS product code gets "embedded," into a specific Windows
installation), I simply wanted to know if it is functionally possible, and
legally acceptable, to "repair install" a pirate Windows installation, with
ONE THAT HAS BEEN BOUGHT. ...which really couldn't have been politely
interpreted, in any other way from my original post, ...thinking about it !

I work along these "lines," when, on the odd occasion, I get a machine with
pirate Windows in it. Back out any required user data | flatten the system
| sometimes zero fill the hard disk and | and reinstall from scratch,
....with a new, PREVIOUSLY UNUSED, UNACTIVATED, BOUGHT, BRAND SPANKING
NEEEEEEEW copy of Windows ...sorry, didn't mean to shout.

To save a little time, compared to installing from scratch, and at the same
time clean up some possible security risks likely to be lurking "in there,"
(i.e. a repair install helps clean away many sins , ...I thought I'd ask
about over-installing, and what the implications are with the
license/product code, ...that was all ?

....in any event, I wouldn't fancy just changing the Product Code on one of
these, (relatively), rare babies, ...I wouldn't feel as though I'd done a
thorough job !

regards, Richard

 

[RJK]

....sigh, ...though, thanks sincerely for your reply,

"I assume you are selling the system builder OEM cd to the customer and
would
have done a clean install under other circumstances."

Correct !

I have previously fought with updates failing after a repair install, I
think I had to re-register some *.dll's if memory serves.
Due to age, and failing memory, that fix is in my HowTo directory

regards, Richard

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

A repair install is a standard solution to replacing a pirated OS with a
genuine one. The alternative is a clean install but that requires
reinstallation of apps, etc. and the customer may not even have the media
for all his apps (usually doesn't).

Thanks for your response, ...much appreciated, ...I think ...... :-(

"Someone had to pay for that CD/product key though - otherwise, where'd
you
get it?"

Not sure if you've slightly misconstrued my question ?
...it would have been bought, by me, with my money, ...of course ...how
else ?!
...and then charged to customer ...where else would I get one ???

Not knowing, (and not being interested in, AND not having the time to read
up on), how an MS product code gets "embedded," into a specific Windows
installation), I simply wanted to know if it is functionally possible, and
legally acceptable, to "repair install" a pirate Windows installation,
with ONE THAT HAS BEEN BOUGHT. ...which really couldn't have been
politely interpreted, in any other way from my original post, ...thinking
about it !

I work along these "lines," when, on the odd occasion, I get a machine
with pirate Windows in it. Back out any required user data | flatten the
system | sometimes zero fill the hard disk and | and reinstall from
scratch, ...with a new, PREVIOUSLY UNUSED, UNACTIVATED, BOUGHT, BRAND
SPANKING NEEEEEEEW copy of Windows ...sorry, didn't mean to shout.

To save a little time, compared to installing from scratch, and at the
same time clean up some possible security risks likely to be lurking "in
there," (i.e. a repair install helps clean away many sins , ...I
thought I'd ask about over-installing, and what the implications are with
the license/product code, ...that was all ?

...in any event, I wouldn't fancy just changing the Product Code on one of
these, (relatively), rare babies, ...I wouldn't feel as though I'd done a
thorough job !

regards, Richard

 

[Shenan Stanley]

Thanks for your response, ...much appreciated, ...I think ...... :-(
"Someone had to pay for that CD/product key though - otherwise,
where'd you get it?"

Not sure if you've slightly misconstrued my question ?
...it would have been bought, by me, with my money, ...of course
...how else ?!
...and then charged to customer ...where else would I get one
???
Not knowing, (and not being interested in, AND not having the time
to read up on), how an MS product code gets "embedded," into a
specific Windows installation), I simply wanted to know if it is
functionally possible, and legally acceptable, to "repair install"
a pirate Windows installation, with ONE THAT HAS BEEN BOUGHT. ...which
really couldn't have been politely interpreted, in any
other way from my original post, ...thinking about it !
I work along these "lines," when, on the odd occasion, I get a
machine with pirate Windows in it. Back out any required user data
| flatten the system
...with a new, PREVIOUSLY UNUSED, UNACTIVATED, BOUGHT, BRAND
SPANKING NEEEEEEEW copy of Windows ...sorry, didn't mean to
shout.
To save a little time, compared to installing from scratch, and at
the same time clean up some possible security risks likely to be
lurking "in there," (i.e. a repair install helps clean away many
sins , ...I thought I'd ask about over-installing, and what the
implications are with the license/product code, ...that was all ?

...in any event, I wouldn't fancy just changing the Product Code on
one of these, (relatively), rare babies, ...I wouldn't feel as
though I'd done a thorough job !

I misconstrued nothing - you left out facts and I assume little - if I
assume anything, I state I am assuming it so there is no mistake that I am
assuming something so if my assumption is incorrect - you may not want to
read further. ;-) Without the fact that you bought this OEM on your own -
without the purchase of a computer - and would then be selling it to your
customer - I would have been assuming if I did not ask/infer.

