[Release] The OEM ACT

[Siginet]

These addons are now obsolete. Please use the OEMSCAN Addons (http://www.siginetsoftware.com/forum/showthread.php?t=117) instead.


Siginet's OEM ACT
OEM Activation Control Technology

This is for those of us computer techs that are sick and tired of installing a clients computer system and having to call microsoft to activate a valid OEM system. What this does is allows you to place manufacturer specific oembios.* files on your disks that are used during setup to replace the default ones that originally come on a windows disk. During installation a program is ran that reads the computers bios to determine what manufacturer it is. Then it determines which oembios.* files are needed when installing the system. It copies the correct files and then the computer will be pre-activated. This should significantly reduce the amount of times you need to call microsoft to activate.

This is not using any hacked files. This is a legal way of creating a universal manufacture disk to install systems which have a valid OEM license from a Royalty OEM like Dell HP Sony Compaq etc...

This project is based off of Bezalel's idea in this thread:
http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=71016&hl=oembios

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Downloads:
RVMIntegrator Addons:
The files must be integrated with my RVM Integrator (http://Integrator.SiginetSoftware.com) program.


MultiOEM_ACER_ADDON.7z (http://professorcpu.net/files/MultiOEM_ACER_ADDON.7z)
MD5: A966258868B235591BC3EB832E111DF2

MultiOEM_ADVENT_ADDON.7z (http://professorcpu.net/files/MultiOEM_ADVENT_ADDON.7z)
MD5: 8154C84CC1A8689EE7C673345CC845E8

MultiOEM_BENQ_ADDON.7z (http://professorcpu.net/files/MultiOEM_BENQ_ADDON.7z) v1.1
MD5: EABB1423E52E5E32FB90CF22AC4B5043

MultiOEM_DELL_ADDON.7z (http://professorcpu.net/files/MultiOEM_DELL_ADDON.7z)
MD5: 70D90A01F67224C2010117F91E465602

MultiOEM_EMA_GATE_ADDON.7z (http://professorcpu.net/files/MultiOEM_EMA_GATE_ADDON.7z) (Emachines and Gateway)
MD5: D19BCDEA69A1657AFD702427CA62B217

MultiOEM_EQUUS_ADDON.7z (http://professorcpu.net/files/MultiOEM_EQUUS_ADDON.7z)
MD5: 754745EDFC827303D3C8B65AED999CB8

MultiOEM_FOUNDER_ADDON.7z (http://professorcpu.net/files/MultiOEM_FOUNDER_ADDON.7z)
MD5: 11FFFEC0C0DCCC2DA18CAEC3F85A8949

MultiOEM_HPCOMPAQ_ADDON.7z (http://professorcpu.net/files/MultiOEM_HPCOMPAQ_ADDON.7z) (HP and Compaq)
MD5: 077B1C2D768AC57C7DFBE44D67A49691

If you want to manually use the tool you can download it by itself here:
OEMBIOS.EXE (http://professorcpu.net/files/OEMBIOS.EXE) v0.3
MD5: F532D9AA5A76717BEA867B404DEEC6D4


Basically how you make it work is this:
First off you need to get a Royalty OEM Serial number. This is not the windows serial number you find on the sticker on the outside of the computer case. It is a windows xp serial number you would find in a winnt.sif file on a royalty oem install disk. Like a dell installation cd. Or you can use a program like keyfinder to find out the serial number used to install the computer. As long as it was installed by the manufacturer you should be fine. ;) Now make sure you add that key to your own winnt.sif file. You can search msfn for info about the winnt.sif file if you need help with it. For legal reasons I do not feel comfortable posting any of those keys here.

Then just use the RVM Integrator to integrate these addons to your disk and that's it.

Or if you want to use it manually just get the oembios.exe file and make your own oembios.ini file.

Basically there are 2 sections of the oembios.ini file.

Here is a sample oembios.ini file:


