Given a Desktop PC from Work

[Mikey666]

How can I update Windows OS? (I need to get IIS on there, which was omitted for some reason) when I don't have a WinXP CD or a network domain connection any more...

I'd also like to change a few simple things, such as:

change the administrator password length - it has to be 14 chars long

stop the login request coming up after a timeout

allow iTunes to run

... etc

Can I get control of things without having to pay for a Windows XP CD? I have admin access but certain things aren't right yet

[Mike567]

if you can logon to the admin, then you need to go into control panel >> system >> computer name, and in that you should see your network domain you want to change that to workgroup with the name of what ever you like it doesn't matter all you want is to get off the domain.

in that you can change your admin password by going into user settings, but if you want to make it mandatory that you need 14 characters you need to go into gpedit.msc and look around that until you come across the min password length.

But if you don't have an admin account its against the forum rules for anyone to explain how to bypass the login features.

[ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb]

You can install IIS from Add/Remove Windows Components; I don't think you need the Windows CD for this. Once installed, I think you can use Microsoft Update to upgrade to IIS 6.0.

I don't know what you mean by "allow iTunes to run"; iTunes runs fine on XP-SP2.

[Mike567]

thats why I thought he doesn't have the priviledges.

[Mikey666]

Thanks for contributions

I gave up with this setup, with some sacrifices, even thinking the hardware was up the spout, with minutes of freezing & waiting...

Got a DVD drive, new 200Gb drive, 1Gb RAM, XP Pro DVD, and all went very nicely. All the stuff installed I needed, losing MS Office on the old disk

Two questions for you...

How do I switch startup between disks? Do I really have to go in the box and re-wire each hard disk seperately?!?!??! Is there not a little program to switch? Mac could do that in the 1980s and now can have OS X and Win side-by-side. Do I need to do this in the BIOS?!?! Can I not set it easily, or combine use of what's on both disks at the same time?

Next question - my XP had no serial no, and I didn't intend to have a dodgy one! Now activation expects me to pay for it. What will happen? Is it trying to worry me? Will it stop booting and prevent me using it, or it it just a bluff? Do I have to pay MS to get those keys on the keyring, or can I get a uniqueidentifier code from somewhere for free, or generate one for myself?

Thanks

Mike

[Alan2273]

If your disk has no serial number then it is illegal and it is against forum rules to show you how to bypass the serial number.

[Mikey666]

Well, sure, I appreciate that. When I got this at a Computer Fair I was thinking it'd be a useful thing. I was given a spare one for a friend. I thought Vista would be important enough to make XP not worth pulling in revenue for MS.

I was hoping you'd be able to suggest some options for me. Should I clean the new hard disk of all my month's work establishing everything, getting a valid disc (is Home XP good enough?) or is validating the setup I have by MS by internet and paying them enough?

Can you tell me what will happen then the validation / activation period runs out?

[Mikey666]

thats why I thought he doesn't have the priviledges.

As a backdated reply, I don't want bad assumptions being made. Perhaps I didn't make it clear that I was a full Administrator working at my Company. They threw out a load of old machines along with a policy of hi-tech, and a lot of money!

I never thought of changing the domain - little such things never came to mind.... might have worked - maybe not...

I was told by manager, "now you have the machine, you'll need to get a Windows disc for that" but I just managed to hold off for a year! With Admin, I installed allsorts of stuff on there. Just wanted to get rid of the password being asked for repeatedly, and never managed that, or change it to a better one.

[Alan2273]

Xp home will be fine, you can buy an OEM version for around £50, so if Microsoft want more than that to activate your disk then you can buy them from Aria.

http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Software/Op...productId=25139

[Mikey666]

PLEASE HELP!!

I have a new XP installation on a new hard disk. Excellent. But it's complaining that I have to activate this in just a few days. When I do this over the phone, MS tech help say there is an error! I give nine groups of six-digit numbers by touchpad and am expecting a confirmation ID back. Each time I'm told to reset the product key and type it in again. I got it right. There's something declared wrong in the sets of six digits when they're validated. Do I have a bad copy? What can I do?

What will happen when the activation period runs out? Will Windows not work?

[catgate]

You may have to resort to Linux.

[ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb]

What will happen when the activation period runs out? Will Windows not work?

Of course Windows will stop to work once the activation period has expired.

Have you tried online/interactive activation?

Are you sure your copy of Windows is legitimate?

[Mikey666]

I am absolutely sure that the operating system I have is not legitimate.

I have a utility to tell me what the product key is, by looking at the registry and deciphering it. So when I type in the product key, how can the activation process know things are illegitimate? I have an understanding of OEM installations, whereby a machine arrives, setup, asking for a product key, which I would input from the label. I don't have that label, but it should be the right key, acquired from the registry? The PC was used kit from an office. It didn't come with the OS. I bought that, with no label. But the OS installed is on the disk.

How do I validate / activate Windows? I already paid for the software.

[Mikey666]

By the way the keyfinder utility is Magic Jellybean. Do you know if it works properly? I have never had to fiddle with any Mac stuff like this before. All is paid-up, error-free, reliable, hassle-free, everything works perfectly. I'd love to know why so many people stil use Windoze when all I ever get from it is crashes and failure from day-to-day.

Any ideas how I can make this software work? It's not worth spending money on. I'll put a bet on that if I spent legitimate money on a copy of XP it wouldn't work. Windoze doesn't work. Doesn't work!

[catgate]

Linux is keyless.

[mark2]

I am absolutely sure that the operating system I have is not legitimate.

How do I validate / activate Windows? I already paid for the software.

Those two statements don't appear to add up

And also

I'll put a bet on that if I spent legitimate money on a copy of XP it wouldn't work.

7) Do not ask for, offer to supply, or post links to, copies of commercial software, MP3s, movies, CD Keys, Product Keys, Serial Numbers, etc. or other intellectual property for which you do not hold the copyright

27) Windows Forum cannot and will not permit any post, topic or link on how to reset the Administrator password on any computer system. Whilst such a request may be perfectly legitimate there are times when discussions on this topic can be used for an illegitimate reason. Windows Forum does not have the ability to determine the validity of any request and therefore we cannot allow such discussion on this topic.

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