CD key tomfoolery: u halp me plz

[Flood]

Soooooooooooooooooooooo.  In the on-going story of why I shouldn't volunteer to help people with computer problems:

I indeed had to format the computer I mentioned in another thread.  No sweat I have a custom made WinXP install disc with SP2 slipstreamed in, should be bing bang boom.

Right.  The issue is I used Magic Jellybean to get the WinXP key off the comp before I formatted it.  (The people of course claim they can't find the install CD or the CD key)  They did, eventually com up with the CD key for me by calling their son (who built this damn thing).  Ok cool, I have the original CD key and it even matches the key Magic Jellybean dug up. 

Problem: when I sit down to re-install Windows I get "this CD key is not valid".  Why?!? 

My main question is:  If I'm using a WinXP Pro install disc, and the key is for WinXP Home or something, is that causing the error?

And: Now what?

 

[Mandrel]

That could cause the error, or maybe the son used a key that MS knows is a pirated key.

[Furiously]

Yea - you need to install home.

[schild]

Yea - you need to install home.

Yup, different revisions don't play nice. Home keys are for home. Pro keys are for pro.

[Trippy]

Yea - you need to install home.

Yup, different revisions don't play nice. Home keys are for home. Pro keys are for pro.

That kind of makes sense. What's worse is if you have, say, an old XP Pro key before SP1 or SP2 came out and you try to install from a newer XP Pro disc that has like SP2 already in it, the key won't work unless you are willing to do some serious activation key hackage.

[Flood]

Thank you guys.

[Sky]

This kind of thing is bugging me at work right now, too.

I've got a volume license key + media for the library. Problem is, it's vanilla XP, no SP. Boot camp wants SP2. I have XP with SP2 discs, but they won't accept the VLK.

Guess who is going to learn how to make a slipstream (when I actually find the time to bother with it, heh).

[Ironwood]

It's real easy.

[Alkiera]

This kind of thing is bugging me at work right now, too.

I've got a volume license key + media for the library. Problem is, it's vanilla XP, no SP. Boot camp wants SP2. I have XP with SP2 discs, but they won't accept the VLK.

Guess who is going to learn how to make a slipstream (when I actually find the time to bother with it, heh).

If that's the process that involves pulling a non-SP disk apart, applying the SPs to it, and then recreating an image, yah, that was pretty easy.  I did it with Win2k to get a disc that installed up to SP4 right off.  Worked like a champ.

--
Alkiera

[Sky]

Yeah, it's just a matter of finding the time in one chunk to sit and do it. I'm pretty excited, actually, been meaning to do one for a long time. Eventually I'd like to get a more robust install disk, too, with apps installed maybe.

I miss the simplicity of the macs (Carbon Copy Cloner ftw) when working with pcs. They just seem to make everything more complicated (and for the record I'm a 'do it in Terminal' mac guy, not a 'omg the UI doesn't do that, I'm screwed' kinda guy :P). I hate the registry, I had hopes it would go away in Vista. Ah, well.

[angry.bob]

This is why I still use WIndows For Workgroups 3.11.

All you uppity fools and your fancy 16 whatchamajigger whohoggers.