XP CD-Key Help

RIPSTER

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May 1, 2004

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England

• Jul 18, 2010

• #1

A Friend is paying me to Install XP on his Fujitsu Amilo Li 2727, Came with vista, he hates it. He has a genuine XP pro sp1 CD-Key, but no sp1 disc. Only disc I have is SP3. Is there any way to get the SP3 install of XP to accept the Key from the SP1 COA.

When I try to use the key during installation or from activation wizard it is refused as being invalid, but it is definitely an XP Pro COA

 

Randyman...

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May 8, 2004

• Jul 18, 2010

• #2

You need an OEM version of the Install Disc to match the OEM COA Key. IIRC, W7 omits this OEM/Retail distinction with regard to License Keys, but it's absolutely present in XP. The Service Pack won't matter - I slipstreamed SP2 on to an SP1 disc, and SP3 onto an SP2 disc w/o issues (assuming the key and disc are both "OEM")

 

OP

RIPSTER

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• Jul 18, 2010

• Thread Starter
• #3

First clear and concise answer I've read all night.

thank you good sir

 

Randyman...

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May 8, 2004

• Jul 18, 2010

• #4

No problem! I'm generally a wordy SOB

 

madhatter256

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Jul 5, 2008

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• Jul 18, 2010

• #5

Google or search torrent sites for X08 XP Pro CD. This version will accept your SP1 key. That SP3 CD uses a different CD key algorithm that won't take older keys.

 

Randyman...

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May 8, 2004

• Jul 18, 2010

• #6

DOH! You're right - MS ran out of keys (XP sold that well! ) and had to change the way they generated valid keys. But the OEM vs Retail limitations are still valid AFAIK...

You can always slipstream SP3 onto an SP2 disc as well (nLite) and not have to deal with this issue...

 

CompuTamer

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Brandon Mississippi

• Jul 18, 2010

• #7

Randyman... said:

DOH! You're right - MS ran out of keys (XP sold that well! ) and had to change the way they generated valid keys. But the OEM vs Retail limitations are still valid AFAIK...

You can always slipstream SP3 onto an SP2 disc as well (nLite) and not have to deal with this issue...

Click to expand...

XP is also a decade old

Just get a hold of an OEM SP2 or SP1 disk to use.