For those constantly rebuilding their XP computers

[riffer]

If you're like me you rebuild your computer lots. Unlike me, you probably don't have a copy of the Corporate Install of Windows XP Pro.

If you're sick of reactivating Windows XP after every rebuild or hardware mod, try this:

If you have to reinstall Windows XP you normally will have to re-activate too. Well not anymore. Just copy "wpa.dbl" after you activated the first time. It is located in the system32 folder. Now if you reinstall Win XP just copy it back and you're up and running again.

Here's how to check if your copy of XP is Activated:

Go to the Run box and type in oobe/msoobe /a and hit Ok.

There is your answer.

[Marmoot]

Just out of interest.......
if someone has a *ahem* free *ahem* copy of windows XP installation where activation is not possible and you copy that file from other computer with *ahem* activated windows xp..... that theoritically activates the computer with *ahem* free *ahem* windows, innit?

just out of curiousity.
I assure you 100% that my laptop got a legit registered version.

[k14]

Yip, i have the corporate copy of xp, alot less hassel. But I haven't reinstalled my comp for around 2 years now, pretty scary actually. But that is probably due to the fact that it is still fast enough for my liking that I haven't bothered. Might do it in a month or so though. Such a pain getting everything back to the same way I have it at the moment.

[Blakamin]

If you're like me you rebuild your computer lots. Unlike me, you probably don't have a copy of the Corporate Install of Windows XP Pro.

If you're sick of reactivating Windows XP after every rebuild or hardware mod, try this:

If you have to reinstall Windows XP you normally will have to re-activate too. Well not anymore. Just copy "wpa.dbl" after you activated the first time. It is located in the system32 folder. Now if you reinstall Win XP just copy it back and you're up and running again.

Here's how to check if your copy of XP is Activated:

Go to the Run box and type in oobe/msoobe /a and hit Ok.

There is your answer.

You only just worked that out???? we do it at work coz all our JB's run XP

[badlieutenant]

had the corporate copy a week or 2 before it was released

[Blakamin]

off the top of my head... FCKGW-RHQQ2.....

[Ghost Lemur]

had the corporate copy a week or 2 before it was released

Ditto.

Then I went with the coporate with sp1 slipstreamed into it.

Then I went with teh Mighty Linux.

Spyware? Virii? Stupid EULAs? $$$?

Bahahahaha

*There's some things money can't buy* /mastercard ad

[jrandom]

that theoritically activates the computer with *ahem* free *ahem* windows, innit?

Nup. Don't work. If it did, why would Microsoft have bothered with the online activation nonsense and not just kept shipping things with use-anywhere install keys?

Read up on 'digital signatures' and 'authentication'. Inneresting stuff. It's what lies behind the necessity of l33tly cr4xx0rz1ng XP; ie, why you have to apply a patch to executable code on your machine to run it without activation.

[badlieutenant]

Ditto.

Then I went with the coporate with sp1 slipstreamed into it.

Then I went with teh Mighty Linux.

Spyware? Virii? Stupid EULAs? $$$?

Bahahahaha

*There's some things money can't buy* /mastercard ad

thinking of going that way myself. very stable, what blue screens ?

[flipper]

on topic...

..Or you could just use something like Nortons Ghost (or even use XP's backup tool) and take regular backups so you have known documented checkpoints you can restore back too..

Keep a txt file and every time you install software you care about put a note in the txt file.. document your backups there as well.. (take a backuo whenever you install somethin major or important) Of course you'll need a second partition or physical drive. Oh yeah, and store your My Documents on that other partiton/drive as well.

Takes a bit of discipline.. but if you know enough to install XP & drivers etc you can do it...

My 3 cents. Works for my 7 PC's Xp or otherwise.

Cheers

[dhunt]

thinking of going that way myself. very stable, what blue screens ?

If you like a computer that never crashes linux is the way. I do get blue screens on my linux screen saver and it does look exactly like a windoze box.

[Skunk]

At the risk of being bagged - I went MacOSX (Free BSD based). No hassles, and good even on old machines (pre 2000 this one).

Tried Linux for a year or two. No bad. The GUI is better now (that's what sent me ot OSX).

[badlieutenant]

I downloaded some copies of that linspire, formaly known as lindoze untill the microsoft legal begals came round. its alright, has a online download this application for a small fee. If I could be bothered it would be cheap and legal option to my other cheap and legal option

[Ghost Lemur]

At the risk of being bagged - I went MacOSX (Free BSD based). No hassles, and good even on old machines (pre 2000 this one).

Tried Linux for a year or two. No bad. The GUI is better now (that's what sent me ot OSX).

I got to agree to a certain extent. Since going with the BSD back end mOS and certainly increased in my ratings to the point where if someoe gave me a sexy 17" widescreen powerbook, I'd probably leave OSX on there.

Gotta say there is NOTHING I miss about windows. Mmmmm DoomIII on Linux (for those of you who were going to come back at me with "b..b...bbut what about games").

*how'd cajun get into my post*

[riffer]

I have four computers at home. An Acer Extensa 366T laptop in the lounge where I surf at home mostly running Windows 2000 Prof SP6, a Compaq Deskpro 4000 (5200MMX) running Mandrake 9.1, A Compaq EN running XP Pro SP2, and my beloved G4 Sawtooth running 10.3.5.

No particularly OS loyalty. I use what gets the job done. I started with a computer my Dad and I built from plans in an Electronics Australia magazine (hex code programming - urgh), then Commodore 64, then mainframe Unix, then went to VMS, then DOS, Windows 2, OS/2, MacOs 6.0.8, MacOs7, Windows 95, Windows NT, MacOs 8, Windows 2000, MacOs X Public Beta, MacOs X (all feline species up to Panther so far). Also tried a number of different *nixes on Macintosh before MacOs X came out. LinuxPPC was good, but the company went bust. Learnt a lot about Open Firmware on macs out of that one.

So I guess I've used just about all of them.

Not too bad for a guy who's never been in IT...