Lord Wolf

Yeah I've seen references, I believe on a Microsoft site (like answers.microsoft.com) and by a MS employee who clarified that it's okay to borrow a disc, so long as they use their own unique key (said in a way that basically says that a key can only be used on one install at a time). Not sure if you and I are on the same 'page', but when you say "outside of official avenues" and whatever, if it's not by legal means then I don't want to risk it. I'm sure that's what you were referring to but just clarifying my stand on things. If someone (be it me or someone else) is able to provide a link to an ISO and it can be demonstrated/proven that it's legal, then I'm sure that the staff of this site will be fine with it, although asking first would definitely be a good step to take. Since no one seems to have been able to provide such a resource yet, odds are that there are no resources (legal ones that is). Oh well, just have to hope I can come across that disc if I'm unable to 'piece' one together myself. If not then just have to deal with not using the key. I have multiple product keys for XP Pro, so not a big deal unless I come to a point where I actually NEED one more key.

Trust me, if I find one, I'll be sure to share. Of course before doing so, as I'm sure you can understand, I'll be checking to make sure that it is legal/legit. Not only because I don't want to get into any trouble for sharing it, but also to ensure that I don't download/use something that could have a trojan in it.

As explained to you in reply to the PM you sent to me and harassed me there despite being told to not talk to me anymore, you made yet another assumption.For anyone wondering what's going on, his reason for linking to a topic of mine from a few years ago was because he assumed that I was trying to be sneaky/deceptive by making this topic. To quote him, "Did you not think it would be noticed?" My reason for asking about the differences back then from curiosity and wanting to learn. In this topic, I was asking for a legal source for where I could download an OEM ISO from since I do have a legal key in my possession but am missing the disc. So no, I wasn't trying to 'get over' on anyone or anything else implied by the question sent to me in PM. So to submix8c, no I'm not a NEW user, despite you calling me one, nor am I the one skimming instead of reading (your actions have already outed you on that). To everyone else, sorry about this post but after getting a PM where submix8c's made his intentions clear for why he made his reply, I felt it necessary to fill in the blanks for others. Thank you for your understanding and I look forward to future interactions minus the harassment.

The step by step is indeed useful. I don't recall saying anything about being able to have it be 'pre-activated'. Not sure what you're on about with the 'unique' key thing, as I can use the same key multiple times, just so long as it's sequential usage and not concurrent usage (ie, can only have that key in use on one install at a time, but when that key is no longer in use, I can then use it again). I was rather clear on remaining legal with my use of the keys and such. I recall clearly saying that I knew you weren't implying that I was doing anything illegal. In fact, I quoted the part where I said it and you can even compare it to the post I said it in. As for going on a 'diatribe', I did no such thing. The closest I came to that in the post was in stating that I'm not the one who needs to read. Not only did you accuse me of constantly 'pushing' for something despite what I was being told (which I did not do), what I have quoted from you (above) also demonstrates it as well. I do appreciate your help, but, again with all due respect, please read what I'm saying and not assume you know what I'm saying despite not reading it. I didn't say you were implying that I was doing anything illegal (and in fact, I stated that I knew you weren't). I said that on purpose so that when I stated my position and clarified my use and intentions, anyone reading it would know I wasn't under the impression that you were hinting at something.Again, I do appreciate help that you provide, but please read thoroughly, because you appear to skim and then make assumptions (at least in this topic).

Don't know how I overlooked this reply. Anyways, it says "Micro-Star" on it and it doesn't match either of the two on the link you provided but I know it's authentic as I've seen the same type of COA on other laptops from other manufacturers.

