Forum Home
Press F1
Thread ID: 82089	2007-08-15 13:08:00	XP COA missing its XP CD	qazwsxokmijn (102)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
581420	2007-08-15 13:08:00	Recently bought a complete system for cheap. Reason being, although it has an XPP COA, the installation CD is missing. Some people told me all the legality lies in the COA, and that the CD can be copied as long as it is only used to install and activate XP COAs. Is that correct? Can I find out which year/version the XP COA is for? And will MS provide me with a free XPP CD to use the COA with? Thanks in advance.	qazwsxokmijn (102)
581421	2007-08-15 18:27:00	As far as I know . . . you can use any XP install disc . . but the COA or KEY will be distinct to the original computer in which it was installed . . . but there are exceptions to that too . Say, for instance that you need to make a few physical changes to your tower and you want to still use the original installation . . . well, Windows might kick up a fuss and tell you "no" as I have heard that some have had Windows refuse to run after that . You might have to call Micro$oft to get permission to re-install your OPSYS . . . and you MAY get a sympathetic ear . . or not . Be prepared to have receipts, original containers and to jump through any hoops and barrels they require . If you have the KEY for your system, then almost any XP cd-rom will work . . . the key is not in the cd . . but the qualifying algorithm is . . . . and that's where the cd-rom decides on what XP version you finally get . I have heard but cannot personally confirm that all XP versions are on the discs, the key deciding what you get to run . You DID run something like Belarc Adviser ( . com/free_download . html" target="_blank">belarc . com) or Magical Jellybean ( . magicaljellybean . com/keyfinder . shtml" target="_blank">www . magicaljellybean . com) or the link on the end of my sig before all this happened . . right? There may also be a problem if your original cd-rom for XP did NOT have SP-2 on it . . if you try to use a newer or more updated version with SP-2 now . This might not be true with slipstreamed versions that are home made . Let us know how you get on . . OK?	SurferJoe46 (51)
581422	2007-08-15 20:23:00	I have 2 XP SP2 CDs. One was from the year 2002 I believe, and the other one 2005. I installed XPP using the 2005 CD, and I tried to use the COA product key I had, and got rejected. I then reformatted, installed XPP using the 2002 CD (which came with COA anyway) and the COA product key was accepted. So when I mean version, I don't mean Professional/Home/Media Center, but the year it was made and any updates that it may have had that may reject older/newer product keys.	qazwsxokmijn (102)
581423	2007-08-15 20:29:00	Recently bought a complete system for cheap. Reason being, although it has an XPP COA, the installation CD is missing. Some people told me all the legality lies in the COA, and that the CD can be copied as long as it is only used to install and activate XP COAs. Is that correct? Can I find out which year/version the XP COA is for? And will MS provide me with a free XPP CD to use the COA with? Thanks in advance. What brand if any was the system? The COA will have version on it. MS will sell you a replacement disk but it might not work if the COA is for a system that ties a restore disk to a manufacturer's MB BIOS. Haven't you asked MS all this already? Your other thread's only a day old :p A key has to be for the same type of disk eg retail, oem, corporate.	PaulD (232)
581424	2007-08-15 20:31:00	Recently bought a complete system for cheap. Reason being, although it has an XPP COA, the installation CD is missing. You have the important bit. Use any CD.	pctek (84)
581425	2007-08-15 20:43:00	not all xp disks are equal therefore not all keys work on all media ie if you are using a vlm (volume license media) cd an OEM key will not work and vise versa. Not sure about year versions	beama (111)
581426	2007-08-15 20:44:00	I have 2 XP SP2 CDs. One was from the year 2002 I believe, and the other one 2005. I installed XPP using the 2005 CD, and I tried to use the COA product key I had, and got rejected. I then reformatted, installed XPP using the 2002 CD (which came with COA anyway) and the COA product key was accepted. So when I mean version, I don't mean Professional/Home/Media Center, but the year it was made and any updates that it may have had that may reject older/newer product keys. Fascinating! I never thought that the year of production meant anything...after all XP = XP = XP, and I never knew there might be a yearly distinction. What I DO know is that M$ ran out of key number/letter sequences and has now issued a version called XP (Pro-SP2c) to handle a longer or more complex sequence. LINK HERE TO F1 POST BY ME (forums.pcworld.co.nz) Be assured that I am going to watch the results of this post very carefully.... ....never too late to learn something new. ;)	SurferJoe46 (51)
581427	2007-08-15 21:04:00	If you have a brand name PC with a COA (this will usualy say the brand name on it as well as the product key) you can use any XP OEM CD and it should, but not all the time, accept the product key. The problem will be when you go to activate it over the internet. It won't work. You have to do it by phone.	CYaBro (73)
581428	2007-08-16 04:05:00	Just yesterday I activated XP using a second hand Dell GX260 XPP COA. The seller burned a copy of the OEM 2002/2003 XPP disc on request. So the COA product key got rejected by my 2005 XPP disc installation. I think each year MS may change the algorithm thingie to 'combat piracy'. If all that matters is the OEM in a disc, then I'll try using the OEM 2002/2003 XPP disc I've got with the new XPP COA. Will let you guys know what happens then.	qazwsxokmijn (102)
1