[Settings]
OEMFilesPath=OEMFILES

[SystemData]
AcerSystem=ACER\717B6EF3
DIXONSXP=ADVENT\221C8416
ASUS_FLASH=ASUS\B20C65BF
BenQHub=BENQ\B55014F0
Dell System=DELL\B6F0EEFD
Dell Computer=DELL\B6F0EEFD
Dell Inc=DELL\B6F0EEFD
Dell Quanta=DELL\87870F5A
BIOSLOCKFUNCTION=ELITEGRP\8EE1223C
EMACHINES=EMA_GATE\C86378C7
Gateway=EMA_GATE\C86378C7
Equus=EQUUS\0D59FC53
Founder PC=FOUNDER\3A0C0121
FUJITSU-PC=FUJITSU\9CF90CA8
FUJITSU SIEMENS=FUJITSU\E161F004
FSC SYSTEM=FUJITSU\E161F004
FSC SERVER=FUJITSU\E161F004
HEDYCOMPUTER=HEDY\162C7931
Compaq=HPCOMPAQ\CD4E1902
Hewlett=HPCOMPAQ\CD4E1902
HP PAVILION=HPCOMPAQ\06D652A4
HP Pavilion=HPCOMPAQ\06D652A4
IBM CORPORATION=IBM\D7A77612
Lan Plus=LANPLUS\FDAA5E8B
LEGEND Dragon=LEGEND\7B06BD13
LENOVO=LENOVO\5237B729
MAXDATA=MAXDATA\608BC835
MEDIONPC=MEDIONPC\06485F9D
MEDIONNB=MEDIONPC\06485F9D
NECC_=NEC\E32D3612
NEC-PC=NEC\E32D3612
NEC Computers=NEC\E32D3612
NEC_Product=NEC\E32D3612
$SAMSUNGPC,E710-E810=SAMSUNG\904CF15A
Sony Corporation=SONY\376E13C7
SYSFIC=SYSFIC\15367043
TCL123=TCL\D99F7B12
TOSHIBA=TOSHIBA\A16F9D62
TRIGEM=TRIGEM\DFD180D2
TSINGHUA TONGFANG COMPUTER=TSINGHUA\7870B3C6

The settings section is for giving a manufacturer directory path (from the root of the disk). OEMFilesPath is the command needed then = OEM is the path I wish to have my Manufacturer directories located. For instance this would be "X:\OEM\HPCOMPAQ" (X meaning the drives letter.) If the [Settings] section is left blank or not in the oembios.ini file at all then oembios.exe automatically looks for the manufacturer directories from within the same directory as oembios.exe. I set these addons to place the files within the OEM directory on the root of the disk so that it is placed within the same directory as Wim Leer's Driverpacks. This way it is also compatable with Windows XP PowerPacker as well (Not yet tested though). ;)

The SystemData section is where the magic is though.
Basically the red section is where you list a string to be searched for in the systems bios.
(OPTIONAL) The green area is where you specify a location to search for the bios string in the bios.
The darkblue area is the path of the directory where you want to grab the manufacturers oembios.* files from for a system having a matching bios string. If you setup your oembios.* file correctly then you will easily be able to install your clients systems without having to activate. :D
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For those of you that have found some other bios strings that I have not included... or if you create any other MultiOEM Addons please do submit them here. An advanced member can read through the files and determine how to create their own addons. Or you can submit some files for me to create an addon for you by submitting the oembios.* files needed, the bios strings and the manufacturer name(s) it can be used for. You can get a lot of this info from Bezalel's thread in the top of this post. I will be adding more of these addons as well... but I think this is enough to get you all started. ;)


Oh and one more thing... A log file is placed in %SystemDrive%\Windows\Temp\OEM_.log

If a computer copies the oembios.* files to the system but the preactivation fails then please report the info found in this log file.

History:

I just released v0.3.

In this version I have added the possibility to specify a specific area to search in the bios per Manufacturer String. This should help with certain filesets that have to find a string in a specific area. Like Gateway and Dell.

You have the choice to specify an area or not. If you don't specify an area it will default to the original area of search (0000-FFFF)

For instance if you used:

Hewlett,0000-FFF0=HPCOMPAQ\CD4E1902

Hewlett Represents the string in the bios to search for.
,0000-FFF0 Is Optional. It represents the area of the bios to search. The example above means to search between [F000:0000 - F000:FFF0]
HPCOMPAQ\CD4E1902 is the path, (From the root of the disk), to the oembios.* fileset you wish to use on a computer matching this bios string.

I am also showing the area searched and the areas the bios strings were found into the "%SystemDrive%\WINDOWS\Temp\OEM_.log" file.

[ricktendo64]

Cool! 8)

[Siginet]

I am working on finishing a better version of the program. ;) So be on the lookout. The new version will be much simpler to maintain.

[Siginet]

Updated to v0.2. Completley new scheme. I updated the post with the new info.

[theuni]

i've been wanting a way to do this for a long time now. This will eliminate my need to create dell/compaq/gateway/etc. multi-boot disks. I'll be following the status of this one daily!

btw, what kind of disk should we be using for this? A gold OEM, i presume?

[Siginet]

I would probably use just a regular OEM disk. Not specific to any manufacturer. In the future I want to also implement a way to have multiple OEM product keys as well. So when the manufacturer is found the correct manufacturer key is installed as well. But for now all you need is one Royalty OEM Product Key. Like one from a dell disk. This is much more effeciant than a multiboot disk filled with every type of manufacturer on it. ;) But remember each set of oembios.* files are about 12 MB. That can add up. The project is still in it's infantsy as well. There will be improvments I promise.

