XP Home upgrade cd?

[maconlysource]

If I slipstream sp2 onto this cd, will the "home upgrade" version work?

[The Viking]

OMIGOSH NO!!!

I spent hours figuring out how to make a slipstream DVD with my XP upgrade CD. Then, it asks you to put in a qualifying product during the install. Guess what? you don't have an Eject key! I had to find a WinXP Pro disc (full version) to get it right.

[Armand]

You cannot legally use a Windows upgrade CD on a computer that wasn't already running an earlier version of Windows. Upgrade CDs can be used for installing Windows on a blank/erased hard drive (and I recommend that method over an upgrade) but it will ask to see a CD of an earlier version during the install process.

If you buy / build a new computer without Windows included, you should buy a full version of Windows if you want to run Windows. :)

Yeah, I could've saved myself a bit of typing and just flamed you about piracy, wanting something for nothing, blah blah blah. But I'm going to give you (and readers of this thread) the benefit of the doubt and post something educational.

[Sonoko]

I own a copy of Windows 98 SE, and Windows Xp Home Edition (full). I also have the Windows Xp Professional upgrade Cd. If I do not have Home or 98 installed on any computers, why would it be illegal to use it?

[adamrandazzo]

If I slipstream sp2 onto this cd, will the "home upgrade" version work?

How to install XP pro using XP upgrade on Intel Mac
Problem.
You can not use a upgrade CD to load Windows on a mac because there is no CD eject button during the install.
Solution.
When you copy the contents of your Xp upgrade CD the first thing you must do is change the setupp.ini file to make it think it is a full version CD There is much information on the web about this, I used the setupp.ini file from my full XP home CD (Your Upgrade CD key will not work at this point) Slipstream this set. On the CD make a note what cd this one is, I called mine cd 1
Next copy the entire content of the original XP upgrade CD. Do not change the setupp.ini file leave it as it is found on the CD. Slipstream this version. Write to a CD then label it cd 2 (or what ever you like.)
Go threw the installation as normal when it gets to the CD key your will not work. Hold the restart button then hold the mouse so the CD will eject. Place the CD 2 in the drive and boot from CD when asked. I hit space bar to make it boot from the cd (after the boot loader) When asked for your CD key use the one provided when you bought XP pro upgrade.
The solution is legal only if you do own a previous full copy of windows. It is not legal to change the setupp.ini and use some one else CD key. It is merely a workaround so we can prove that we do own the original full install of Windows. This is the only requirement when installing is that you must own it and not necessarily have it installed!!
Why does this work.
When you go into the installation and you get up to the point of CD key setup has already copied all the windows files needed to make it think you have a full version of windows installed. When you restart and boot from the CD it will look into the C: drive and it will see the windows and therefore will not prompt you to change the CD it will install smoothly.

[Sonoko]

Ah, okay, thanks Adam. The instructions were a little confusing the first couple times I read them, but after dissecting it, it seems like it'll work.

I just performed a test, with my Windows XP Pro Upgrade CD, but without the mac patches. I ran it in Qemu and it performed just like the instructions said. On the 2nd bootup with the cd with the original setupp.ini, it made me "repair" the installation. That is normal, right?

Has anyone tried this with their Mac? I have a 20" iMac, and I am just paranoid that I'll make the computer unusable. :X

[sbender]

I've been unable to get this to work using the info I found on the web. It seems that no matter numbers I put in the setupp.ini, I still get the prompt to insert a CD. Anyone have any idea why this won't work for me?

thanks!

[Sonoko]

I used the method posted above, and I can confirm it does indeed work. There are a few little quirks: it seems that when you restart with the actual Upgrade Cd (the one with the UNMODIFIED setupp.ini file), it validates the installed files, but instead of writing over them, it wrote besides them.

*cough* In other words, I had two Windows XP Professional installations on the partition. The NTLDR asked if I wanted to boot "Windows XP Professional" or "Windows XP Professional" of course one of them was never totally installed ;). Once I got into Windows, there was C:/WINDOWS, and C:/WINDOWS.(0) . WINDOWS.(0) was the good install, I deleted C:/WINDOWS without a problem as well as removed the entry to boot it from Ntldr.

Sbender, verify that the setupp.ini is actually modified on the CD... if it is, I believe that the Extradata field also has some bearing on the Cd's functionality.

edit: sent you a PM, Sbender.... :)

[Armand]

If you have a CD for Windows 98 or XP Home then the XP Pro upgrade will accept it and work just fine. However, on the subject on the legality of it, if your earlier Windows version came with other computers they have what's called an Original Equipment Manufacturer (or OEM) license. The licensing terms Microsoft gives for OEM licenses are different than for full retail versions you buy in a store. Often these CDs will either have your computer company's logo on it or say that they're only for a new PC.

Now, I am not a lawyer, but as I understand how Microsoft licenses OEM versions of Windows you can't legally use them on a computer other than the one that they came with. Not even to upgrade another system. See this link for more info. http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/YourPC_do.mspx

So, in a nutshell:

If you bought a retail copy of Windows 98, Me, NT 4.0, 2000 Pro or XP Home off a store shelf and haven't / no longer use it on a computer, you can use it with a Windows XP Pro upgrade CD on a new computer and be fully licensed to do so. :)

Yes, as you have discussed there are ways to modify an upgrade CD into behaving like a full retail CD so that you can use it on your Intel Mac, but that doesn't change how you can legally use an upgrade license.