Thinkpads Forum

I work for an organization that has a volume license on Microsoft products and I am trying to make a master image that will make it easy for us to install our own custom settings on each T60. I have been using the sysprep tool and it works like a charm but here is my problem. I was trying to use change the license key to our volume license instead of the key that comes with the computer but every time I do this it will not change and tells me the key is invalid. The reason I want to do it this way and not install a fresh copy of XP is to keep the cd burning and other apps that I can not download intact. Once I have our image ready to go I am going to send it to CDW so they can image it for us. Does anyone have experience trying to do this sort of thing?

If you bought the systems with the license, I am not understanding why you would want to change it?!? Whether you are using the one that came with it, or the one for you volume licensing, you still have a valid license.

I know that the Thinkpads will not accept the other keys.

I want to change it for ease of use. This way there is no entering of a key code and no activation required. Is there a way to set these up the way I want?

Build an image from scratch using your volume license key. All the applications you will need from the factory image are in the SWTOOLS/apps folder on the root of C:.

Copy that folder from the factory image to a dvd or to a network share and install the apps you need or want on to a fresh image. Run sysprep and voila!, your very own OEM image.

I do this for clients. I use the preload XP Pro OS, adjust to my requirements, add Office XP or 2003 with Volume licensing, add other applications, set up to client specs and so on. My vendor uses Ghost to create an image and either load the image onto like machines with a DVD or from the Network. Seems to work. Certainly no activation is involved. ... JDH

It's been a while since i used sysprep but what if you don't reset the flags in sysprep?

The problem is that if I am doing an image I cant give everyone the same license unless it is the volume license.

Unless you are buying your PC's without an OS, I don't think it matters. So long as the imaged PC's are all properly licensed, I don't think it matters that they all have the same key as one of them. ... JDH