Enjoy!

[theuni]

i'm sure there will and i'd be happy to help.

12megs of oembios is probably less overhead than making a separate cd for each, anyway. What's your advice on making a multiboot cd like this that is combined with retail and upgrade?

I guess the easiest way would be to make a Home OEM w/ your extensions, Home Retail, Pro OEM w/ your extensions, PRO Retail, Home Upgrade, and Pro Upgrade.

Really isnt that bad, 6 cd multi-boot for all possible situations. Is this pretty much what you're planning on doing?

[Siginet]

What do you mean by extensions?

You may also enjoy the latest advanced features of powerpacker where you can specify multiple winnt.sif files for each pack. ;)

I would place a copy of each OS on the disk. Pro Upgrade OEM Retail and Corp, Home Upgrade OEM and Retail. Which would make 9 OSes.

I tend to use DVDs nowadays. But some computers don't have a dvd drive. So I carry an extra DVD Rom drive around with me in this case.

You don't want to cram too much on a cd... cause I notice read errors sometimes if you have too much on it.

When I make cd versions I usually break them up into Home and Pro cds. So I end up having 2 cds to rule them all. ;)

With the new OEM ACT we are well on our way for a true Universal Windows XP Install disk. :D

[theuni]

yea

I'm with you on the cd thing. probably 20% of pcs i work on dont have dvd drives, so i want as much as possible on 1 disk. I like the idea of doing 1 disk rather than 2 just for convenience sake. I Think i can cram it all, i've been able in the past. This will make it a ton easier though. It may take a few hours one weekend a month or so, but this saves me many more hours working on pcs.

I really appreciate all your work, btw.

If you work in vb or c++ i'd be happy to help out, i know both well.

[Siginet]

Actually I code in autoit for the time being. But sometimes I use small scripts created in vb etc...

So I will keep you in mind. ;)

[theuni]

I dont want to oversimplify this, but i'm just wondering if it would work...

Since you seem to be doing on-the-fly patching of files during the installation, would it be possible to patch the files corresponding to retail\oem\corp at the same time?

ie. diff the files to find the differences btw those versions and patch them according to the selection on the cd shell

so if i pick retail, nothing happens. if i pick oem, those files are patched to make the image into an oem one.

am i making that sound waaay too easy? because i could definitely see how that would be difficult. just a thought.

[Siginet]

That would really piss microsoft off. If I made a tool that would change Windows Genders. ;) I don't think I want to chance that. It would be a simple tool to make... but not one I would make. There aren't very many files you need to change a windows type. I think it is 5-7 files.

[theuni]

i dont mean change it after it's been installed...

i do many rebuilds for customers. rather than carrying a retail, oem, corporate cd (to match their serial #) i make a multi cd. Probably the same as you.

it'd be nice to be able to change BEFORE the install. So if i have a retail sticker, it uses retail files. OEM sticker, oem files, etc.

it wouldnt allow for anything different than your multiboot cds, just an easier way of doing it.

[Siginet]

I don't see how it would be possible to have the disk know what you want to install to the system. Any computer can have OEM Retail or Corporate installed to it. Theres no system checking I could do to tell which os is the best for a system. ;)

Do you mean have it detect the os allready installed then wipe it and reinstall it? That would probably need BartPE to be involved. I don't really think many people would have much of a need for a tool like that. I'm sure it would be possible to make a bart disk that autoruns a file to check the current OS then begin a windows install according to it's findings. I wouldn't know of any other way.

[theuni]

no, i mean let the user choose.

at the cdshell menu, if they choose oem, then the oem files are used.
if they choose retail, then the retail files are used.
etc.

you choose at the shell depending on the type of license they have.

kinda like the tri-pack option you have now. Automatically build the filestructure and build it into the cdshell menu.

[Siginet]

Basically to do that I don't think it is possible. I think it has something to do with the setupp.ini file. That file must be on the disk in a specific area during install. That is one of the files that setup uses to determin what version you are installing. I don't think it is possible to use multiple copies.

[theuni]

ok, i gotcha

another question about your oem act...

if the oembios.bin's dont match what's in the machine, what happens?
will it ask me for a serial # since the one in the winnt.sif should only work with an oem vendor?

I ask because i need to know if i still need to include a vanilla OEM build, or if 1 OEM with your plugins will cover vendors and standard oem.

[Siginet]

If one is not found then no oembios files are copied. I will add an option to use the original oembios files as well though. But it works either way.

