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Thread ID: 83146	2007-09-20 23:22:00	Running an internet cafe.	jason_f90 (3544)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
593405	2007-09-24 13:03:00	Just install windows on 1 PC, and make clones of the drive for the rest probably even faster that way and you can change product key etc afterwards While we're working out how to install Windows on the computers inside the hypothetical internet cafe, rather than working out if it's a viable business: I reckon an unattended CD beats that. Pop it in and 45 minutes later, a shiny XP desktop. With cloning you have to get it started, and the image won't fit on a CD. It's the only way I can install XP on tens of PCs at once and remain sane.	george12 (7)
593406	2007-09-24 22:05:00	Yeah I so agree some internet cafes are absolutely foul. Anyone been to Cybernutz in ChCh? One of the monitors had ear wax smeared all over it. :yuck: But hmm running a trendy, up-market Starbucks kind of cafe seems quite appealing now.	jason_f90 (3544)
593407	2007-09-24 22:09:00	While we're working out how to install Windows on the computers inside the hypothetical internet cafe, rather than working out if it's a viable business: I reckon an unattended CD beats that. Pop it in and 45 minutes later, a shiny XP desktop. With cloning you have to get it started, and the image won't fit on a CD. It's the only way I can install XP on tens of PCs at once and remain sane. How can you install on tens of PCs with one CD? what about network install (and ghost has network support so maybe you could clone over network also)	Agent_24 (57)
593408	2007-09-25 02:13:00	How can you install on tens of PCs with one CD? what about network install (and ghost has network support so maybe you could clone over network also) I just burnt about 8 CDs. It's worth it, they're well used. This way, I can install XP on 8 computers at once: - Without having to touch them other than turning them on and putting the CD in - Without needing network access - Without them needing to be identical - Without needing a keyboard and mouse connected at any point It takes less than 10 minutes to get eight computers started.	george12 (7)
593409	2007-09-25 02:37:00	Sounds good, but what about product key (do you need volume licence?), computer name/description etc? user names?	Agent_24 (57)
593410	2007-09-25 03:22:00	Sounds good, but what about product key (do you need volume licence?), computer name/description etc? user names? All the disks have the same product key in the unattended, and I simply enter the correct key when I activate them. It prompts me to do so, because the key it installs with is "invalid" (as intended). Because I install Windows before knowing who I'm selling the computers to, I just use the user name "User", the account name "Owner" and the default randomized computer name (USER-A8D8D787FG etc). It needs to be a randomized name because otherwise I couldn't have more than one of them on the network at the same time to activate etc. All of these details can be changed if needed after the install, but I've never needed to. This is only for XP Home. For XP Pro I just use a regular CD because I've never had to put it on a lot of PCs at once.	george12 (7)
593411	2007-09-25 03:28:00	How do you get XP to accept and install with an invald key though?	Agent_24 (57)
593412	2007-09-25 04:36:00	How do you get XP to accept and install with an invald key though? It's not invalid until it tries to activate it. I'm not sure why it's invalid, I think possibly it's been activated far too many times and blocked. Either way, it's a code that will consistently fail to activate and allow me to enter a new key.	george12 (7)
593413	2007-09-25 04:44:00	Ahh so your using an (old) VLK?	wratterus (105)
593414	2007-09-25 06:23:00	Ahh so your using an (old) VLK? No, as far as I know there are no VLKs for XP Home OEM. I can't remember where it's from, but I would guess it's a normal OEM key that has been activated too many times.	george12 (7)
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