Guide to Wipe Windows?
- Thread starter mdt
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Different OEM distributions work differently - if it's a Dell I know a quick way 
Different OEM distributions work differently - if it's a Dell I know a quick way
Is it a secret?
(TT)
I didn't think so? Dell do summat which ties the hardware to the activation key - tbh I'm not sure exactly how this is done but if you get a Dell OEM XP CD for example and you have an XP sticker on the case then any Dell XP CD does the rebuild, installs the drivers and auto-activates it.
I sort of expected a flurry of 'yeah, we all knew that' - I can upload or post suitable copies/ISO if anyone needs?
I sort of expected a flurry of 'yeah, we all knew that' - I can upload or post suitable copies/ISO if anyone needs?
There is a good explanation of activation OEM windows here. Basically if your install media has a OEM certificate then is looks for a matching string in BIOS. This is why Dell media is required to install a dell PC. In Windows XP this is was looking for a SLP, for Vista onwards its looks for SLIC, the latest is v2.1 which I believe which activates Window Vista, 7, 8, 2K3, 2K8 and 2K12.
How SLP and SLIC Works - Guy Techie - Rants from a tech addict.
DAZ loader can actually install the required certificate after OS install if you don't have the right media. DAZ loader can also emulate the correct SLIC via a boot loader so windows thinks its a OEM PC. The other option and what I have usually do is to hack the BIOS and insert a SLIC. In fact windows thinks most of my PC are Dell PC. Its pretty straightforward in that all you do is get a BIOS update for your motherboard, run some tools to edit the BIOS image file and then flash the motherboard. Once done I can activate windows and its virtually undetectable.
For XP, if you have XP Pro then alternative was to use a VLK (Volume Licence Key) which is basically a key that can be used an unlimited number of times. Its designed for large organisation who automate their build process. I've got a couple I use but tbh people generally don't share them because if they get used to often in a suspicious manner (like lots of different subnets) then MS will generally ban the key. If you remember the infamous 'black' key which came from an American university but activations all over the world including europe and china.
The mechanism for volume licence changed in 7 onwards in that the key is tied to a licensing server the organisation must host and the OS checks every 180 days. There are VM images available for licensing servers and matching keys but tbh its more trouble then its worth and I would always recommend using the BIOS hack and/or DAZ loader.
mdt
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Different OEM distributions work differently - if it's a Dell I know a quick way
it is a dell that belongs to my next door neighbour. ill get the pc set up tomorrow and then give it a spin. regards mdt
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What a great post mate, well done I even understood lol
Thanks
Mick
Sent from my iPhone.
What a great post mate, well done I even understood lol
Thanks
Mick
Sent from my iPhone.
Thanks,
I didn't mention the hacks that mess with activation files as I generally don't recommend them and the ones most likely to fail after windows updates.
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