[bingho]

Hello,

I currently maintain a few Dell computers at work. When I use the Dell OEM Windows XP SP2 disc for a fresh install, I don't need to provide a serial number/key for the machines - it automagically recognizes the machine as a Dell.

I've manually slipstreamed a few hotfixes in, but I'm looking for a more complete solution like HFSLIP.

When I use HFSLIP 1.1.0, the standard "not original" error occurs but it manages to install all the hotfixes and the extra drivers that I need.

When I burn the ISO image and use it for a fresh install, everything works fine, but it does ask me for the key.

Is there a way to preserve the functionality of not requesting a key? It's a hassle to type in the 25-digit code which is usually stuck in the most inconvenient location on the machine.

Thanks!

[tommyp]

HFSLIP is for home users... unless your boss will pay the dev's.

[bingho]

tommyp, on Dec 2 2006, 01:30 PM, said:

HFSLIP is for home users... unless your boss will pay the dev's.

That's fine, but these machines belong to me and I use them to host my own file servers. The same situation in the first post also applies for my home computers that are Dells.

This post has been edited by bingho: 02 December 2006 - 06:08 PM

[Tomcat76]

bingho, on Dec 2 2006, 08:58 PM, said:

When I use HFSLIP 1.1.0, the standard "not original" error occurs but it manages to install all the hotfixes and the extra drivers that I need.

Who's complaining about that? Windows setup or HFSLIP?

bingho, on Dec 2 2006, 08:58 PM, said:

When I burn the ISO image and use it for a fresh install, everything works fine, but it does ask me for the key.

To be honest, the only way I know to pre-insert the key is via WINNT.SIF. But HFSLIP doesn't touch, modify or create that file so I'm not sure how that could've happened.

[Kiki Burgh]

he! he! very timely ... now that i see a topic for this, may i ask if there'd be a way to maintain an activation-free install? i recently used an old Dell OEM XP SP1a cd & it requests for activation upon getting to the GUI ... thanks! (

sad though ... testing is still temporary --- using my sister's PC for quick tests ... just so i could share something have recenly purchased 2 Athlon XP cpus - 2200 & 2600 - compatible to my ECS K7VTA3 ver 7.0 mobo --- & both got fried! --- strange, although unsupported Sempron 2200 works but shows as Athlon 1200 only ... & doesn't get fried! oh well ... )

[x-pert]

Kiki Burgh
may i ask if there'd be a way to maintain an activation-free install? Search for OEM transformation to VL (Volume License)

[Tomcat76]

I need to know how Dell keeps it activation-free before I can check out what's causing this. I don't think I have a Dell OEM lying around but I'll look in the box for my father's Dell laptop if I can find it again.

I'd leave a message on the Hardware subforum for your CPU problems. It looks to me like your BIOS doesn't pick up the correct FSB and/or multiplier by default (Sempron 2200 is 166x9). BTW... If you can afford 3 CPU's, why don't you take an Asrock ALiveNF6G-DVI for a motherboard and a Sempron64 2800+ AM2 or an Athlon64 3200+ AM2 for a processor? These don't get fried...

[Camarade_Tux]

@TC, if you can't get the CD you want, just tell me : my father has one too.

[Super-Magician]

Dell and other OEMs keep their CDs activation free through use of the OEMBIOS* files. There are four of them in \I386. I believe all you need is to copy the right ones to that folder and everything else should work. However, I would advise you to read up on it more as it's possible that my memory is failing me right now.

[Kiki Burgh]

thanks TC for the concern ... been spending quite a sum on those CPUs ... my current board (ECS K7VTA3 ver 7) only supports Athlon series (or lower) & not Sempron ... it used to have Athlon XP 2000+ in there that got busted so i had to go through the lengths of finding alternate (& supposedly better) CPUs (Athlon XP 2200 & 2600) that got fried ... been attached to that old PC ... he! he!

i could burn 1 Dell OEM cd for you if you like & send it over there ... i think S-M in the right track as far as how Dell keeps it activation free ... perhaps this would help ... if i may quote from Dell internal article

Quote

Microsoft has introduced SLP (system locked preinstall) with Windows XP. The SLP technology verifies that the operating system is installed on a Dell computer on every boot. If SLP does not detect the string in BIOS that identifies the system as “Dell Computer Corporation” then it will decide it is not on a Dell system and will bring up the activation wizard.