If a match isn't found you just change the windows key to the one that should be on the system then activate.

[theuni]

ok

one more for ya...

I just redid everything from scratch. RyanVM -> DP_Base -> Nlite -> PowerPacker.

Everything seemed to work fine, except that it looks like Powerpacker removed the oem and $oem needed for oem act. I thought manually adding it to the root\xoho would fix it, but the xp install still complains about \oem\bin\WatchDSP.exe and \oem\bin\CloseDSP.exe

any idea why this is happening.. and why copying the files manually didnt fix it?

[theuni]

well, nevermind that last post, i got it working. pasted the files in the wrong place i guess.

can't say for sure if it works or not because i installed inside of a vm and it doesnt see the real bios, but the install went flawlessly.

i think if you could do what you said above, i'd be a happy camper. Maybe if no oembios match, you could have a secondary winnt.sif that you could default to?

That way if it detects dell, it uses the normal winnt.sif that inserts the generic OEM s/n. If it detects nothing, it goes to the other winnt.sif that has a blank s/n so you have to enter one manually. That would be awesome.

Again, thanks for all the great work. This disk is getting pretty badass...

[Siginet]

Honestly I haven't tested the method in PowerPacker yet. I know PowerPacker should move the OEM directory to the root of the disk though. So It should work correctly from there. Each pack should have it's own $OEM$ directory as well. I'm not sure if the $OEM$ directory needs to be at the root. If changes have to be made to PowerPacker I will make the changes. ;) But in theory it should work fine. But I don't remember if powerpacker grabs the OEM directory from the source files or not.

[Siginet]

I just released v0.3.

In this version I have added the possibility to specify a specific area to search in the bios per Manufacturer String. :) This should help with certain filesets that have to find a string in a specific area. Like Gateway and Dell.

You have the choice to specify an area or not. If you don't specify an area it will default to the original area of search (0000-FFFF)

For instance if you used:

Hewlett,0000-FFF0=HPCOMPAQ\CD4E1902

Hewlett Represents the string in the bios to search for.
,0000-FFF0 Is Optional. It represents the area of the bios to search. The example above means to search between [F000:0000 - F000:FFF0]
HPCOMPAQ\CD4E1902 is the path, (From the root of the disk), to the oembios.* fileset you wish to use on a computer matching this bios string.

I am also showing the area searched and the areas the bios strings were found into the "%SystemDrive%\WINDOWS\Temp\OEM_.log" file

[theuni]

would it be possible to implement wildcards for oem strings?
then i could have for example:

Hewlett,0000-FFF0=HPCOMPAQ\CD4E1902
*=Generic\Generic

That would allow us to use the existing files from the OEM oembios.*

maybe that would be a start to what i'm trying to accomplish? (if no oem string is detected, use the generic oembios.* and a different winnt.sif that forces you to enter a serial #)

[Siginet]

Actually I was thinking about having oembios.exe automatically grab files from an folder called "ORIGINAL" in the manufacturer directory if it exists. ;)

Good idea on the ask to change serial number for generic OEMBIOS files. ;) I'll implement that as well.

[theuni]

another quick idea...

Haven't done my research on this one, but do the oembios.* files change much? Or are they completely different files?

If it's just a few strings different in each file, would it be possible to include 1 "blank" oembios, then patch the rest depending on the different strings/bytes needed? This could save LOTS of valuable diskspace.

[FreeStyler]

@theuni

Sounds like a nice idea...allthough i now begin to think we are going over the top with this project...

BTW I think winnt.sif is processed before oembios scan is made, so serialnumber is inserted before oembios files are being copied, thus leaving you with a nice idea...in theory, but can it be done in practice?

@Sigi
Hi mate ;)

[theuni]

well

a quick bust-open in wordpad (not an exact science, i realize) makes it look like the files are entirely different, looks like patching is probably out.

as for the winnt.sif.. if that's the case, that sucks. can't really think of a way around that...

if you enter the serial from the oem sticker from the side of the machine (dell oem, for example), but the OEM files line up.. will it still remain activated? if that's the case then i'll just enter the serial every time.

[Siginet]

Actually on the winnt.sif... My idea is that you would use any royalty oem key at first. Then at T13 change it to the specific manufactrer one. If the manufacturer is not found then it opens a box asking for a key on first boot.

This isn't needed whatsoever... but it would be good just for neatness and compliance with an original oem install. ;)

[lynx]

Im a very busy PC Tech, so Im very thankful for this disk you helped me make. My only problem is when it's copying the files right after it's done formatting the HD, it gives three errors in a row. It says cannot copy OEMBIOS.bin and cqnnot copy 2 more OEMBIOS.??? files. I just tell it to skip them. 3 out of 4 times I didnt have to activate, but the last time I did. Is there something I have done wrong to get this error and would that cause it not to activate.

