[RichM]

According to Microsoft

Quote

To protect the volume licensing version of Windows XP:

Run the following command to encrypt your Windows Setup answer file:
c:\flat\winnt32.exe /encrypt:"xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx:y" /unattend:filename
This command uses the following place holders: • xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx is your Volume License Product Key.

• y is a value ranging from 5 to 60. This is the time in days that you want this script to be valid for.

• filename is the script that you want to encrypt the Volume License Product Key in.

Well 60 days isn't much of a shelf life, I reckon. We're not real keen on sending our VLK to our staging center in clear text... so absent a better suggestion from someone here, looks like we may attempt the following. Please suggest something better if you know of it!

* Bootable WinPE/XP/AIO DVD comes up and runs a little exe. This exe has the key embedded in it and will:
- copy the winnt.sif to the hard disk (or maybe we call it something sneaky like wxp86.dat)
- run winnt32.exe /encrypt"embedded-key-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx" against this file
- kick off winnt32 /unattend:winnt.sif

That seems like a lot of work to hide the key, if there was no expiration (or even if it was 90 days, or 180 days or something, it would be ok). And it precludes the feasibility of normal xp-boot-cd installation, because it's not really feasible to burn a new disc for the staging center every 50 days or so...

then again... perhaps I just realized the solution! maybe if I set my clock forward a year, then run the encrypt, it will work for 425 days (365+60)... or maybe it won't work for a year. Best try that while you good people mull this over!

[RichM]

mmmm no dice, setting the date ahead simply moves the valid window ahead.

I suppose I could have 6 BOOT directories (like VOL1-VOL6) and have a CD that worked for a year, with different winnt.sifs in each, then you choose the XP install that fits in the 60-day date window....

[Incroyable HULK]

I guess you can make it work by altering the Date values in the BIOS and changing them back when the installation is over...

[RichM]

The solution I came up with on this was pretty straight-forward, but here it is in case anyone visits later and wonders the same thing.

I set the date on the computer to 2/1/05, 3/1/05, etc and then made encrypted keys for each month, 40 days long. I went through August, and I'm sure I'll update the DVD before then so that should be sufficient. Then I created PRO1-PRO6 directories (and corresponding PRO1.DAT-PRO6.DAT files). I edited the winnt.sif in each directory to add the corresponding month's key. I realize I could have made them each 60 days long and covered a year with 6 keys... but this way is just a little cleaner. 60 days doesn't cover many 2-month periods inclusively... it also seemed a bit repetitive for one entry in one file that changed, but this works.

For those not familiar with "PRO1" and "PRO1.DAT", etc - please refer to either gosh's website or flyakite's website for details on booting multiple OS setups (or in this case, multiple configurations).

Here is my CDShell.ini file contents if anyone's interested:

 
boot:
cls
print "\n"
print l "...booting to the hard drive in 5 seconds, OR...\n\n"
print c "\c0BPress Enter to boot from DVD... \n\n"
getkey 5 boot 0x80
if $lastKey == key[enter]; then goto menu
# When no key found...
goto boot

# Printing the Interface
menu:
set textColor= color[white on black]
set boldColor= color[cyan on black]
cls
print c "\n\cXXÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ \n\n"
print c "\c0B Our  Installation Disk\n\n"
print c "\cXXÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ \n\n"
print "\c0E   1)  Install Windows XP Pro SP2 \cxx(Normal Selection)\n"
print "\c0E   2)  Boot to Utilities \n\n"
print "\cxx   Q)  Quit to Command Prompt \n"
print "   R)  Reboot \n"
print "   ESC) Boot 1st Harddisk \n"
print "\n"
print "   For most installations, simply press 1\n"
print "\n"
print "   Utilities options are advanced, you should not use them without guidance.\n"
print c "\n"

MainKey:
getkey 30 boot 0x80
if $lastKey == key[1]; then goto XP_Pro
if $lastKey == key[2]; then goto Utilities
if $lastKey == key[q]; then end
if $lastKey == key[r]; then reboot
if $lastKey == key[esc]; then boot 0x80

XP_Pro:
cls
print l "\n\cXXInstall Windows XP Pro Unattended \n"
print l "\cXXÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ \n"
print l "\cXX  Select the appropriate month you are in for install \n\n"
print l "  This DVD is good for February - July 2005.  Please contact \n"
print l "  our Help Desk if you need an updated install disk. \n\n"
print l "\c0C  Note that Windows XP will reformat the C drive - use the  \n"
print l "\c0C  utilities option if you need to save data before you do this!! \n\n"
print "\cxx  1) February \n"
print "  2) March \n"
print "  3) April \n"
print "  4) May \n"
print "  5) June \n"
print "  6) July \n\n"
print "\cXX  Press any other key to return to the main menu... \n" 

XP_Pro_Key:
getkey 60 goto menu
if $lastKey == key[1]; then chain /PRO1.DAT
if $lastKey == key[2]; then chain /PRO2.DAT
if $lastKey == key[3]; then chain /PRO3.DAT
if $lastKey == key[4]; then chain /PRO4.DAT
if $lastKey == key[5]; then chain /PRO5.DAT
if $lastKey == key[6]; then chain /PRO6.DAT
goto menu

Utilities:
cls
print l "\n\cXXInstall Windows XP Pro Unattended \n"
print l "\cXXÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ \n"
print l "\cXX  BartPE will allow you to save data, use ghost, etc. \n"
print l "\cXX  This is intended for advanced usage.  For normal use of this \n"
print l "\cXX  installation disk, use one of the Windows XP options. \n\n"
print "\cxx  1) BartPE normal \n"
print "  2) BartPE loaded in memory (takes longer to load) \n\n"
print "\cXX  Press any other key to return to the main menu... \n"

Utilities_Key:
getkey 30 goto menu
if $lastKey == key[1]; then chain /BPE1.DAT
if $lastKey == key[2]; then chain /BPE2.DAT
goto menu

getkey
goto menu
end 

[prathapml]

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