[Alvin.C]

Hello,

When you repair the OS it won't ask you to enter in a Product ID (Key). Only when you do a fresh installation of XP will it ask for a Product ID, because a key was already entered in the first installation.

If your OS and his are both Windows Professional XP (with or without service pack 1 or 2 it doesn't matter), then yes you can use your legitimate Product ID to validate his copy of Windows. You can change the Windows XP Product ID in Windows the following way...

Open this guide: http://www.petri.co.il/change_the_se...windows_xp.htm

or

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=328874

1. Complete steps 1 to 5 in one of the guides above.
2. Go to Start > Run...
3. Type x:\Windows\system32\oobe\msoobe.exe /a , where x:\ is the drive where Windows is installed.
4. Click Yes, I want to telephone a customer service representative to activate Windows...but don't continue with the process. Instead...
5. Click Change Product Key.
6. Enter the new Product ID.

This is perfectly legal. Attempting to validate your machine with an illegitimate Product ID, or attempting to circumvent the process is illegal.

An Activate Windows box should appear. Click to change the Product ID. Try entering the new key using the internet connection first (assuming a connection is present).

[Eagleboy]

Wow, thank you very much - I will attempt this first.

Thank you!

[EricB]

Originally posted by Alvin.C
Hello,

When you repair the OS it won't ask you to enter in a Product ID (Key). Only when you do a fresh installation of XP will it ask for a Product ID, because a key was already entered in the first installation.

If your OS and his are both Windows Professional XP (with or without service pack 1 or 2 it doesn't matter), then yes you can use your legitimate Product ID to validate his copy of Windows. You can change the Windows XP Product ID in Windows the following way...

Open this guide: http://www.petri.co.il/change_the_se...windows_xp.htm

or

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=328874

1. Complete steps 1 to 5 in one of the guides above.
2. Go to Start > Run...
3. Type x:\Windows\system32\oobe\msoobe.exe /a , where x:\ is the drive where Windows is installed.
4. Click Yes, I want to telephone a customer service representative to activate Windows...but don't continue with the process. Instead...
5. Click Change Product Key.
6. Enter the new Product ID.

This is perfectly legal. Attempting to validate your machine with an illegitimate Product ID, or attempting to circumvent the process is illegal.

An Activate Windows box should appear. Click to change the Product ID. Try entering the new key using the internet connection first (assuming a connection is present).

I just caught this thread. you beat me to it

[talldude123]

if people have Windows problems, just use Linux.

The only reason i dont use it is because they dont have one that acts like Windows

[Osiris]

you need winlinux

[EricB]

Originally posted by talldude123
if people have Windows problems, just use Linux.

The only reason i dont use it is because they dont have one that acts like Windows

Xandros does. actually it's better

[talldude123]

and people are using Windows XP?

Microsoft is going to lose money to Xandros!

[Eagleboy]

Originally posted by talldude123
and people are using Windows XP?

Microsoft is going to lose money to Xandros!

Nah, Microsoft has a pretty good stranglehold on the market. Windows comes standard on just about every pre-made PC, and everything is Windows compatible. Try running Photoshop or most games in Linux...

[talldude123]

MS pays Adobe to create Photoshop just for windows.

[Law]

Originally posted by talldude123
MS pays Adobe to create Photoshop just for windows.

It would make business sense to focus your product on Windows, considering the majority (what is it at 85%?) of computer users are Windows. I'm not so sure what you said is true or not, but if I was Adobe, I wouldn't care at all. I bet if M$ did pay Adobe, they are probably paying them more than they would make and lose if they open their market to other OS.

Beside no Linux or Mac guru is going to pay for Adobe expensive product when there is free opensource applicaton that does almost the same thing.

You all know what M$ countermeasures are for opensource software. M$ is a marketing genius, nuff said.