product key ???

[SPKmes]

Ok, before I start I really don't know if this is allowed and if not I apologize to the powers that be. 

I have 2 laptops that have had windows xp professional....I have lost the disc and have bought a PC for my little girl that has no product key. The only discs I have are XP home, 5 in fact. So the question...Does anybody have a XP home key that they would consider swapping for a XP prof key?  oh yes SP2. Please PM me and we can swap by E-mail...I will scan the code so you can see it is kosher and then post if wanted.

once again sorry if this is not allowed

[ColTomb]

Ckeck your PM for the legal way to do it....

[SPKmes]

Cheers 

[AKDogg]

If u can get onto windows desktop of the laptop, use this program.  It will tell u the product key # of that windows XP that is installed.

If you install the program, run it.  Then look on the left column and click on licenses.  Wa la, u got all the product licenses installed on that computer.

[Bizman]

If I have understood right, the problem is not the key, but a suitable installing media for existing keys.

There's a couple workarounds, although Redmond doesn't necessarily consider them as legal... If a Windows registry key is on a sticker on a computer, the license should live and die with the machine in question. The legal ways are either buy a license, or, if the computer is not aimed for strictly using Microsoft stuff, install a Linux distro instead.

Since it is unlikely that anyone ever would check it, one could use the key code of one computer to install Windows to another one. In your case, if you can find someone with an XP pro disk, you could copy it and use one of your existing licenses. Copying the installation disk is not illegal, in fact Microsoft even recommends using cheap copies for installation.

In many laptops the installation media is no more distributed as a cd, but instead it is on the hard disk. It is possible to make an installation disk from a working Windows, Google will tell you how.

In the case you having several XP Home installation disks, it could also be useful to look for abandoned rigs with an XP Home license sticker. A closer look at garbage cans may well save you some bucks.

[ColTomb]

SPKmes, I told you wrong about how to "find" the product key on an installed OS.
you can use bizman's post, or a free program that doesn't install anything, magic jellybean
http://www.magicaljellybean.com/keyfinder/ that's all it does, tells you the prod. key
for the OS on your system..I assume that all else is OK ??

[SPKmes]

Thanks guys... I have more issue than I first thought...well not really issues but... The PC I bought was only $ 35 and more than good enough for my little girl however (Could run AH so not a total piece of ....), the ethernet connection didn't work and I did nothing about it for the 30 days and now Microsoft can't even help me with the key..It just won't work with anything...A little dodgy I know...(It was purchased through a PC recyclers). Now I can't do a thing, it just won't login to windows desktop for me to start again....I have tried all the keys I have for the disks I have and nothing is allowing me access....Can you tell me how to wipe the OS in this instance so I can start over....is this possible through the bios?.....I have set all boots to Cd but still it boots up and and won't allow me to re format.
I will track down my prof disks or get a hold of one to start over If I can ever get the chance.

[Bizman]

Did I get it right? You had a functional legitimate Windows installed, but didn't activate it in due time? If so, there's no big problem. Just activate it. In case you can't access the Internet with that machine due to firewall restrictions or broken/missing Ethernet card, the system offers you the possibility to do it by phone. Here in Finland they first connect to a robot which does the job most of the time. If that fails, you need the license code to make a new activation attempt. If that fails, you will be redirected to a living person, who will help you. In any case you'd better have the license code at hand.

If you need to know the installation code of a machine you can't log in, you can use the free Ultimate Boot For Windows CD. From there you can find the aforementioned System Information for Windows as a Remote version, which will tell you all licenses on the physical drive.

In case you can't do nothing but a reinstall, an XP installation CD will do all the tricks needed. There's plenty of HowTo's to find in the Net. The keywords would be "XP clean install".

Hope that helped.

[Anodizer]

If I have understood right, the problem is not the key, but a suitable installing media for existing keys.

