why XP cd key were found duplicated

[ykfc]

In the office we purchased a number of well-known brand PC. They arrived with WindowsXP pro pre-installed, each bearing a sticker for COA. I set them up a few months so I know them.

Recently (few weeks ago) I was given a task to upgrade some WinNt/Win9x PC for WindowsXP. We don't have a Corporate licence so additional retail licences were purchased.

I start doing some inventory check on CD keys of all desktops, using program such as RockXP. Until them I discover all of those "well-known" brand PC are having identical CD keys. Why is that, anyone having a clue? What could be the reasons?

 

[tf1]

Yes. These are almost certainly legally licenced. To aid fast manufacture of tens of thousands of identical PCs, the hard drives are stacked into a tower that then writes and an identical image onto every drive. One pass loads hundreds of disks at a time. These ready imaged drives are used to assemble all the PCs. That's why the all have the same product code.

If you go to the Microsoft Update Site and run the Auto Update, it will almost certainly ask you to go through the authenticate Windows XP procedure. If you type in the product number used on the case sticker, it will fail, but if you follow the OEM option and state the manufacturer of the machine, it will be correctly authenticated.

Regards: tf1

 

[Friedy]

what about win XP home and an owner needs to do a reload and the pk does not work because they did not now to do a restore when they got the machine

 

[tf1]

I don't understand your question.

Regards: tf1