Thanks

[severach]

>Or are they completely different files?

The OEMBIOS.BIN file that consumes all the space is completely different, and apparently completely random so it's incompressible and can't be produced from anything else. You may review the process here:

Google "NtLockRegistryKey Inside the WPA-CALL"

You'll need to read it out of the Google cache unless you can find the current AntiWPA site.

>if you enter the serial from the oem sticker from the side of the machine

The Royalty system builders don't use this key and you should't either. It is a legit key but you must beg for activation over the phone if you use it. The only place it has ever been needed is for Gateway Systems that were deprogrammed in Microsoft's system. Part way through Internet Explorer Activation a screen came up and asked for the side-of-case key.

>if you enter the serial from the oem sticker from the side of the machine (dell oem, for example), but the OEM files line up.. will it still remain activated

So far as I can tell, it will not preactivate with a side-of-case key and may un-preactivate should you find a way to switch to it which may cause a disaster. The side-of-case never has for me either before I knew how to construct the disks properly.

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?s=&showtopic=71016&view=findpost&p=544365

>It says cannot copy OEMBIOS.bin and cqnnot copy 2 more OEMBIOS.???

OEM ACT is a work in progress. Simple and complete instructions for making a bootable install disk for your Royalty System are here.

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=63258

[lynx]

Im not using the product key on the side of a computer, Im using a Factory OEM key for the product key in the unattended setup.

When it says copying files after the formatting step. It stops and says cannot copy OEMBIOS.bin. So I press ESC to skip file. Then it says cannot copy OEMBIOS.???. So then I press ESC to skip again. Then it says more more time cannot copy another file. OEMBIOS.ini. So I press esc again it finishes the rest of the process. It never ask for the product key, but something is going wrong with the OEMBIOS files that the RVMIntgrator puts in the $OEM$ file because it needs to be actavated.

Thanks, Ill read the links you just showed me.
Im making another disk now with a diffrent factory disk.

[theuni]

Thanks for the reply siginet..

keep doing what you do best...

[Siginet]

Im not using the product key on the side of a computer, Im using a Factory OEM key for the product key in the unattended setup.

When it says copying files after the formatting step. It stops and says cannot copy OEMBIOS.bin. So I press ESC to skip file. Then it says cannot copy OEMBIOS.???. So then I press ESC to skip again. Then it says more more time cannot copy another file. OEMBIOS.ini. So I press esc again it finishes the rest of the process. It never ask for the product key, but something is going wrong with the OEMBIOS files that the RVMIntgrator puts in the $OEM$ file because it needs to be actavated.

Thanks, Ill read the links you just showed me.
Im making another disk now with a diffrent factory disk.

Your issue is because the oembios.* files are being deleted from the i386 directory but for some reason the instances in txtsetup.sif are not being deleted. Check txtsetup.sif and dosnet.inf for oembios. There shouldn't be any. In a later release I don't think there is a need to delete the oembios.* files anyways. Are you using v1.4.1 of the integrator?

This is a work in progress... but It seems to work for me. But for now you may be better off looking at xehqter's oemscan tool. It is actually better than my tool. I am wondering if I should just drop the OEM ACT project and just begin helping support oemscan. I actually made a few addons using oemscan and it was much simpler to make. It also seemed to work perfectly. ;)

[lynx]

Yes, Im using 1.4.1. I spoke to soon asking for help, only the first disk I made was giving me those problems. After work the next day I made a new one and it's working perfectly. The only problem now is with the Kels_DirectX addon using internet explorer. So I am about to make a new one without it. I work for a very large corporate Computer Store in there Tech Shop and my boss is really impressed. There might be some money in it for us if I can talk the company into buying it for all the stores. If you could update it when they needed it to be and add whatever they want into it. Ill get back to you about working something out if there intrested. It's legal if the computer has the Product key on the side and was bought with XP on it, right? Customers always lose there recovery disk, so this is a very useful tool. Our store policy is to first run the xp, then another disk for the SP2, then another disk they put out every month for the updates, then another disk for reader7.0, quicktime, and flash. And still even lots of time we have to call Mictosoft and actavate. One disk saves lots of time. I thougt about it last week and knew there had to be another way. My research led me to your site. Your work is incredable, Im really impressed. The integrator seems to work great. Just my first attempt something went wrong. Ill get back with you on how the one I make right now goes.

Thanks

[severach]

>It's legal if the computer has the Product key on the side and was bought with XP on it, right?

