How+to+verify+XP+software+you+bought+is+OEM+UPGRADE+RETAIL?

How to verify XP software you bought is OEM/UPGRADE/RETAIL?

I am sure we all have noticed Microsoft product marketing strategy.

Whenever they launch any new product line, there are various versions of it available right from day one.

Some are given adjectives like UPGRADE version, or FULL, others RETAIL v/s OEM and then of course we have various categories of the product like

HOME, PRO, SERVER , ADVANCED SERVER etc. etc.

Ever wondered what you bought is same as that which was advertised ?

This is how to tell the difference.

Look for a file called Setupp.ini that is present on your Windows XP CD and double click on it and browse its content.

There is a field called PID=.

This PID is what would tell us exactly what we have got.

First 5 bytes of PID decide whether (it is OEM or RETAIL or is an UPGRADE ) and last three digits determine what kind of CD KEY will it accept.

Here are some of the typical PID values:

Retail = 51882 335

Volume License = 51883 270

OEM = 82503 OEM