Any other OEM System Builder? SYSPREP question...

[chako]

I was wondering if there was any more OEM builder out here.

I want to install Windows XP with a product key, download all the updates from updates.windows.com and pretty much get the PC ready for shipping. Then I want to clone the hard drive to five other drives because I am building six machines. Each of the machines will have their own XP product key, however I was wondering if I run SYSPREP.exe and shut down the PC if that would delete the original product key I used pre-clone and allow the user to enter the correct product key when they boot for first time experience new user boot?

[muno]

When w9x was pop, you could just delete the product key from the registry and shut it down. It would then ask for the key upon first start.

I've done few syspreps on w2k computers. But can't remember if it did remove the key or not. My guess would be it did, and since w2k is pretty much same as wxp, I'd think that yes.
But you obviously have a lot of tools with you, so you can easily test it out
-M

[John Prophet]

Do a search on microsoft http://support.microsoft.com/search/...false&numDays=

of which, there are several articles which may help out

http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;299840

http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;302577

JP

[chako]

JP.

Dang...I forgot my oem password to microsoft, and I've been waiting on a new password. I did not think that microsoft would have this information availible in the KB public folders....geez...

I think this paragraph pretty much says what I think it means:

Looks like running sysprep on the "cloned" computer will reset the product key. I won't be using an answer file, so it won't
pre-load" the original product either....

After Windows XP is imaged and then deployed, Windows Product Activation initiates the activation timer, which resets the installation ID (and enables the full grace period) at first start after the installation of Windows XP is complete on the target computer. Unlike Volume Licensing, unique product keys are required for each of the target computers. However, a manual telephone call is not necessary as long as the target computers have Internet connectivity and the product keys are valid; in that case, the computer activates online automatically.

Thanks for helping out.