The Royalty OEM's do not use the side of case key. Using that key would make your install a bit different. While probably legal, it's better for everyone if you use the Royalty Bulk license. That makes your install completely indistinguishable from the original which makes it difficult for Microsoft to claim that the license is bad. Some claim that installing from the store CD with the side of case key is not equivalent to the original license but I can't find any recent references.

>Our store policy is to first run the xp, then another disk for the SP2, then another disk they put out every month for the updates, then another disk for reader7.0, quicktime, and flash.

Some claim that Microsoft has a policy against slipstreaming originals. I find this hard to believe and haven't yet found any solid references to it though I do know that slipstreaming some originals destroys them. I always install from a disk with the latest service pack. I believe it produces a better quality install and it saves a ton of time. A service pack adds about 30 minutes to the install and is an extra manual step. That's a lot of wasted shop time.

>And still even lots of time we have to call Mictosoft and actavate

You will call every time if you use the side of case key. In the rare case the customer brings in their restore CD that has the Bulk License key, you do not need to activate.

> One disk saves lots of time

A properly done install saves lots more time.

>My research led me to your site.

Be sure to read all referenced threads. You might think they are too long but believe me, they are worth it no matter which tools you end up using.

[Siginet]

Yes it is legal as long as the computer you are installing it on has a valid key. I run my own computer business as well. That is the main reason I have made all of these tools. :) If your boss would like to make a donation just PM me. ;)

[theuni]

>The Royalty OEM's do not use the side of case key. Using that key would make your install a bit different. While probably legal, it's better for everyone if you use the Royalty Bulk license. That makes your install completely indistinguishable from the original which makes it difficult for Microsoft to claim that the license is bad

For this reason, i'd like to use the correct key provided for each Royalty OEM Vendor. Dell key for dell oembios files, etc.

i understand it'd probably be touchy, but what keeps us from posting the actual royalty keys? They're technically not "owned" by anyone, right? I'd really like to have all of the correct product keys to use.

Any thoughts on how to obtain them legally?

[severach]

>what keeps us from posting the actual royalty keys

Microsoft will beat down any board that posts keys. This includes valid but unusable keys like F C K G W and Royalty keys that are all the same.

>They're technically not "owned" by anyone

Exactly. Each company can get 4 keys, Home, Pro, TabletPC, and MCE. The keys stay the same over their entire product line. Some companies do not have all 4. Some companies share other companies's keys or use other companies unused keys. Some keys shift or fall out of use after mergers.

>Any thoughts on how to obtain them legally

While difficult to trade they are easy to obtain. Collect them with any keyfinder if you have access to lots of big name systems. If you have any install disks, look in the WINNT.SIF file. When first starting out, it's handy to know the pattern so you can discard non bulk license. To learn this, go to any computer store where you know the systems have not been modified and hit Window-PauseBreak. Within a few systems you'll know the pattern of the PIDs.

[Siginet]

Yeah I want to make sure my forum is not pissing microsoft off. ;) Even though it would technically be legal... it still is an area that would make me uncomfortable if microsoft decided to get ants in their pants and pick on a little guy like myself. ;) this project is walking on a pretty fine line between legal and not legal. It can go either way. I want to do my best to keep it in the legal sence. ;)

[lynx]

What's the difference between using your OEM ACT files and xehqter's OEMSCAN files? :?:


and where do I put xehqter's oemscan file? do I integrate it or just add it into the OEM or the $OEM$ folder? :?:

Can I use them both or should I use just one? :?:

Ive been using the RVM Intagrator to put in the OEM ACT addon files and it has worked great. :D Only once have I not gottin pre actavation.

Thanks for your help. :shock: Im really green when it comes to programming.

[theuni]

The way i understand it, i can add files just by adding 1 of your plugins, then putting more files into the folders it creates, right?

I integrated your dell extension. Then, in the OEM dir i created a SONY folder. Within that i created the folder with the crc inside. Then put the oembios.* files in there. I then edited the oembios.ini in the $OEM$ folder to reflect those changes.

Does that cover it?

[Siginet]

xehquter's project actually signs the cat file so that wfp does not complain. That is a major plus compaired to my oem act.

To use xehquter's project you just place the oemscan.exe and ini in the svcpack directory. Along with each specific manufacturer directory with the specific oembios files. Also edit svcpack.inf with:

[SetupHotfixesToRun]
OEMSCAN.EXE


@theuni Yes you can add one or more of my addons to use oem act. Then just edit the ini with any other oem bios info and place them in the dir you are pointing to. ;)

[lynx]

so is it okay to use both projects in the same disk? :?:

Im not sure i understand how to use the oemscan project so i might just stick with yours. it works great so far. 8)

are you going to add more addons to it, because ive noticed there are more pc brands figured out? :?:

i finally figured out the driver packs :wink:

[lynx]

>xehquter's project actually signs the cat file so that wfp does not complain.