Well MSI is an OEM as well, so maybe I am confused about what kind of disc you actually have. Does the COA on the netbook say MSI (or Microstar) on it? And the XP Home disc you have, is it a hologram disc?The recovery disc isn't a hologram disc, but at the same time, it's not a straight XP disc. It's customized and I'm sure designed to only work on certain hardware, namely the netbook, vs being able to use it on a custom built desktop. Has MSI printed on it along with a few words of legality ('For Distribution Only With a New MSI Notebook PC", that's typed exactly as I see it, including capitalization) and the what it's intended use is. Well , if Lord Wolf and allen2 CANNOT possibly have one of those, they don't exist and they weren't talked about in this thread until you revealed "Confidential" info .... . If it's not legal for me to have it, then whether or not it exists is irrelevant to me. Wasn't asking for a source to obtain an illegal copy or to illegally download a copy of anything. If it's not from a legal/legitimate source, I don't want it, plain and simple. Aside from it not being legal, I would be concerned that it's infected and would compromise my privacy/security. 1. If by 'generic' you mean the same key being sold to multiple people, I seriously doubt it. If you mean it being just one of many keys from a bulk pile sold to the store I got it from, then most likely. 2. The recovery disc is, as you would imagine, one that 'pre-activates' the computer and I *think* repartitions the entire drive and rebuilds the recovery volume, so the computer (netbook) is the same as when I first got it. 3. I have the XP Pro FPP (as well as w/SP2 and w/SP3) in ISO form. 4. In relation to #3, I have multiple product keys, *ALL* of which are legal/legitimate and were obtained through legal/legitimate means. I have at least one OEM key that I'm aware of and at least 3 FPP keys that I can think of off the top of my head. Getting into Vista and 7, I have multiple keys on those too, mostly FPP, but again *ALL* legal and legitimate. I know you're not implying it, but just to cover it, there isn't anything illegal going on. It's simply the fact that I'd like to be able to do the install and use the OEM key. After all, when using a key for one install and then doing another XP install (either on another machine or in a VM), I'm legally required to use a different key since no two installs can legally use the same key at the same time. At least, that's my understanding of the license, is that to have to have a unique product key for each install. As a side mention, there are a couple of computers running a Home version of 7 that I'd like to upgrade to Pro, but as the keys I have are already in use, it will have to wait. One key I do have free is for an x86 version and that's the one I plan to use on the Netbook for the install of 7 on it. (The other machines are 64bit.) 5. If I could find that OEM disc of XP Pro w/SP2, then I could easily slipstream SP3 into it and that'd be the end of it. Considering it was bought with a piece of equipment (as required in order to buy the OEM version from that particular dealer), I'm certain that it's pretty much the same as FPP, in that nothing has been customized/tailored by the store I got it from. From the list of files you provided, I might be able to duplicate one. Just need to find a way to pull the files off of the 160gb hard drive or something. I do want to repeat though, that the keys I have and am using are legitimate and were legally obtained, and want to make sure I remain within the legal limits when it comes to running more than one install of XP. If I ever need to do another install on the netbook, it would be beneficial to use an OEM key on it since it would make sense to do it that way. (Whether or not the key printed on the pretty Windows XP logo sticker on the bottom would work or not, I don't know, I haven't tried it. I tend to ignore those keys.) To use it though, I know I'd have to use an OEM version of XP. The last I remember, OEM keys won't work on FPP discs and vise-versa. As for my 'pushing' for a solution, I have only stated and restated my intentions. If there isn't a place to download it legally (such as from msdn.digitalrivercontent.net) then obviously it can't be done. Not about to go using P2P file sharing sources because, as I mentioned above, aside from it not being legal (at least to my understanding), there would also be the concern of it being infected. The risk on that alone is a big NO for me. If you go back and re-read this topic, you'll see where a majority of the conversation is discussing the different OEM type discs. It wasn't me repeatedly asking for a link despite being told a dozen times that it's not legal. And on the FPP benefits (ie support), my mention of that was from my findings in the past, ie, a few years back when it would have applied to me. I didn't say I installed FPP to get the benefit of support, only that the differences between FPP and OEM (in my instance) boiled down to it. Huge difference. You mention, in all caps, about reading. With all due respect, it would seem that you either didn't fully read, or you misread, what was said.

From the responses I'm getting, I apparently wasn't very clear with a certain point that I mentioned. I already have an OEM key and SOMEWHERE around here I have an OEM disc of XP pro w SP2 (purchased from a computer store, I believe with the purchase of a HD, but may have been with something else, it's been awhile since the purchase). Without that disc or an ISO (OEM of SP2 or SP3), the key is useless. When I mention about an OEM image, I'm referring to a generic one, not one for a specific computer. I know I can't use the product key that is provided with the netbook because, for one thing among others, it's for XP home. I prefer to have Pro, so I get additional functionality. My desire for an ISO of an OEM version is simply to be able to make use of the legit key that I already have, instead of it going unused and thus being wasted.As for the generic bad/fake keys, trust me, I only obtain keys from sources I know are legit. The computer store that I got the key from, I had been going to for a few years for various things. They're still in business (last I checked), but they've since moved to another location (further away) and I haven't needed their services. Basically, if anyone were to ask about them, I'd mention that I've had good experiences with them, just that I don't go there anymore. This is how I got mine. I remember comparing it to a FPP disc and found out that there were only a few files that were different (like 3 or 4 small files). From what I could tell, it was nothing more than a FPP but with changes made so it would only accept OEM keys. Nothing customized and for all intents and purposes was an FPP disc, but without the FPP benefits (namely, support from MS).

Thanks... 1. Since the last update for it was in 2009 (I think it said 2009, could have been 2008), I wanted to ask to be sure that a new tool hadn't come out in place of it. Is it also used for Win7 or is there a separate tool for that? 2. Will look into that, thanks. 3. A list that is limited to updates only for a pure XP install (content only found on a vanilla XP w SP3 disc) is exactly what I'm looking for, so if that's what the list is, then it's perfect. 4. Will read, thank you. 5. I thought perhaps Microsoft might provide a vanilla OEM ISO, where a distributor could add in stuff before using it for customers. I know somewhere I have an OEM disc of XP w SP2, just a matter of finding it.

If it's hosted on msdn.digitalrivercontent.net then it's legit, it's put there by Microsoft so it wouldn't be illegal. There may be another domain or two that are legal/legit but digitalrivercontent.net is the only one I'm aware of.

