sorry if this is answered somewhere else, i couldn't find it... okay so my hp compaq presario sr2011wm came with XP MCE 2005 embedded, but to do a recovery I have to recover from recovery partition (which isn't there right now) or use the 14 cds i made in recovery tools... i currently have XP MCE 2005 installed from another iso that i got from a less reliable source than here (before i found this place, which freakin rocks btw) and it works alright for the most part but it also has a trojan in it that i have to clean right after install, sp3 slipstreamed to it which i do not like because it screws NET framework updates, and some of the services have been screwed with and don't work properly, and all my oem drivers don't install like they should, yet it works for all general purposes as i'm using it now but i'm not too pleased with it because i'm a perfectionist, but it did activate and install without me having to put in any "key" i'm assuming because my machine came with this version oem, though i could be wrong . i have downloaded the 2 orig iso files from the following thread (mainly because i can't find the REAL OEM HP/COMPAQ 2 recovery dvds (not ones someone made, real copies with hp crapware and all--which i would adjust on my own to my own liking): forums.mydigitallife.net/threads/11087-Looking-for-untouched-Win-XP-MCE-2005/page4 post #32, and i need to know if i need to do anything when i burn them before i install to get it to install and activate the same as the one i'm using now did, without any input from me, and if not, what exactly do i need to do, in detail because i'm not privy to the process @ the moment? and if i don't have to do anything but just put it in and install, will all my oem drivers potentially work with this one unlike the one i'm using now? help please? trying to do this proper re-install real soon too, like tonight before sunrise...
thank you so much for the quick response one thing: I notice in the "tainted" iso that is installed now there are other OEM files grouped with the BIOS such as: OEMCOA.JP_ OEMIG50.EX_ OEMIGLIB.DL_ OEMLOGO.GI_ OEMPRIV.HT_ do I need these for everything to work correctly or no, or are these Windows OEM files? the only reason i ask is because other than the few problems i mentioned with my current install, all the other OEM things work correctly from what i can tell; just wondering if these are hp/compaq dependents or something else? sorry but these compaq's are fickle machines and i've read too many posts about people screwing their motherboards from improper BIOS files and such.
one more thing, the product key in the WINNT.SIF from the "pro retail to pro oem" folder that is says to download in the tut you linked me to is not the correct key that matches the key that was on my "out of the box original" install which was found with "key finder" but the same file in "tainted" has the correct key--is this going to be a problem and should i change it to what i know 100% to be the correct key for my machine?
it's all good tito! thank you so much for your help. I ended up figuring it all out lol. i've already replaced the key and edited the .sif to my liking. i think i just may have it. haven't tested it yet but after burning the dvd the autorun feature kicks in with the Windows install menu so it should be all good. now to make another that is personalized with some goodies and not just the standard MCE sp2. i might have some more questions at another time, prob in the morn lol. thank you so much, again, especially at this time of night/morn, you're a lifesaver
sebus, I'm pretty sure it's properly referred to as "embedded" when it comes loaded from the factory from the OEM created recovery partition, at least that has always been my understanding and I know beyond doubt that it definitely makes a difference when trying to get help with hotfixes and such on other sites and from M$; but to each his own ZaForD, thanks for your suggestions, but I'm not that much of a "noob" and i'm very very familiar with virtual PCs / virtual boxes, and nlite as well, though i've not done too many integrations so far. And yes there still seem to be some problems with MCE 2005 and certain addon packs and aio's integration, especially with sp3 slipstreamed, which as i mentioned before i dislike very much because it screws NET framework and its updates (as least on my machine, which i've been through the rigormoroll SO MANY TIMES). surely didn't think i sounded that inexperienced; i've been working with pc's since the early nineties when i was still in grade school, lol. i was truly at a loss though when it came to turning a retail to OEM, since i usually just use my RP or R discs, but since I have started making partition bkps and saving to removable devices i decided it was time to ditch the old method (time consuming, discs are getting old / hard to read) and start doing it another way, and the first time i did it i used the "tainted" version i found elsewhere and my machine became jacked up for a few weeks. Now it's pristine, working on getting it up-to-date; unfortunately all the OEM Compaq drivers will still not install, mainly my cdrw/dvd drive firmware, but that's no big deal i guess. it'll take making distro folders and integration to get them working i'm sure. where's a force installer for XP when you need one (without using integration)... thanks for all the help though, really. some cool peeps here it seems, unlike other places.