Installing Windows XP Image on OEM Units without Activation Prompt due to Sysprep

Installing Windows XP Image on OEM Units without Activation Prompt due to Sysprep

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ISSUE:



Windows XP prompts for activation when sysprep is executed on an HP unit with XP installed using QR CDs.

SOLUTION:



When using a QR CD with OS CD to install Microsoft Windows XP on HP Desktops and Notebooks, there is no prompt for activation. The reason is that the activation on OEM units acts in a different way. It is known as system locked pre-installation (SLP).

The following explanation comes from Microsoft:

System Locked Pre-installation, often abbreviated as SLP, is a procedure used by major computer manufacturers in order to preactivate Microsoft's operating systems Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 before mass distribution. Operating systems that use SLP check for a particular text string in a computer's BIOS upon booting. If the text string does not match the information stored in the particular installation's OEMBIOS files, the user is prompted to activate his or her copy as normal. This effectively "locks" the operating system to the qualified motherboard. In addition, if an end user feels the need to perform a "clean install" of Windows, and if the manufacturer supplies the user with an installation disc (not a "System Recovery" disc that is a hard drive image), (in our case an HP QR and OS CD) the user will not be prompted to activate the copy, given that the installation is performed on the same motherboard. Furthermore, because the check only involves the BIOS and not hardware, a user is allowed to change virtually all hardware components within the machine, a procedure that would normally trigger re-activation in retail XP/Server 2003 copies.

It is important to note that SLP installations still require a product key, which is unique to the specific version of Windows (Home, Professional, Server, etc...). The product key printed on the Certificate of Authenticity affixed to an OEM assembled computer will usually suffice. As of February 28, 2005[1], those keys were invalidated for normal activation by Microsoft in an effort to further reduces software piracy, but do not apply to SLP. If the COA product key is lost, then product key finders, readily available on the Internet, can decrypt the key from a local installation. Keys from either source will allow the user to avoid activation upon reinstallation. Also, Microsoft released the following generic product keys that can be used to avoid product activation on any SLP-enabled computer using the corresponding version of Windows XP:

(Please note that the following keys are not volume license keys. The installation source must also be SLP-enabled by the manufacturer.)

Windows XP Professional (32-bit) MVF4D-W774K-MC4VM-QY6XY-R38TB

Windows XP Professional (64-bit) FM634-HJ3QK-6QVTY-RJY4R-XCR9J

Windows XP Tablet PC Edition XT67V-GY7FW-GR6FR-WDK2C-8T97J


NOTE: The previous information was taken from Microsoft article "Preserving OEM Pre-Activation when Re-installing Windows XP" Click here to see the article on Microsoft's website (http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/deploy/oempreac.mspx)

If sysprep is run without any switch then it will reset all the security identifiers on the source unit. This will cause all of the imaged units including the source unit to start asking for activation. There is a way to pull and deploy image without activation prompt.

Create an image from an OEM unit which has Windows XP installed by using the QR CD. Please follow these steps:

Install Windows XP using the QR CD.

Install all the required software, drivers and patches.

Create a folder named sysprep in the C: drive.

Copy sysprep.exe, setupcl.exe, and factory.exe into the new sysprep folder. These files can be found in the deploy.cab on the Windows XP CD or they can be downloaded from the following link:

Click here to download the files from "Windows XP Service Pack 1 Deployment Tools" (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=7A83123D-507B-4095-9D9D-0A195F7B5F69&displaylang=en)

Create a file named sysprep.inf using a text editor such as Notepad that contains the following information. (Substitute the appropriate product key mentioned above.)

[UserData] ProductKey =”XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX”

Save the sysprep.inf file in the C:\sysprep\ folder.

Run the following command at the command prompt:

c:\sysprep –reseal –mini

After this the unit will shut down.