Okay I've tried googling this site for a few different things and the results that I come across either don't appear to address what I'm looking for or it seemed confusing or the answer wasn't clear (not to me at least). So I'll go over what I'm looking for with the questions at the end. I have an MSI Wind U100 netbook. It came with XP Home (OEM of course) and had a recovery volume along with 2 discs (one is a DVD, not sure if the other is a DVD or a CD but that's not important). Since it doesn't have a built in DVD rom, an external one is needed (which I have and used recently). Had to do a reinstall because the hard drive was starting to fail. Got a 320gb from NewEgg (WD3200BEKT for $59.99) to replace the 160gb (WD1600BEVT) and decided to install XP pro using one of a few keys I have (320gb 7200/16m vs 160gb 5400/8mb ). I used nLite to slipstream in the SATA drivers from the recovery DVD (mentioned above) and where possible, I also added in drivers that didn't get installed via self installers. I know it's possible to do automated runs of the other installers but I'm not looking to get super fancy with it so decided I'd install those after the process (NBD). From that I used WinSetupFromUSB to make a bootable USB drive to do the install. After the install and then entering in a product key, I did all the necessary (and some optional) updates. Okay everything seems great except, as Paul Harvey would say, here's "the rest of the story." I had tried to create a partition on the new drive (at the end) to act as a recovery/installer partition. From what I can tell, it HAS to be a primary partition (easy enough). I was hoping to build it to be an installer for XP pro and 7 pro (32bit on both) so I could have a choice of which to run. However when trying to run the XP installer, I'd run into issues. First was a BSOD of 0x7b which I believe was from the fact that I hadn't yet streamed in the SATA drivers. So pulled everything apart to get the drive out, mounted it in my main system, updated the files, tried again and still more issues. Okay so after some frustration, just broke down and did it from the USB. I also tried to use EasyBCD to try to do things but to no avail. So now the questions... 1. Is nLite still the popular/main/recommended method of customizing XP installs? If not, what is? (I'll admit I didn't really do a search on this but the 'read me first' topic mentioned nLite but not anything else so I'm going to guess that nLite is the way to go unless told otherwise). 2. Is there a 'fool proof' way of creating a install/recovery partition that will allow me to choose which OS to install? 3. I know there's a list somewhere of KB updates for XP on this site and I'm sure I can find it if I look for it but the question is this.. Is the list solely updates that are valid for 'all' XP products or does the list include updates for optional add-ons (dotNet updates for example). What I'm wanting to do is to have a list of updates that I would need if I were to install everything from a FPP disc of XP Pro/SP3 but nothing else. ie, no custom devices, optional installs like IE8, etc. Idea being that I want to create my own concept of a "SP4" ISO so if I need to reinstall the OS on the netbook, it'll require fewer updates to be caught up. Granted, I'll have some extras in there as well such as certain drivers, but would like to create a 'SP4' ISO that I can build off of. 4. I'm so used to 7 and haven't been tinkering with XP in so long that I've forgotten, how do I disable NumLock On inside of XP during boot? I had toggled it to be on via nLite, forgetting that it turns part of the keyboard into the numpad. So you can imagine that it can be annoying when it boots up and numlock is enabled. Also it seems to turn off by itself, which is weird, but would like to ensure it's set to not be on during boot. 5. Is there somewhere that I can download an OEM version of XP Pro w/SP3? I don't mean from a torrent but rather a link to download from someplace like DigitalRiverContent.net, so that I know I'm getting a clean copy. Now to go re-learn how to use the $OEM$ folder while waiting for replies...

I had asked on another site as well (social.ms) and basically a paid version of Server R2 should be able to do it, even if it's just a core install. The free version (Hyper-Visor or whatever the true name is) doesn't have it since it's just a bare bones product.

I've done that. As I've found out, it's not possible in the stand alone version (free version from MS) . I may just have to resort to installing an actual core instead of a stand-alone in order to accomplish this. Thanks for the response.

This is the best place I could find to post this topic since Hyper-V is generally a part of Windows Server 2008, so please move the topic if it should be elsewhere. I've got a couple of shares set up within Hyper-V so that other computers can access files within those folders. The dilemma I'm facing is that I don't know how to disable the requirement for a username/password to access the shares. If it were a more full version of WS2008, I'd go to the network sharing center and change the settings there. However with stand-alone HV, there is not sharing center to go to. I was hoping someone might know of another way to change the settings so that if a share is set to 'everyone', then it won't prompt for a password (otherwise they need to have the proper credentials).

Don't think theres a way to do partitions in XPLook at my app in my sig for XP, it integrates drivers as long as they are .inf based. It will also do Fox, Tbird and 4-500 more applications. Build the CD/DVD one time and you have it. Done that years ago starting with XP and keep updating and now doing same with Vista/Seven Already mentioned that it's not worth it to make an unattended. Installs are so infrequent in this household that by the time one would get used, the drivers and software would be outdated. I'd want the install to be either be fully up to date or only been slightly out of date, but not by a year or so. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for learning stuff on unattended, just that in this circumstance, it's not worth it.