Resolved Understanding Volume Licensing - Unable to install XP Pro

I have one volume license of XP Professional, with enough seats for our environment, and I am currently attempting to install it on a computer.

Previously, the drive had been wiped using the "dd" command from a Knoppix distro - we were wiping for compliance and didn't expect to use the drive again - and now Windows is failing to install.

In my possession are two MS discs.

One that is dated from Jan 06, with lime green graphics over a hologram background saying, "Microsoft Windows XP Professional Upgrade with Service Pack 2" which used to do complete installs on old hard drives that we were reformatting - despite deleting partitions in the setup, there were still multiple partitions detected by DBAN or Knoppix - now prompts me that the product is an upgrade disc and will not do an install without detecting Windows previously installed on the computer. This is supposed to be the full version, as I've done complete installs with this disc and our volume license before.

The second disc is a full hologram disc that is labeled as Windows XP Professional that includes SP2. I can get all the way through the install with this machine, but when it asked for a product key, our volume license (which is the only version of XP Pro we should have) is deemed invalid.

These are the only two discs we have or use for Windows installations. The only difference in how these computers were set up was a proper zeroing of the drive via linux versus using the format from the Windows install disc. I don't understand why a full-install disc wouldn't full-install like it has before.

Is there a way to resolve this? Switching discs during this process doesn't seem to trigger the license into operation, or get me past the "is an upgrade product" screen. What would give us the ability to use our licenses again and just get this installed?

 

I think you are going to need the Windows disk that came with the volume license. You won't be able to use a single license disk with a volume license Product Key.

 

That would be the green one with the "upgrade" written on it. That's our volume license version.

What I don't understand is this: When using it, it will format a hard drive and do a full install (not an upgrade) when there's an old Windows version to overwrite. It does not currently install onto a blank HDD, claiming it's just an upgrade product.

It is an upgrade or it's not, correct? How can it format and do a full install when it's not? Or, if it is a full install, why isn't it installing to a zeroed drive?

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As I've said, this has worked dozens of times when merely reimaging/reformatting, and overwriting old Windows. But after wiping the drive with the linux dd command, it no longer wants to install. I'm confused about what "upgrade" means in this context, I guess, then...

 

I would expect whoever purchased the license worked on the basis that you already have standard license Windows XP Pro and rather than purchasing new volume licenses got a cheaper "upgrade" instead (but that's my speculation).

I would fully install the standard version, then, in Windows, put the upgrade disk in the CD/DVD drive. It should run the upgrade from there.

Be careful using Linux to format or make partitions, Windows often doesn't recognise it. If you want to completely wipe the whole HDD and build "Windows" partitions, I suggest you use the HDD manufacturer's utility, like MaxBlast, Seagate DiscWizard, WD Lifeguard, etc.

Matt

 

That's correct. I am prompted to insert a disc containing any of several versions of Windows, then press enter. I tried placing the full-hologram disc at the prompt and pressing enter. It didn't respond, as far as I could tell.

I'll be more specific: I put in the full version disc (the one I can install Windows with up to the point where it asks me for a license) and press enter. It reads the disc and then prompts me again to get a disc with the full version on it to install, and then press enter.

 

If memory serves me correctly, you should be able to use the disc you are trying to install from. Eject it, reinsert it and try it. If it takes, eject it again and reinsert it again to continue with the installation. Otherwise, use anything from Win9x on.

As to earlier questions spliced between this thread and the other one, Volume User Gold Keys won't work with OEM discs and OEM Keys won't work with Volume User Gold discs.

 

Made a call to MS, and he says that our upgrade version needs to see an old Windows on the hard drive before it can install the new version - even though it's a full version.

Let me try to analogize... Just so I can understand.

Preconception
You have a building, and you call it Windows XP.

Adding a second floor would been an upgrade - you need the first floor first.

You want to build a new 2-story building, you must destroy the building already there, the build Windows XP, and then build a second floor.



MS' Method
You have a building, and you call it Windows XP.

To build a brand new building on that land, you need to prove it has a building there FIRST, and THEN demolish it, and FINALLY build your 2-story building.

. . .

Do I have this down right, now? The guy on the phone wasn't able to explain it well beyond "no, you can't, it won't work," and just really wouldn't tell me why it was like that.

 

Rockster2U mentioned it. I don't expect these are custom built machines, so what (OEM) brand are they?

You can run the "full holographic" Windows disk installation on Dells, Compaqs, IBMs and some others. Some OEM manufacturers only supply system drivers with their own installation disk (or image).

If it is OEM, using the manufacturer's installation does not require Windows Activation.

I think you are in the grey area of OEM built computers.

Matt

 

Hrm. I was told by the MS guy that I need to take the license on the side of the computer it came with, because it's non-transferable. (Good luck when you have at least 5 of any given model, right?)

But I've attempted to use it on Dells with no success - after it insalls, it wants a license that I don't have (the machines on-hand came with 2kPro on them). So I need to go dig out the 2kPro copies, install that and then install the XP Pro upgrade (which will uninstall 2kPro... theoretically - DBAN showed multiple partitions to format, even though Windows shows only one, when we originally wiped the drives).

Installing a full-version upgrade is just plain out counter-intuitive, not to mention silly-sounding. I just think it's little tricks and "editions" like this that make being in an enterprise environment harder than it should be.

Bottom line? Don't zero your drives in an enterprise environment unless you are 100% sure that you're not going to use them again, ever, because MS doesn't believe you can own a license and have a need to install it on a clean hard drive.

 

Sounds like good advice to me and actually, I never delete/remove the hidden partition on an OEM machine.

I will mark this resolved, you can still add to it if you find any further questions or information.

Matt