BF2S Forums Windows XP reformatting woes

That website I mentioned up there wrote:

1.  If your system came pre-installed with XP, the Product Key that any (free or paid for) key finder or system resources utility retrieves most likely will be the Generic Key the OEM uses to install and NOT the Product Key you need to reinstall.
   2. If you successfully reinstalled XP since the initial OEM setup(i.e. The first time you booted the computer), the Product Key if requested and input from the key located on the case or generic OEM sticker label will be the valid Product Key supplied with the computer.
   3. If XP was not reinstalled the retrieved Product Key will be the generic Product Key used by the OEM and will return an invalid message when used to reinstall from the OEM disk. The correct Product Key will be the one from the sticker on the outside of the case.
   4. The Product key is not hard coded [i.e. does not have a singular unique identity] to the Windows XP CD or any other version of Windows installation disk media.

CommieChipmunk wrote:

Okay... so I'm the process of getting ready to reformat my brothers computer and I've ran into some trouble.  Initially I got XP on this computer by taking an XP CD from an old dell that I no longer use and installing it on this computer (I don't remember if I had to go through microsoft to get it activated.. but it works).  It was easy to do because I had the case of that old Dell and thus I had the CD key... However, that case is long gone and I'm now without the proper CD key, I think.

So I found this website: http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/ViewKeyXP.htm and I downloaded the Magical Jelly Bean Key Finder.  My question is, since this isn't a pre-installed copy of windows XP, is the CD key that the key finder gives me the valid CD key or the OEM CD key like it says on that website?

Last edited by signa (2009-01-07 21:33:51)