What does that mean? :?:

and what do I need to add into the PCManufactors folders on xehquter's project :?:

can you just add what xehquter's project does into your's :?: i understand that might not be cool. I just dont know enough coding to figure his out.

[visa tapani]

Does this work with Asus laptops? I'm using an Asus M6786 (http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=5&l2=24&l3=128&model=479&modelmenu=2) laptop, and I'd really like to install clean without all that junk that comes default with the recovery discs. I think I'm not computer literate enough to go through it alone, but with just a bit of help I could do it.

So
1.) Can I use nLite instead of RVM Integrator to do the integration? If not, should I use RVMI before or after nLiting my installation disc?

2.) I have this retail XP Pro (build 0 service pack 0) Windows from a friend which I was planning to use, should this work ok?

3.) Should I download and integrate all the .7z files listed in the first post?

4.) With a quick look at my recovery discs, I couldn't find a winnt.sif file -do I need to create one from scratch? If so, does it need to contain anything else than the productkey obtained with Keyfinder? Where should I place it in my XP installation cd?

Sorry for being daft! I'm not a computer technician, but I'd really like to slipstream my installation...

[PC-Problems]

Hello,

I have been following this thread and the MSFN thread, in places it goes over my head but this is an essential project for anyone who restores XP on a daily bassis, to all involved please keep up this excellent work.

I downloaded all files posted and my CD worked great on a select number of OEM Retail PC's, but the list is far from complete, can i help in some way so more BIOS lock files for manufacturers are posted to make a "complete" PACT CD?

I have acquired the 4 files recently for Asustek and Toshiba? Do you want these.

Also the files EQUUS, what the hell is that for - which retail OEM?

Can you post a list of which retail OEM's the current downloadable files cover?

If i can help i will, hope for a reply soon.

Many thanks

Mike.

[dougiefresh]

I visited Bazalel's OEMBIOS repository at http://www.oembios.net and found the following SLP ID's weren't listed in the first post:
3A887CB8 - "AMOI Electronics CO.,Ltd"
4E00A936 - "emaxs", "emaxs"
8D3A3465 - "LG Electronics"
47E62C15 - "GREATWALL"
700A8481 - "TravelMate"
9433FB11 - "Actebis:SAM#451B"
9509CAD5 - "SNC302EEH", "SNC302EEH"
10045CFA - " FUJITSU SIEMENS", " FUJITSU SIEMENS", " FSC SYSTEM", " FSC SYSTEM", " FSC SERVER", " FSC SERVER"
89799F58 - "MEI_CF"
678752DC - "NECc_", "NECC1", "NEC-PC"
A04597C6 - "Gateway"
D2D64C41 - "FUJITSU"
DF5C0058 - "americanfuture", "americanfuture"
Would this be correct for SLP ID "3A887CB8":

[SystemData]
AMOI Electronics=AMOI\3A887CB8

[FreeStyler]

Hello,

I have been following this thread and the MSFN thread, in places it goes over my head but this is an essential project for anyone who restores XP on a daily bassis, to all involved please keep up this excellent work.

I downloaded all files posted and my CD worked great on a select number of OEM Retail PC's, but the list is far from complete, can i help in some way so more BIOS lock files for manufacturers are posted to make a "complete" PACT CD?

I have acquired the 4 files recently for Asustek and Toshiba? Do you want these.

Also the files EQUUS, what the hell is that for - which retail OEM?

Can you post a list of which retail OEM's the current downloadable files cover?

If i can help i will, hope for a reply soon.

Many thanks

Mike.

Mike,
The way we identify the specific oembios sets is by getting the expanded(*) oembios.cat file CRC Hash (http://www.beeblebrox.org/hashtab/).

Compare your with ours, and whenever they are different pm, Siginet or anyone close to this project ;)

(*) expanded e.g. run from commandprompt:

expand oembios.ca_ oembios.cat

[muiz]

would be nice for vista

[Siginet]

would be nice for vista


It sure would. I don't think it will be very long before something is put together for vista.

[katoman]

thank you !!!

[seanlv]

it's coollllllllll

[quasi8]

thanks for the work

[setter_gr]

thanks a lot

[UadeaD]

thank you VERY MUCH, well done

[Siginet]

You all are very welcome! :D Thanks for the thank yous. They mean a lot.

