T42 Thinkpad

[HUGH]

I bought an old IBM Thinkpad T42 some while ago and installed XP SP2 from a CD. A few days ago I fitted a new, larger HDD and decided to load a fresh XP SP2 from the same CD.

Having formatted a large NTFS partition, on the next bootup, with the CD still in the drive, I had the message that XP was already loaded. OK I thought, perhaps I wasn't paying attention.

On proceeding to install XP as I had done before, on completion the installation never asked me for the installation key as it should have done or even to register the copy with Microsoft. Magic!

Has this range of laptops a secret store somewhere so it remembers previous installations?

[KC2UGV]

Did you use an OEM copy? Sometimes, they install a preactivated version, and it doesn't bother asking for a key if the hardware is close enough.

[N1LAF]

OEM versions, like IBM, Dell, etc, have identification built into the BIOS that Identifies it as that OEM, and no key is needed. I find this with Dell all the time, reinstall on a new hard drive NEVER asks for key. I think you will find problems if trying to install a Dell XP version on a non-Dell computer.

This forum is full of information on this subject....
http://forums.mydigitallife.info/

[N1LAF]

More...

System Locked Pre-installation, often abbreviated as SLP, is a procedure used by major OEM computer manufacturers in order to pre-activate Microsoft Windows before mass distribution. There are three different versions of SLP: SLP (which is now commonly referred to as SLP 1.0), SLP 2.0, and SLP 2.1. These versions roughly coincide with Windows NT versions (see table below). Operating systems that use SLP 1.0 check for a particular text string in a computer's BIOS upon booting. If the text string does not match the information stored in the particular installation's OEM BIOS files, the user is prompted to activate his or her copy as normal. SLP 2.0 and SLP 2.1 works in a similar manner. This effectively "locks" the operating system to the qualified motherboard. In addition, if an end user feels the need to perform a "clean install" of Windows and if the manufacturer supplies the user with an installation disc (not a "System Recovery" disc that is a hard drive image), the user will not be prompted to activate the copy, given that the installation is performed on the same motherboard. Furthermore, because the check only involves the BIOS and not hardware, a user is allowed to change virtually all hardware components within the machine except motherboard, a procedure that would normally trigger re-activation in retail Windows copies.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_Locked_Pre-installation

[HUGH]

Thank you for your suggestions, my CD is XP Pro Retail and has a specific registration key, my original installation asked for this. The T42 came with the original XP Pro wiped and the registration key label still attached, probably OEM.

"Keyfinder" tells me that XP is now installed with yet another registration key. I don't think I should worry, and thanks N1LAF, SLP seems to explain everything, it seems to work fine and I can probably change anything I want.

[N2RJ]

I don't think SLP will work with retail XP though.

Is this disc a burned disc? It was probably slipstreamed with a key.

If it was a pressed disc directly out of a retail box it should ask you for a key.