Truthfully - in my opinion - a thorough job is not done when doing a repair
install either.

If the product key/license is not legitimate, the chances the media it was
installed from might have been tampered with increases - and all manner of
other things could have been installed with the OS. Simplistic changes that
would get around AVs/firewalls and such because of their actions and the way
those actions are performed.

Doing a repair installation may not get rid of those issues - but a clean
install would.

 

[RJK]

Quoting myself from my OP, what could, "unused/non-activated XP Home ed. OEM
SP2b," be, pray tell, other than "NEW," and how would one obtain a new copy
other than by buying it ?

Anyhooooo, rather than continuing to split that particular hair, thank you
for the useful and helpful sections amidst your posts !

regards, Richard

 

[Shenan Stanley]

Quoting myself from my OP, what could, "unused/non-activated XP
Home ed. OEM SP2b," be, pray tell, other than "NEW," and how would
one obtain a new copy other than by buying it ?

Anyhooooo, rather than continuing to split that particular hair,
thank you for the useful and helpful sections amidst your posts !

I don't know you.
Therefore, I cannot tell your level of experience on these matters from a
single post.
Here's what all that COULD mean - dependent on your level experience, life
choices, different ways of looking at things, etc...

"A copy ______ gave me and told me was unused."
"Fell off a truck."
"Found in a closet."
"Got it from the computer that came in at work - they installed their volume
license on it before I ever saw it turn on - so this is unused, right?"

And because it is unused does not mean it is "new"...
It could have been sitting in a closet since July 2007.
To me - that is not "new".

Semantics - but something to think on when posting to thousands of
strangers. ;-)

 

[RJK]

Thanks again,

To clarify, across many past years, I've only really ever used
over-install/repair install to fix problems, in areas unfamiliar to me,
that began to look very like they were going to take a long time to resolve
i.e. hunting them down. The odd system box that turns up with a pirate copy
of Windows, (and oddly enough, in every instance, the customer was
completely unaware of this ;-) ...and there was little or no backing up
trequired), so one simply installed from scratch. Incidentally, I never did
completely pin down the reason that a sprinkling of, "in-use," machines that
came to me, a couple of years ago, wouldn't reinstall, (legitimate XP's btw
Shenan - s'bound to be peeking!), XP afresh, until the hard disk was
zero-filled, ...but that's another story !

regards, Richard

A repair install is a standard solution to replacing a pirated OS with a
genuine one. The alternative is a clean install but that requires
reinstallation of apps, etc. and the customer may not even have the media
for all his apps (usually doesn't).

Thanks for your response, ...much appreciated, ...I think ...... :-(

"Someone had to pay for that CD/product key though - otherwise, where'd
you
get it?"

Not sure if you've slightly misconstrued my question ?
...it would have been bought, by me, with my money, ...of course ...how
else ?!
...and then charged to customer ...where else would I get one ???

Not knowing, (and not being interested in, AND not having the time to
read up on), how an MS product code gets "embedded," into a specific
Windows installation), I simply wanted to know if it is functionally
possible, and legally acceptable, to "repair install" a pirate Windows
installation, with ONE THAT HAS BEEN BOUGHT. ...which really couldn't
have been politely interpreted, in any other way from my original post,
...thinking about it !

I work along these "lines," when, on the odd occasion, I get a machine
with pirate Windows in it. Back out any required user data | flatten the
system | sometimes zero fill the hard disk and | and reinstall from
scratch, ...with a new, PREVIOUSLY UNUSED, UNACTIVATED, BOUGHT, BRAND
SPANKING NEEEEEEEW copy of Windows ...sorry, didn't mean to shout.

To save a little time, compared to installing from scratch, and at the
same time clean up some possible security risks likely to be lurking "in
there," (i.e. a repair install helps clean away many sins , ...I
thought I'd ask about over-installing, and what the implications are with
the license/product code, ...that was all ?

...in any event, I wouldn't fancy just changing the Product Code on one
of these, (relatively), rare babies, ...I wouldn't feel as though I'd
done a thorough job !

regards, Richard

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

You're welcome.

It gets somewhat easier with Vista in that an in-place upgrade does what an
XP repair install does but from the desktop of the pirate system. If the
computer is not infested and the software looks OK Vista supports even a
simple change of the pk without going through all the gyrations.

Good luck with your customers.

Thanks again,

To clarify, across many past years, I've only really ever used
over-install/repair install to fix problems, in areas unfamiliar to me,
that began to look very like they were going to take a long time to
resolve i.e. hunting them down. The odd system box that turns up with a
pirate copy of Windows, (and oddly enough, in every instance, the customer
was completely unaware of this ;-) ...and there was little or no backing
up trequired), so one simply installed from scratch. Incidentally, I
never did completely pin down the reason that a sprinkling of, "in-use,"
machines that came to me, a couple of years ago, wouldn't reinstall,
(legitimate XP's btw Shenan - s'bound to be peeking!), XP afresh, until
the hard disk was zero-filled, ...but that's another story !

regards, Richard