----- Original Message -----
From: "Marc Sims" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, August 09, 2005 1:30 PM
Subject: Re: Retail v OEM
Only the Dells & HPs etc lock their CDs to the bios.
I'd think this is because Microsoft had made a deal with Dell and HP to
allow the OEM's to key their CD's to their
BIOS in a effort to try to reduce piracy since Dell and HP are among the
most widely known system OEM's on earth
This does not prevent the installation of Windows XP from a plain OEM CD. I
format the hard drives of name brand computers on a regular basis (I often
run fdisk to knock out their small partition, also). Since I use the legal
COA Product Key, I have no problem explaining to Microsoft (I have had to on
occasion) why I circumvented the name brand CD.
Also, let's note that many of these name brand Restore CD's were pre-SP
meaning they did not have SP1 or SP2 slipstreamed. The XP OEM CD I use has
SP2 slipstreamed and still, their COA Product Key works and I authenticate
with no problem. If I have an authentication problem I call Microsoft and
they resolve it for me. This call is made after an attempt to authenticate
has failed, so Microsoft knows the installation was done from an OEM CD etc.
not the name brand Restore CD. My point here is Microsoft does not change
the Product Key series to prevent the use of improved installation CD's of
the same version of Windows. Microsoft just wants to ensure that the Product
Key for OEM is never used on a different computer.
Chuck
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