There's a couple workarounds, although Redmond doesn't necessarily consider them as legal... If a Windows registry key is on a sticker on a computer, the license should live and die with the machine in question. The legal ways are either buy a license, or, if the computer is not aimed for strictly using Microsoft stuff, install a Linux distro instead.

Since it is unlikely that anyone ever would check it, one could use the key code of one computer to install Windows to another one. In your case, if you can find someone with an XP pro disk, you could copy it and use one of your existing licenses. Copying the installation disk is not illegal, in fact Microsoft even recommends using cheap copies for installation.

In many laptops the installation media is no more distributed as a cd, but instead it is on the hard disk. It is possible to make an installation disk from a working Windows, Google will tell you how.

In the case you having several XP Home installation disks, it could also be useful to look for abandoned rigs with an XP Home license sticker. A closer look at garbage cans may well save you some bucks.

Actually, this doesn't work..  You can't take any product key and make it work with any disc(as far as XP is concerned).. 
For instance, you can't take a Sony OEM OS disc (which was usually a set of restore discs before they started using restore partitions instead) and
install it on another system using a different product key..  Or you can't take an XP SP1 disc and use a product key from an XP SP2 disc(or the product key on the machine)..
Or you can't take a Home key and use it with a Professional disc..   

[SPKmes]

Bizman....yes this is correct...however I have called microsoft and they ask me how many PC's this is installed on. I say two as far as I know and they just say ( quite bloody rudely I may add) call back when you can tell me how many it is installed on and hang up.... I will try what you have put up. I just need to get this up and running for my little girl...I should stop being a tight arse and just get a new one....but I will not let this beat me...I will kill that OS installed at present. hahaha

I have placed an XP disc in and boot from disc but will not allow me to re format...it just starts back up from start windows normally......won't allow me to move cursor up or down and time runs out and starts windows...then I am back to square 1.


I may even try linux and then destroy all.

[Spikes]

SPK...once you reformat give Ubuntu a try!
Try pressing F8, I think thats the Windows recovery tool from the install Cd...maybe it's Esc, or F2, or F12...

[Bizman]

Actually, this doesn't work..  You can't take any product key and make it work with any disc(as far as XP is concerned).. 
For instance, you can't take a Sony OEM OS disc (which was usually a set of restore discs before they started using restore partitions instead) and
install it on another system using a different product key..  Or you can't take an XP SP1 disc and use a product key from an XP SP2 disc(or the product key on the machine)..
Or you can't take a Home key and use it with a Professional disc..   

I'm sorry if I simplified things too much. Of course different versions of XP (Home, Pro, Corporate) have different series of license codes. Even OEM and retail codes don't mix. Plus there's some manufacturer versions, that don't allow installing from any other source than theirs. AFAIK you can use a standard unbranded OEM XP Home CD with an HP or Fujitsu-Siemens code, also with some local minor brands and activate them quite effortlessly.

And yes, SPKmes, if you tell MS that the license code is used on more than one machine, they have all good reasons to hang up. One license is for one machine only, unless we are talking about volume licenses, which don't need activating at all. But that's another story.

So if you bought this machine for your little girl with a functional windows installed into it, and the activation was left to be done by you, then you either are the sole owner of that license and thus it's used on only one machine and should be able to be activated with no problems, OR you have been cheated when you bought the machine, in which case you have the possibility to get a legal license for free by revealing the vendor to MS.

So the first thing is to find out the license code used in the installation, second make sure it's been used in your machine only, and third, if it's yours only, activate it. Otherwise, the only legal things to get your Windows working are either to buy a license or to reveal the vendor. Read here about MS genuine software.

Or get a Linux, that's legal too. Ubuntu is actually very nice and intuitive.

And if you really need to reinstall XP from a CD, make sure your machine boots from the CD as a first option. The rest should only need reading skills. If you need additional help doing it, google for it like this.

[Infidelz]

come on guys, lets all send our product keys in. I mean what could be wrong with that?