First you want to copy your Windows XP Professional setup files from your CD to your hard drive. You have to copy at least the I386 directory (I recommend copying all the files, so you can burn a complete CD later). Now go into the I386 directory you just copied onto your hard drive. Find the setupp.ini file. Right click it, select Properties, and remove the Read-only checkmark. Now open the file to edit it.
Your setupp.ini file should read something like this:
[Pid]
ExtraData=6166656C736263737373B2574A0581
Pid=51873XXX
Replace the 3 X's (generally it'll be 270) at the end with "000". It should now read something like this:
[Pid]
ExtraData=6166656C736263737373B2574A0581
Pid=51873000
That’s it! Now you can now install Windows XP Professional as a retail version! Now all you need is a retail key which I'll get back to you with.
Note: After many emails, it's safe to say this works with all versions of Win XP; Professional, Server, and Corperate Edition. If it's not working for you, email me letting me know exactly what you're trying this on. I won't be able to help you (there's only so many ways to replace 000 with 270), but I can let others know if a certain CD (ie Win XP Pro Trial) will not work.
