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Creating a Pre-activated Windows Restoration CD.

  • 22-03-2005 2:53pm
    #1
    Infini
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,573 ✭✭✭


    I recently installed my home edition from my laptop into my older desktop but had to contact Microsoft to activate it due to the recent change in C.O.A. based activations. Sufficed to say I don't want to have to go through the annoyance of contacting micrfosoft again over the same issue and I'm wondering is it possible to create a boot disk like the one's you get with a new computer or like with the ones you get with earlier dell PC's that would be already activated when installed on the PC they came with that would save me having to go through activating it again?


Comments

  • #2
    Egyptian
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 352 ✭✭Egyptian


    Isnt this a little ILLEGAL??

    Mods?


  • #3
    fatherdougalmag
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,391 ✭✭✭fatherdougalmag


    If you activate your installation and then take a Ghost/Drive Image/etc. partition image you can restore it in a snap. I lost the recovery CD's to my laptop and re-installed XP Home along with the associated laptop-type utilities to bring the machine to a clean state (including antivirus, anti-adware, firewall, etc.). I then took an image of the (5GB) partition and it came in at a shade under 700MB so it fits on a CD.


  • #4
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 92,385 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    Not much point since the activation key is related to a hash generated by looking at your hardware, it would only be usable on that one PC.

    it might be as easy as backing up and restoring the wpa files which are specific to your PC.

    http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;Q305356
    After you restore a previously-activated Windows XP-based installation from a backup, you may be prompted to re-activate the installation.
    ...
    an incremental backup is the minimum that is required to ensure that the Windows Product Activation database files (Wpa.dbl and Wpa.bak) are backed up.


  • #5
    Infini
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,573 ✭✭✭Infini


    Thank's for the replies it helps. It's a home Edition that I'm trying to back up but it doesn't have a backup tool like the professional edition. Would Norton Ghost be any good or does anyone know of any other good backup programs?


  • #6
    fatherdougalmag
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,391 ✭✭✭fatherdougalmag


    I've used Ghost but in additon to that I partitioned my HD to have a 5GB C: partion where my OS lives. All my data goes on D:. I wouldn't fancy trying to Ghost a large HD unless you've got the time and the capacity to store the Ghost image when it's done.


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  • #7
    Infini
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,573 ✭✭✭Infini


    No Problem, the only thing installed is the OS itself and all current updates from microsoft.


  • #8
    Ciaran500
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,225 ✭✭✭Ciaran500


    You could take an image of it now but if you ever want to revert to it you will be left with an empty HDD with only WinXP installed.


  • #9
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 92,385 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    Infini wrote:
    Thank's for the replies it helps. It's a home Edition that I'm trying to back up but it doesn't have a backup tool like the professional edition. Would Norton Ghost be any good or does anyone know of any other good backup programs?
    do a search for NTbackup.msi on the CD ;)


  • #10
    Infini
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,573 ✭✭✭Infini


    Capt'n Midnight wrote:
    do a search for NTbackup.msi on the CD ;)

    Thank's mate. Also got norton ghost so that should do the job. :)


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