Custom XP CD from T41 OEM: onto T61? (+Vista downgrade Q)

[TKuser]

I've read various guides to making a bootable Windows XP installer CD from my T41's pre-installed XP installation (i386 folder, etc.), incl. how to retrieve the product key (the original from unattended.txt, and the updated one with Magic Jelly Bean Keyfinder, both of which are different from the one on the original sticker).

As I'm transitioning from a T41 to a T61, I'd like to go through this process to migrate the XP OS onto the T61. The T61 will be starting from either a wiped hard drive, or an OEM Vista installation.

Many of the guides mention that this installed copy of XP from my handmade CD will only avoid re-activation if installed on the original machine (T41). Is this true? Will the OEM product key fail to work when used on a T61? If so, what means of detection is used to make this so? Along similar lines, will Windows Genuine Advantage checks fail to work on the new machine? Will I just be out of luck, and I won't be allowed to proceed without purchasing a new XP license?

If it's true that I can't use XP from my T41 on a T61, what about if my T61 came with Vista pre-installed? Can I in some way utilize a product key that came with this pre-installed Vista to successfully install XP from a CD I made from my T41? (Or, were XP downgraders supposed to make a new purchase in order to install XP on their Vista machines?)

Thanks for helping me find the best path to migrate XP from a T41 to a T61!

[Neil]

There are a number of ways to accomplish your goal. But first, let me ask some questions to clear a few things up.

Why not run Vista on the T61? Especially since you have a license for Vista, and if it's Vista Business, it will give you three more years of support than XP. Vista may not be as well liked as Seven, but it's a better OS than XP in most ways. I like it better than Seven, but that's just me.

Wouldn't you rather run a 64bit OS on the T61 since it's capable of it?

If you are planning on using XP, do you want to comply with the Microsoft EULA? There are ways of installing XP that don't comply with the EULA, but do your morals allow for that?

[TKuser]

Thanks for your response, Neil.

Why not run Vista on the T61?

I have a very long list of reasons I want and need to continue using XP. I absolutely cannot afford to change at this time. For my specific purposes, Vista is definitely inferior to XP.

If you are planning on using XP, do you want to comply with the Microsoft EULA?

I have paid for XP many times now, yet I'm only running it on one machine. And, the T61 will have an OEM sticker, meaning that once again, it was paid for. Somebody wiped the drive, and I aim to restore the OS that was already paid for. This doesn't seem morally gray. The machine in question is licensed.

Thanks for any help you can offer!

[Neil]

OK, fair enough. I realize not everyone has the same needs I do. Not even close.

Now, back to your original questions. I have only installed XP from the contents of the i386 folder a couple of times, and as I recall, it worked just like an OEM install disc. That is, you have to activate it with a license key. Which always worked on-line for me, but you might have to phone Microsoft and explain what you are doing if the on-line activation fails.

It is not true that it will activate only on the original machine. At least that is not my experience. I used the i386 folder from one machine and installed on a different model, activating using the license key that was on the bottom of the second machine. Did that one two different occasions with different machines and different keys.

As long as you activate with Microsoft, WGA will be happy.

[TKuser]

Well, generally you don't have to activate at all if you do this right and you're using the original machine. The OEM installer, properly built onto a CD, will bypass activation altogether. It sounds like in your cases, you did have to activate. And what you're saying is that activation was successful - but not that activation was bypassed. Is that correct?

What I'm curious about is if anyone knows whether the process amply described elsewhere (incl. in a sticky on this board) will avoid activation when applied to a different Thinkpad, in the same way that activation is avoided when applied to the same Thinkpad.

[Neil]

Correct, I just used the i386 folder, I didn't use the ThinkPad installer, so activation was not bypassed, but was successful. When using ThinkPad recovery media, there is no activation required.

The same applies when installing on a different thinkpad of the same series. An installer that doesn't require activation, will not require activation.

[TKuser]

I found some information that addresses one of my questions: If my T61 comes with an OEM Vista Business, I have the right to downgrade it to an XP license. This will require going through phone activation with Microsoft.

I would still just as soon avoid activation altogether. Barring any definitive response, I may just have to try building an activation-free XP boot CD from my T41's XP installation, and find out by trying if activation is bypassed when installed on the T61. If it fails, I can attempt activation using my original XP key, or by phone activation using my new Vista key.