XP Serial Number Problem

ticktock

ticktock

ticktock

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30 Jul 2008
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Right. My mates sister-in-law has a problem where her PC has gone belly up. Long story short, the motherboard has to be replaced. Now, the Operating system is XP Home OEM. Her husband installed it originally but, here is the sticking point, he doesn't have the serial number as he threw the box / packet that the cd was in!

He has the original CD. He didn't put the sticker on the case. He left it on the packet which was thrown!!

Is there anyway the hard drive can be connected to another PC to extract the XP code off of it for the re-installation of windows? He can't buy an exact motherboard replacement as it is no longer available.

Anyone able to advise please?
 
Burnsy2023 said:
Buy another licence. He should have complied with the licence and stuck the COA onto the case.

Despite you not being correctly licensed, I will say that you could mount the registry hive and navigate to

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion
The number is listed under ProductId
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How does he 'Mount the Registry hive'?

Also, he threw the box with the sticker in it away. It was a genuine mistake! I can't see Microsoft making a fuss about it surely?
 
How many people will actually go out and buy another licence when they can get reactivated by Microsoft? You pay for the software, the Motherboard goes kaput, then you think, "Oh dear, i must buy another licence because it is naughty to install the original one i paid for", well, not many people are going to fork out for another OS when they have one in thier draw!

I am not on about people who never pay at all for an OS. This is about the majority of us who do pay for it. Licensed or not. If Microsoft activate it again for me then that is good enough as far as i am concerned.
 
Mattf121 said:
You should buy another licence As previously mentioned you threw away the COA, so you nolonger have a legal licence. However, seeing that it was a genuine mistake you should be able to boot the old hard disk with a different motherboard, if only to find the serial using the Magic Jellybean Keyfinder as mentioned above (try safe mode). Being an OEM copy however it is unlikely to reactivate with a different motherboard than they original, so legally you'll have to buy a new license anyway, or you can trick it into activating...
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Its ok, got the number off of the hard drive. Put new Motherboard in PC. Formatted etc etc. Rang Microsoft to Reactivate, told them about replacement Motherboard and no sticker. They still activated it with no problems!! Thats good enough for me and My Mates Sister-In-Law, who the pc belongs to.
 
Ascendancy said:
Why are you all taking the **** out of Burnsy2023? The license states that the COA sticker must be affixed to the case. As he said earlier, either follow the license or why bother even buying one?
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For goodness sake! Are the police going to call because the sticker was not fixed to the case?

Software was bought, oops the Sticker got lost, am i a criminal? Do you really think Microsoft care? The software was bought, i am not talking about piracy here!!

Some of you lot on here get really hung up on the EULA thingy. You are probably the only people in the UK who do so!! lol :D

I explained to Microsoft about the sticker etc and they gladly re-activated windows for me. As far as i am concerned, matter closed. Who's going to take me to court for not putting the sticker on the case?
 
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Burnsy2023 said:
My main point is that if you're not going to adhere to the licence agreeements, why spend good money on a licence that becomes worthless as soon as you get it?
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Thats not the case though. Its not as if the Windows was a pirate copy is it? It was bought, just that the sticker was thrown by mistake!

Its not carved in stone anyway as, Microsoft re-activated the Windows for me even after telling them about the sticker etc. How many people have been prosecuted for not putting the sticker on their case? Probably zero.

Also, you say it is worthless but how? Microsoft re-activated the windows! They had the facts. Who is going to argue with them?
 
Burnsy2023 said:
It's not far off tbh, both are unlicensed installs.



Reactivation != Legal licence. You are still unlicensed but the indian call center monkeys aren't very well trained.
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Come on for googness sake! The OS was 'bought', the sticker lost. How does that make it not far off from being a pirated version?

Indian call center monkeys they may be, according to you, but they are still employed by Microsoft so as far as the average Joe is concerned, who are we to argue with them?

I keep reading on here about how important the EULA is. I have not heard of people being convicted of losing a sticker / not applying a sticker!

I think you go too far sometimes in trying to drum in about the EULA. I am totally against people who use pirate copies of 'Any' software but for the likes of my Sister-In-Law who just lost the sticker then that is a different matter.

I can't see Microsoft taking her to court for that, can you?
 
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