[th3an0nym0us3]

thank you

[rulio92]

you av french explication? :confused:

[Siginet]

Sorry I do not speak french. :(

[mr_smartepants]

you av french explication? :confused:

Nous ne parle pas français.
Essayez le traducteur Google.

http://translate.google.com
:D

[TwoJ]

je parle un peu du francaise, sauf que c'est longetemp dupuis que j'ecrit des chose (alors j'imangine c'est debordez avec des fauts (une clavier anglais en plus!), et en plus mon temps c'est limitee, puis si tu as des question c'est meiux pour demander des question, et je va essai a t'aider

[sagem]

it dont have a thank

[Siginet]

it dont have a thank

Huh?

[m1su]

thank you

[stanescu1]

Where to find integrator for asus oem? The asus link one Oembios.net not work.




These addons are now obsolete. Please use the OEMSCAN Addons (http://www.siginetsoftware.com/forum/showthread.php?t=117) instead.


Siginet's OEM ACT
OEM Activation Control Technology

This is for those of us computer techs that are sick and tired of installing a clients computer system and having to call microsoft to activate a valid OEM system. What this does is allows you to place manufacturer specific oembios.* files on your disks that are used during setup to replace the default ones that originally come on a windows disk. During installation a program is ran that reads the computers bios to determine what manufacturer it is. Then it determines which oembios.* files are needed when installing the system. It copies the correct files and then the computer will be pre-activated. This should significantly reduce the amount of times you need to call microsoft to activate.

This is not using any hacked files. This is a legal way of creating a universal manufacture disk to install systems which have a valid OEM license from a Royalty OEM like Dell HP Sony Compaq etc...

This project is based off of Bezalel's idea in this thread:
http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=71016&hl=oembios

[center:acf04dc409]================================================== ===[/center:acf04dc409]

Downloads:
RVMIntegrator Addons:
The files must be integrated with my RVM Integrator (http://Integrator.SiginetSoftware.com) program.
hidden content may not be quoted
Basically how you make it work is this:
First off you need to get a Royalty OEM Serial number. This is not the windows serial number you find on the sticker on the outside of the computer case. It is a windows xp serial number you would find in a winnt.sif file on a royalty oem install disk. Like a dell installation cd. Or you can use a program like keyfinder to find out the serial number used to install the computer. As long as it was installed by the manufacturer you should be fine. ;) Now make sure you add that key to your own winnt.sif file. You can search msfn for info about the winnt.sif file if you need help with it. For legal reasons I do not feel comfortable posting any of those keys here.

Then just use the RVM Integrator to integrate these addons to your disk and that's it.

Or if you want to use it manually just get the oembios.exe file and make your own oembios.ini file.

Basically there are 2 sections of the oembios.ini file.

Here is a sample oembios.ini file:



The settings section is for giving a manufacturer directory path (from the root of the disk). OEMFilesPath is the command needed then = OEM is the path I wish to have my Manufacturer directories located. For instance this would be "X:\OEM\HPCOMPAQ" (X meaning the drives letter.) If the [Settings] section is left blank or not in the oembios.ini file at all then oembios.exe automatically looks for the manufacturer directories from within the same directory as oembios.exe. I set these addons to place the files within the OEM directory on the root of the disk so that it is placed within the same directory as Wim Leer's Driverpacks. This way it is also compatable with Windows XP PowerPacker as well (Not yet tested though). ;)

The SystemData section is where the magic is though.
Basically the red section is where you list a string to be searched for in the systems bios.
(OPTIONAL) The green area is where you specify a location to search for the bios string in the bios.
The darkblue area is the path of the directory where you want to grab the manufacturers oembios.* files from for a system having a matching bios string. If you setup your oembios.* file correctly then you will easily be able to install your clients systems without having to activate. :D
[center:acf04dc409]================================================== ===[/center:acf04dc409]

For those of you that have found some other bios strings that I have not included... or if you create any other MultiOEM Addons please do submit them here. An advanced member can read through the files and determine how to create their own addons. Or you can submit some files for me to create an addon for you by submitting the oembios.* files needed, the bios strings and the manufacturer name(s) it can be used for. You can get a lot of this info from Bezalel's thread in the top of this post. I will be adding more of these addons as well... but I think this is enough to get you all started. ;)


Oh and one more thing... A log file is placed in %SystemDrive%\Windows\Temp\OEM_.log

If a computer copies the oembios.* files to the system but the preactivation fails then please report the info found in this log file.

History:

[sk8aelf]

been waiting for a better way of doing this

[cwm9]

yay

[nickgeo22]

thank you very much

[jpelli]

Thanks!

[Hook]

thanks...

[dana]

many thanks man :):D:-D

[bugmenot]

Very interesting! Thanks.