Installing a genuine Windows over a counterfeit install

29 April 2006 14:41

5

I purchased a legal copy of WINXP Pro, almost as soon as it was launched,(its therefore a basic copy withou SP1 & SP2) , I installed it and activated it and worked with it. Down the line I upgraded my system and in the process a counterfeit windows has been installed by the technician. This one required no activation and has been working fine including installing updates SP2, etc.

The point is I do posess a genuine Windows XP, lying unutilised, on the other hand, the one actually installed is not genuine. Is there any way in which I can either input the correct Serial Number so that my windows copy can be legitimated.

The technician says that I will need to reformat my HD and start from scratch but that will mean a big headache installing all the application softwares Service Packs, downloaded updates, data, anti-virus and so on.

Is there a solution for a scenario like this ?

Thanks
- Balas
- Kutip

Semua Balasan

30 April 2006 1:53

5

Kwame:

We are still underway in development of a tool that will do this properly.

You can install "over" the current install of Windows (old copy will be named "Windows.Old").

Otherwise, I suggest installing a fresh copy of Windows on your machine, since the current non-genuine version may have hacked binary files and open security holes that may have been created to attempt to bypass Windows Genuine Validation. I'm sorry to tell you this news, but its necessary.

I hope this helps,

-Phil Liu
- Balas
- Kutip

01 Mei 2006 11:03

Kwame50 wrote:

I purchased a legal copy of WINXP Pro, almost as soon as it was launched,(its therefore a basic copy withou SP1 & SP2) , I installed it and activated it and worked with it. Down the line I upgraded my system and in the process a counterfeit windows has been installed by the technician. This one required no activation and has been working fine including installing updates SP2, etc.

The point is I do posess a genuine Windows XP, lying unutilised, on the other hand, the one actually installed is not genuine. Is there any way in which I can either input the correct Serial Number so that my windows copy can be legitimated.

The technician says that I will need to reformat my HD and start from scratch but that will mean a big headache installing all the application softwares Service Packs, downloaded updates, data, anti-virus and so on.

Is there a solution for a scenario like this ?

Thanks

01 Mei 2006 18:01

what do you want me to do?

01 Mei 2006 18:10

i am sorry i really can't understand want you are trying do do here? my problem has been explained by someone who has the same situation that i have.

01 Mei 2006 18:36

thank you phil liu. the news is still unwanting because it's sad that you can't get an straight answer from the top people in charge.

01 Mei 2006 18:43

I'm sorry, I dont know which question you are referring to.

If you are referring to this post, I suggest reinstalling Windows so your COA matches your Product Key.

01 Mei 2006 19:17

phil liu how do i do the reinstalling windows so that my coa ( what are you saying here?) sorry i am not trying to be rude here, so that it matches my product key. do i just put the new cd in and follow the instructions. you mentioned earlier about old windows. please put me on the right track here.what will happen with my other programs?

02 Mei 2006 5:59

COA helper:

http://www.microsoft.com/resources/howtotell/en/coa.mspx

Can you verify that your Product Key matches your COA?

Ditandai sebagai Jawaban oleh Carl-S 23 Juli 2008 21:33

03 Mei 2006 14:22

how do i do that? i am just an end user. i dont do those kind of things. but i have asked yourselves. and sad to say no clear answer. it does not match but it did work before,otherwise i could not do an update.

03 Mei 2006 16:42

I remember the days when WINXP came out, I was among the first to use it, I paid a high price to be among the first to get it, and that is the CD I still own. Much water has flown under the bridges since then. I, like other WINXP users, suffered all the travails of WINXP including hardware problems with drivers that were not available, surfing manufacturers sites to locate hard to find drivers for modems so that you could get the modem going so that you could update the drivers for the rest of the hardware. I remember systems hanging up for no rhyme or reason, and so many other problems which will make me shudder if I start thinking about them. Then came the 200MB downloads of SP1 & SP2 all of which I spent time and money downloading at internet cafes and burning them on CDs as it was the era before flash drives. MSFT seems to have forgotten the loyalty of its customers. And now, when thanks to users like us, the OS has reached some level of stability, has acquired a "it now works" reputation which is causing its sales to increase .... what do we get in return ? a headache... either you reinstall, or no more vitamin pills for you.

Don't you think MSFT must also share part of the blame for making it so utterly simple for their software to be copied and used ? Ok so ones COA number may not match the product key, but the fact is that the user does have a unique COA, and the original CD ? Must one still go through the hazards of a reinstall ? Surely there has to be a solution .

Thanks

03 Mei 2006 22:44

Kwame:

Unfortunately, for now, yes. We're working on a new tool (very soon) that will be able to handle changing product keys and fixing hacked binaries/security holes without reinstalling Windows.

The "best" possible solution "for now" is to reinstall Windows in order to fix potentially hacked binary files and security holes. You may wish to reinstall just on top of the current copy of Windows, your old version will be named Windows.Old, but you'll have access to the same files. Albiet, you will have to reinstall a few software items to update the computer registry.

-Phil Liu