I have been charged with the configuration of a custom image for our company's IBM ThinkCentre machines. Normally they come out-of-box with a IBM customized Windows XP Pro image. They do not ask for product key on boot, and do not require activation.

The IBM image is more complicated than we need, so I rebuilt a new image on an identical test machine, using Windows XP Pro OEM from the all-windows DVD's. Upon install, the OEM key on the side of the ThinkCentre works fine. The system requires activation, which I do over the internet. I preconfigure all the applications and settings etc, and then run SysPrep before ghosting the image.

What settings should I be using in order to prevent the activation wizard from coming up after the system is ghosted onto a new machine?

What are MS's licensing requirements regarding keys and software? If I were to use XP corporate with a illegitimate key, would the software license still be legit, as the machine has the OEM key stickered on the side of the case?

This is more of an initial setup concern than anything, as my manager does not want to have to call in or activate via the internet each new XP machine that we deploy.

Any thoughts or comments on this would be appreciated.

Hi SuperChicken,

If you are going to be imaging XP Pro then I suggest you get licenced for and obtain a Volume Licencing copy of XP. This version does not include activation.
However you can only use VL keys with VL CDs and you must be a member the appropriate licencing agreement to recieve VL software.

I'm afraid this is the only way I can see to image the computers without the need for activations.

Hope this helps

Stuart B

Thanks, that's what I've been told on a few other tech sites.

Sysprep will force you to activate again, which will fail on your machines. The license for XP also says in the EULA that you must activate, or you do not have a license to use windows. (Unless you have a volume license, in which case you will be able to order a volume 9 corp) The only way to get away with doing this would be to call microsoft as each machine comes online and explain why the hardware keeps changing. AFAIK there is nothing wrong with using any valid key over and over on many machines via ghosting as long as you own enough of the same product. The activation however throws a huge monkey wrench into the mix. It's also quite a hassle when peopple are buying machines from OEM's with normal windows preinstalled.......
this activation crap is not a good trend for us consumers.

Try deleting the wpa.dbl before running sysprep (make sure you used a product code in the sysprep.inf). Then image the machine. When the image is put on a different machine the wpa.dbl will be recreated and it should have the hardware listed from the different machine, which should give no activation problems.