Changing Win2K Product Key after Installation

[marshall]

I\'m helping a small company get their software assets in line and bought many copies of Win2K today.  Is there a way to retroactively change product keys?  It appears that the last help the company had, rolled out a disk image built on a retail Win2K upgrade.  I\'m really trying to avoid doing a rebuild of all machines to get the licensing straight.  Most of the tips I\'ve seen apply to changing setupp.ini to roll out a corporate version.  I don\'t think that will help me since I\'m trying to avoid multiple rebuilds.
Tks for any help.
Marshall

[Space Between]

I don\'t think you can. Or if you can it does take some hacking skills that i don\'t have. Even if you can it will still be recongized as a certain version. like even if you disable the product key prompt in the PID by changing it to 240 it will still be recongized as a certain version that is uniquely identified. So no matter what you do it\'s still gonna be the same install...or identifiable one way or the other. Note you can do what you want probably someway but that would take a alot of time learing how and you would wind up learning something that is non-legit by all means. There\'s no legal way around to make work what you want to work. It will all be illegal. If it comes from the same i386 dir off the same cd it can be identified that it does come from the same cd no matter what...unless you hack it somehow.

either way it\'s not legal and i wouldnt suggest doing/attempting it in a legal enviroment. IF you want to do it at home sure go ahead and try to do it for it\'s not gonna change MS\'s profit scale, but in a corporate enviroment you put both yourself and the company in HIGH risk by doing/attempting it.

[marshall]

Thanks,
That was what I was afraid of.  I had already steeled my self for building 14 machines this weekend.  At least SP3 makes it a little less patch intensive.
Marshall

[Twinkie]

The key is in the registry somewhere I think.  Give me a few hours to take a look and see if that is still the case in 2000 though.

[Twinkie]

Just kidding, I can\'t find it on a 2000 box.  Sorry

[Supernoobs]

Maybe this can help:

link

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visit supernoobs for free computer support

[Twinkie]

Here is something interesting.  I just looked at the reg value and guess what.  It does not match my code, and what\'s even better is that it is listed under ProductID with an OEM in it.  Funny, I though I was using a full retail version.  Since that is the serial I used.  Does not add up at the moment to me.  I will sleep on it and see if suddenly it makes sense later.

Just a comment ....

[Anonymous]

GO TO THIS SITE http://www.windowsxp.nu/oldnews.htm
SCROLL DOWN TO FIND

 Keychanger tool
Wanna change your winXP key from the pirated key to your genuine key?

This tool says it does it.

XPPID.EXE (288KB)    Read doc 1st!

[Space Between]

If my 2k machine wasnt messed up right now i would try that tool. I have seen that tool. What i never thought about is to try that tool with win2k. However i SERIOUSLY doubt that tool will work with 2k.

[Simkin]

No serial needed

legal workaround, just keep your list with serials at hand when they check your licence http://images.thetechguide.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif\' class=\'bbc_emoticon\' alt=\'\' />

[Anonymous]

i tried it, it said fatal error and said i need administrative capabilities. the thing was i was logged in as admin...

guess that means it wont work in win2k

[Tracky110XP]

when you had the image built, did you run sysprep?

sysprep will put the system through a \"mini setup\" where it will ask for the cd key.

my suggestion is to redo the image using sysprep.

you can find sysperp information on the w2k cd in the support folder.

[Anonymous]

> I\'m helping a small company get their software assets in line
> and bought many copies of Win2K today. Is there a way to
> retroactively change product keys? It appears that the last help
> the company had, rolled out a disk image built on a retail Win2K
> upgrade. I\'m really trying to avoid doing a rebuild of all
> machines to get the licensing straight. Most of the tips I\'ve
> seen apply to changing setupp.ini to roll out a corporate
> version. I don\'t think that will help me since I\'m trying to
> avoid multiple rebuilds.

Well, I\'m not a licensing expert, but as I understand it, it really doesn\'t matter which Product Key you use to install a Windows OS as long as you have proof that you have purchased a license and are entitled to use it.  This proof is the Certificate of Authority that is included with your Windows OS CD (or in the case of an OEM, the usually holographic sticker attached somewhere on the PC\'s case).  At least that\'s what I\'ve heard licensing specialists say.  Interestingly enough, perhaps you should have purchased Windows XP Pro instead -- their licenses can be \"downgraded\" to WIN2K Professional as well as WINNT4 Workstation and WIN98SE.  If you end up doing Office, get XP -- it can be downgraded to 2K as well.  FYI, most of the larger companies such as CDW, PC Connection, and Zones usually have licensing specialists in house available to assist you at no charge.

Please correct me if I am wrong!

--Adam