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Thread ID: 75470	2006-12-30 06:53:00	Win XP CD Key	bk T (215)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
511050	2006-12-30 06:53:00	Just ran Belarc Advisor and found that the CD Key reported is different from the Microsoft Windows sticker on the underside of my laptop computer. I'm now confused, which is the correct key? Which key should I use if a fresh install of my OS is so needed? Cheers	bk T (215)
511051	2006-12-30 07:06:00	Is your laptop maybe second hand? When I was reinstalling my OS I had changed hardware and I had to call Microsoft NZ to get a new cd key (had to give them half my old one). If you want to do a fresh install and the COA Sticker does not work call them up and they will give you another one for free.	trinsic (6945)
511052	2006-12-30 07:16:00	Is your laptop maybe second hand? When I was reinstalling my OS I had changed hardware and I had to call Microsoft NZ to get a new cd key (had to give them half my old one). If you want to do a fresh install and the COA Sticker does not work call them up and they will give you another one for free. No. It is brand new from the box.	bk T (215)
511053	2006-12-30 07:27:00	No. It is brand new from the box. Thats weird. Try download Windows Defender (www.microsoft.com) and it will ask you to download a file to see if you have a legit cd key. If it goes ok then right down the cdkey for future installs.	trinsic (6945)
511054	2006-12-30 07:29:00	Are you sure you didn't get the Product ID (PID) and Product Key mixed up? A Product Key normally consists of five groups of five characters. xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx Product ID's have the following structure xxxxx-xxx-xxxxxxx-xxxxx A Product ID is generated from the Product Key to identify your individual copy of Windows.	yzhu (9783)
511055	2006-12-30 07:33:00	none of the above. It is the number used by the manufacturer when they pre-load the thousands of hard drives. Using each individual key for each hard drive would be an logistics nightmare. When you/if you reload, then use the key from your sticker.	pheonix (36)
511056	2006-12-30 07:50:00	none of the above. It is the number used by the manufacturer when they pre-load the thousands of hard drives. Using each individual key for each hard drive would be an logistics nightmare. When you/if you reload, then use the key from your sticker. Thanks, Phoenix. I'm convinced that you are right. It makes sense, isn't it? But how does Microsoft know the number from the sticker? I've activated the preloaded OS and if it is the same key for all the machines, I don't understand how MS sort this out? :confused:	bk T (215)
511057	2006-12-30 08:00:00	I know that recently they changed the issued numbers allocated to the big manufacturers. This caused a bit of grief for their customers when their auto-updates came through, and failed their "Genuine advantage" test. It just required them to change the number using the one on their sticker. Maybe thats the way they plan to control those Corp edition licenses.	pheonix (36)
511058	2006-12-30 08:15:00	I know that recently they changed the issued numbers allocated to the big manufacturers. This caused a bit of grief for their customers when their auto-updates came through, and failed their "Genuine advantage" test. It just required them to change the number using the one on their sticker. Maybe thats the way they plan to control those Corp edition licenses. I activated and updated my OS several times already and passed the "Genuine Advantage" validation smoothly. Actually, just installed Defender this morning which requires validation as well. Still don't understand how the sticker's numbers under the laptop relates to MS validation. Physically, my laptop is currently using another set of keys registered with MS. Am I right to say that I can use the enclosed OS CD (and the sticker key number) for another machine?	bk T (215)
511059	2006-12-30 08:47:00	Just means that you have the recently issued key and so passed the WGA test. According to the EULA (End User License Agreement), you should only use that number with the computer the label is stuck on. Being an OEM version, when the computer dies, you can't load it on any other computer. I believe the OEM number range is allocated to each major manufacturer , so they are aware of which manufacturer it was by the license number. So if by some freak chance MS did a check on your computer, they would know if it differs from the original manufacturer. Also, the recovery disks which contain the Windows install are usually locked into that computer. Anyway, in theory, you could load that stickers license onto another machine, if you had an OEM version of Windows, which is not tied to that specific computer.	pheonix (36)
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