Win XP key on sticker not recognized as valid

[Chuck(G)]

Was that true for XP? I've had one on a HD partition that works fine even after changing processors (started life on a P2, still running after several iterations on an AM3), not to mention motherboards. But again, it was an MSDN version.

 

[Agent Orange]

According to MS, if you are a system integrator use may use the OEM key for your build and then must sell or otherwise move the unit. We all no that MS won't hold your feet to the fire for a small infraction of the rule. I recently used an OEM key on a build and even installed it on 2 different mobo's and MS seemed to be okay with that when it came time to activate.

 

[Svenska]

Note that what Microsoft says and what the law says are two different things. In the EU for example, the EULA that comes with Microsoft products is void.

Only the parts of the EULA which contradict EU law are void within the EU, the remainder stays valid (salvatorian clause). Also, while some parts may not apply to me or to you, they may still apply to Bill-kun. Resales are not permitted everywhere.

Generally, everything in the EULA is valid until successfully challenged in court, anyway. And not everything written in the EULA has been enforced, either.

License, product key, and media are separate. Having one does not necessarily entail the other, and the details depend on the license in question. For example, a Windows 3.1 license does not include a product key, and a Windows 10 license may not include media. Having a product key only allows you to use the software within the restrictions provided by the license (and, of course, your local law) - it's not a free-for-all, even if the key you've got may work.

Was that true for XP? I've had one on a HD partition that works fine even after changing processors (started life on a P2, still running after several iterations on an AM3), not to mention motherboards. But again, it was an MSDN version.

Yes, some versions of Windows XP will require re-activation if the hardware changes - but not all.

 

[Chuck(G)]

I've also installed XP POSReady 2009 on various systems. I don't remember it needing activation and it was supported until sometime in 2019. I quit using Windows on a regular basis after Win7, so my memory on this MS stuff is a little fuzzy.

 

[Bill-kun]

Doing the online thing it wanted the number on the sticker of the Dell, I entered this and it became activated. This is how things should be - a legitimate hardware failure meant that new hardware had to be found, even though it's different.

Amen!!

 

[Bill-kun]

Product keys are not licenses.
...
Product keys are not licenses.
...
Again, product keys are not licenses.

... Wait ... what?


Then ............................................................................. what's the difference?

Does MS seriously still honor registration by telephone? In which case, what information do they make to tell them, and what information do they tell you? Is there some particular number of registration calls before you get red flagged by their records and they won't play with you anymore?

I think my reason for asking this is a bit of disbelief that they would use choose to support registration via such a now incredibly inefficient technology (their human on a telephone instead of their infinitely faster Internet-connected automated server) yet still require registration.

No idea. Haven't tried. Microsoft is also unlikely to tell you. Not a good question.

With all respect, I say the fact that MS is unlikely to tell is exactly what makes this a very good question. Like Robbbert said:

Real example with Vista: Another find - everything had been stripped from this chassis, except the hard drive, oddly enough. Putting the hard drive into another chassis gave a working machine, with no sign of any issues. Rebooting it however suddenly caused complete lockdown - the only thing you could do was to try to activate it. It couldn't activate online unless I installed IE9, but you can't install anything in this state (it had an older version of IE). So, there was no choice but to reuse the HD for something else. This lockout was not the best way to handle changed hardware.

The thesis of this thread (of course) is that I'm frustrated at even being just a little bit thwarted by them for me to use their 20-to-25-year-old operating systems (that they are certainly not still making a profit on, that they don't support anymore, and that no one in the modern computing world would want to depend on) on 20-year-old computers that I now physically own, just so I can enjoy some vintage games or whatever on actual vintage hardware.

 

[dabone]

XP introduced SLP activation, which most ODM (Original Device Manufacturer) used to activate. It was a copy of xp with oembios.* files that were customized for the oem bios strings.

Very easy to crack/exploit. I ended up using SLP on my white box systems for years, using the intel bios tools. Every machine had a legal copy of XP, but my end users didn't need to enter the COA.

System Locked Pre-installation

Also, the keys between 32bit and 64bit aren't cross compatible.

 

[Agent Orange]

... Wait ... what?
View attachment 1262164View attachment 1262165View attachment 1262166View attachment 1262167View attachment 1262168

Then ............................................................................. what's the difference? View attachment 1262169


I think my reason for asking this is a bit of disbelief that they would use choose to support registration via such a now incredibly inefficient technology (their human on a telephone instead of their infinitely faster Internet-connected automated server) yet still require registration.

With all respect, I say the fact that MS is unlikely to tell is exactly what makes this a very good question. Like Robbbert said:


The thesis of this thread (of course) is that I'm frustrated at even being just a little bit thwarted by them for me to use their 20-to-25-year-old operating systems (that they are certainly not still making a profit on, that they don't support anymore, and that no one in the modern computing world would want to depend on) on 20-year-old computers that I now physically own, just so I can enjoy some vintage games or whatever on actual vintage hardware.

When calling MS to activate, one of the things that they look at is the status of that particular key in their data base. If that key is currently installed elsewhere or appears to be counterfeit, you are SOL. Same when activating online. There is a gray area when talking to a MS tech where you may be able to explain your existent circumstances and they may ask you to agree to remote access, and issue a new key to your system. Then again, you may get a tech somewhere in the Pacific Rim who has no sympathy for your situation. Happened to me on a W7 issue last year and forced me to "buy" a new CD.

 

[Lutiana]

I checked an old MSDN license agreement. It says that I'm authorized for 10 installations. Maybe not retail or OEM, but a special category?

I'm pretty sure that would be the VL version then (volume licence), which is different from the retail and OEM versions. They use a MAK (multi activation key) rather than a standard key, and you can also setup your own activation server for some of these keys.

 

[Chuck(G)]

Makes sense, particularly if you were doing device driver development--you'd want to try your driver out on as many systems as possible (MCT). At any rate, I never ran into the 10 installation limit in practice, regardless of the number of systems I installed it to.

Wonder how the later Windows licenses detect that you're running Windows in a virtualization box (e.g. VirtualBox). I'd think that those could be copied across as many systems as you'd like.

 

[Svenska]

... Wait ... what?

Since I don't like to be spammed with stupid meme images, I will tell you that a product key is a number and a license is not. I'm out.