Quote

Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), like Dell, have the ability to pre-activate Windows XP software installed on new systems through a process known as System Locked Pre-installation (SLP). This prevents end users from having to activate the software during the setup process by typing in the product key found on the Certificate of Authenticity (COA) key.

If the Dell OEM version of Windows XP media is used to build and deploy an image, the end user who boots the newly-imaged system is prompted to enter a product key during mini-setup. The user types in the product key off of the COA label on the system, reaches the desktop and is prompted to activate their product. An attempt to activate the product key via the web will fail with a prompt to call the Microsoft Activation Call Center.

This failure is due to a change in Microsoft's Product Activation process implemented to combat worldwide licensing fraud. Microsoft has disabled online activation for COA Keys that are attached to PCs that have been pre-activated by OEMs. If you use Windows XP factory installed by Dell or have reinstalled Windows from the Dell OEM recovery media, you will not be prompted to activate the software. However, if you choose to build an software image using an OEM copy of the software, you will need to follow specific instructions for building images.

Quote

Refer to Microsoft Technet for instructions on how to preserve SLP Product Preactivation in Windows XP images. For details on how to successfully create an image using Windows XP OEM media and preserving SLP pre-activation, refer to the following white paper from Microsoft's Technet website: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechn...y/oempreac.mspx.

hope this helps ...

[Camarade_Tux]

Do you slipstream any service pack ?

If your CD has no SP and you slipstream one, you may lose activation since SPs change many things and even blacklist some product keys.

[Kiki Burgh]

hi Tux! it is already with SP1a & slipstreamed SP2 via HFSLIP

[Tomcat76]

@Kiki
That's some interesting reading, but if HFSLIP really causes Dell pre-activation to break then I'd like to know how that happened.

@bingho
In the Microsoft article that the page Kiki links to is linking to, they outline a possible workaround. Edit OOBEinfo.ini in the I386 folder and add the following to it:

[Version]
ProductKey="XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX"

...where XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX is your product key. See if that gets you anywhere...

[Kiki Burgh]

Tomcat76, on Dec 6 2006, 04:10 AM, said:

Edit OOBEinfo.ini in the I386 folder and add the following to it:

[Version]
ProductKey="XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX"

...where XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX is your product key. See if that gets you anywhere...

could this be done via HFSLIP? do we still have to modify winnt.sif (if using it)? thanks!

[clintb]

I've tested HFSLIP with a Dell XP SP2 CD and the pre-activation works like it should. No messing around with the product key and the OEMBIOS.* files are there. Works like a charm.

[Kiki Burgh]

thanks for the confirmation clintb ... i didn't think HFSLIP could break the pre-activation install ... the only fact perhaps would be that you used it on a Dell system rather than a clone, right? ... bringing us back to the concern about not needing to activate it anymore (he! he! ) thanks!

[Homer_m]

New guy here, just thought I would add my 2 cents. I use a Dell OEM disk and the first time I used hfslip I got the same prompt to enter the product key. The reason was because I used WINNT.SIF in the FIX folder without a product key in it. The product key on the side of the computer won't work either. All that has to be done is to look in the I386 folder of the original Dell OEM disk and copy the WINNT.SIF that's in there to the FIX folder hfslip creates. That's it. It already has the proper key in it. To my knowledge it is the same key for many Dell systems. No activation required. Hope this helps.

[Tomcat76]

I don't understand this. HFSLIP copies all content of the SOURCE folder into SOURCESS, including WINNT.SIF if it exists. So putting WINNT.SIF in the FIX folder doesn't serve any purpose unless you make modifications to it.

[Homer_m]

So if WINNT.SIF in your SOURCE/I386 folder has the product key in it and you have WINNT.SIF in your FIX folder without a product key, which one will hfslip use? The one in the FIX folder right? Which without a product key required him to manually enter the key on the side of the case. The wrong key. The case key will install windows but XP will want to go through activation and that key will not activate. With the key in SOURCE/I386/WINNT.SIF no activation is required. That was the mistake I made. Does this make sense?

[heisking]

Homer_m is correct. You must copy the winnt.sif Product Key that is in the i386 dir to the winnt.sif that you put in the FIX folder. I have an OEM with sp1a and slipstream SP2 with no activation required doing it this way.