andy thomas

bloody hell, just read all this, definately not starting tonight.

http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_sg.asp

if anyone cant sleep give this a go, if you get through it would appreciate your comments.

think I'll consult the provider of the disc before continuing, thanks everyone for your help.

bog eyed

ABCDiamond

I agree, I installed a little while ago, and had to activate over the phone as my internet connection wouldn't work at the time.

I then went back to Win 98 because of a few complications !

How much different is the "corporate " edition ?

jib

No difference in the "corp ed" it just doesn't need activation, infact you can make any XP Pro into a "corp ed" if you get a "corp key"



jib

bondipom

OEMs are meant to be stuck with the same piece of hardware and activation sends to MS your hardware config. Corporate Keys are there so automated installs can be made where the techo does not have to run around each machine tapping in a product key. Imagine doing that for a big rollout.

gedge

Just in case any one does what I did and repeats what everyone else has already written in the other forum:

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...hreadid=230055

Sometimes too much info is as bad as none at all

AJR

Hi Andy
i have a crack that will let you install service pack one, if you need it pm me and i will email it to you.

With a copy you can dowload all the updates apart from service pack one, when you do that it can tell you are running a copy and not the original.
Alan

pompeywill

No you dont need web activation for XP Pro, thats what I'm using and have installed it many,many times.
Maybe if it was bundled with your PC it might require activation, as it would be OEM.
They require a serial no. but not web activation.
Unless I have pro edition with a corporate serial no.
How can I tell?

bondipom

When it asks you for activation you know it is OEM.

andy thomas

cheers Alan, the copy I have obtained also includes service pack 1 so I believe that I will be able to download updates. Ive just been reading about Microsofts announcement to allow everyone with a copy of XP (legitimate or pirate) to also download SP2. Microsoft claim that they wish to keep the www safe but other feel it is a trap for anyone running pirate copies. Even so if we wait long enough I'm sure there will be copies of XP including SP1 and SP2.

still not a computer whizz but I know a bit more than I did yesterday, I think

cheers guys Andy

andy thomas

hey BP, for the less knowledgeable, what does OEM mean/stand for.

thicko

pompeywill

Original Equipment Manufacturer. (whatever that means)
Lots of PC outlets sell OEM stuff nowadays.
Basically they come with no boxes, minimum instructions and limited customer support. But cheaper.

Peter

It means equipment and/or software sold or licensed with a PC as part of that PC. The upshot of it is that the PC maker does the support for it rather than the original maker.

In plain English, if you own a Dell and are having issues with Windows in it, you'd call Dell and not Microsoft.

Microsoft can tell whether something of theirs is retail or OEM by the product ID.

<-- former Dell employee

bondipom

Yep OEM licenses are half the price of the boxed versions. As Ulujain says you get an OEM with the PC you buy and the license is not supposed to be transferable to another machine. Not a problem for the home user but for a company it can reduce flexibility. Companies typically buy licenses in bulk.

You can buy OEM licenses with a piece of hardware, eg RAM a new HDD etc.