Clean Vista install WITH NO ACTIVATION

Ah, missed that line when I read it over. Thanks.

 

Can anyone help me, is the wau cd on the hdd of a dv6500t?

 

Run Windows Anytime Upgrade. It should say if your computer is preloaded with WAU, or if you'll need to buy a CD.

 

it says " follow the instructions on the screen to complete the upgrade. you will need a windows anytime upgrade disc. the disc may have come with your computer, or you may have purchased it to upgrade to windows vista from an earlier version of windows.

 

If you had the disc on the computer, it would say that the system is preconfigured for anytime upgrade. As far as I know, HP does not do that.

 

thank you for the reply, i went ahead and ordered one from MS.

 

things went really smooth on mine. went from a 3.2 rating to a 4.8 after the clean install. memory was the limiting factor both times and i notice about half as much idle usage of ram as before

 

Hi, this is a great guide, thanks for posting it.

I have a hidden folder named WAU_reg on the hard drive of my dv2500t. But IMO it is too small to be an actual thing (few hundred kb's).

Can anyone tell me what it is?

Thx.

 

If you send me a private message with the directory listing, I can take a look and maybe tell what it is. To get a directory listing:
- Go to the folder that contains the "WAU_reg" folder
- Hold down "Shift" and Right-click on the WAU_reg folder
- Select "Open Command prompt here"
- In the command prompt, type: dir /a /s > dirlist.txt
- Once that has run, you will have the file "dirlist.txt" in that folder
- Open that in notepad and you can copy/paste it into a message

 

Thank you Orev. But I already deleted it during the clean install process. I am always so impatient

On a positive note, your guide is GREAT! I followed it and I had absolutely no problems. Everything is working now. Well, everything except for the sound on the quickplay buttons but I could swear that they worked after clean install - I think they got screwed up while I tested the HDMI connection with widescreen TV. But that is for some other thread.

BTW, I used a OEM Vista Starter disc (32 bit) and it had all versions of Vista in it - worked like a charm. I got it from a friend.

Thanks again!

 

Hey

i am relatively new to this clean install thing . I have a toshiba staellite U305-S5097. For a clean install ,do u thinki can use the dell reinstallation dvd with my machine for the 32 bit home premium version . Also will the guide u mentioned work fo r my machine .Please help

 

Clean install should work without a problem. The issue is getting the disc. The Dell discs have on them an automatic install so you can only install that version on a dell machine. There is a way to get around it, but it requires using vLite to burn a new disc that does not have the Dell customizations on it. I have done a little research into doing this, but don't have any definitive way to do it just yet.

If you have access to any other type of Vista disc, that would be easier at the moment, but if you want to tinker with it, download vLite and give it a try.

 

hey thanks for the suggestion ..... At the risk of sounding stupid ,can u pl tell me what is this thing aboutr vLite and do i have to burn a new disk of my machine into it or the dell dics ????????

Also in the previous post i mentioned the dell discs have the same OS as my Toshiba .So are u saying that i can use the dell discs todo a clean install in my toshiba laptop?

 

Also orev i forgot to mention i cannot seem to find a wav file that is mentioned .can u tell me where this file is located.

 

question. I got a HP remote control that stores in the laptop. The volume buttons, power button work but the quickplay/dvd wont work. Is there a driver for the remote? or do i have to setup quickplay with the remote

 

Question--I tried this with a Gateway laptop (made recovery dvd before doing anything). when I boot up the laptop it makes me choose between Windows Vista Premium and Windows Vista Premium (looks like it's reading 2 OS). Also, when trying to update the windows experience index, it says "Cannot complete assessment. The assessment or other operation did not complete successfully. This is due to an error being reported from the operating system, driver, or other component." After the clean reinstall, I reinstalled all of the drivers from the Gateway website. Looks like something is wrong although the laptop is functional. Of note, I never had to enter any network key, etc. but the copy of Vista Premium shows up as "Activated". Should I start over?...help please!!! thanks!

 

now my Windows experience index has increased from 1.0 to 3.1 but now a new problem...when I try to save a file to the non-partition hard drive, it says "You don't have permission to save in this location. Contact the administrator to obtain permission. would you like to save in the xxxx folder instead?" when I looked online about this, it said I have to reformat that drive, but when I try it says "Windows was unable to complete the format". aaahhh, please help!!!

 

vLite is a program that lets you take a Vista install disk and customize it. Then it lets you burn a new DVD with that customization on it. It's very handy if you need to make changes to your install DVD, like the one that Dell gave you, because the Dell one is customized. You can use vLite to "un-customize" it.

I have been looking into this, and I think I found a solution to get the Dell DVD to be a clean install DVD. All this does is remove some of the custom scripts that Dell used to automate the installation. NOTE: Dell also customized some of the windows install files, but I think they just added some drivers to it.

1. Copy the entire Dell DVD to a folder on your hard drive
2. In the "sources" folder, there is a folder called "$oem$". Delete it
3. In the "sources" folder, there is a file called "pid.txt". Delete it.
4. Open vLite and burn a new disc using those files
5. Install vista. It should now allow you to choose a version of Vista to install, and also will not install the dell product key and activation files

(Thanks to Silas Awaketh for the info that helped me figure this out)

If anyone does this and it works, please let me know!

I have no idea what "wav" file you would be talking about.

 

Make sure you install both the quickplay buttons (QLB) and the quickplay software (QPW).

 

When you did the clean install, did you delete the partition first of format the hard disk? Do you have a folder called "Windows.old" on the C: drive? It sounds like you didn't wipe the drive first, and it found the old install and migrated the settings over. Did you use the ABR files to backup and restore the activation?

It sounds like you need to take ownership of those files.

Right click on the drive letter, select properties. Then the "security" tab and then the "advanced" button. Go to the "ownership" tab and select your user account, and check off "Replace owner on subcontainers and objects". Then apply.

 

Sorry to ask this here but it seems like it goes with the WAU disc questions.

I followed the link to go to CompUSA to buy my WAU disc and got this confirmation Email:

Subject: CompUSA Order WB##### Software Download Instructions

Body: The following software download order (#WB#####) has been approved. Please retain a copy of this message for your records.

It goes on to give order details and stuff but no "software download instructions."

I didn't think it was a download and everyone here seems to be getting them in the mail, which is what I expected. I didn't have any download instructions within the Email but I wasn't sure if something had changed.

Anyone else get this? I figure the disc is coming in the mail. The order status still says Open. Anyway, thought I'd ask.

Thanks!

 

It ISN'T a download, it just says that when you buy the disk from CompUSA. It will be shipped to you, usually takes about a week to get it. The only way to get it quicker, is if you know someone that has the Anytime Upgrade Disk(32bit) uploaded on the internet

 

You have "install drivers" as both steps 21 and 23. Does that mean to only install a few first, then others later? Or should we just do it at step #23?

Also, is the order that we install drivers important?

 

Good catch. Fixed.

 

*edit* Nevermind, I figured it out. Thanks OREV for this awesome informational thread. I did a clean Vista install and Windows installed most of the drivers I needed without me having to do anything. VERY happy here, everything seems to be working OK.

 

I just reformatted my wife's Christmas gift, a Compaq C714NR that I got for $399 at BestBuy. The bloat on the machine was overwhelming. I followed the guide exactly and have to say, this was the EASIEST reformat of ANY new PC I've ever accomplished. Great guide and a great tool. I could not find the WAU folder on my machine. I used a retail Anytime Upgrade CD that I have. Worked perfectly. Being able to restore an OS without the software from the OEM is fantastic.

 

Did this yesterday once my WAU and Office Ultimate disks came in. I was a little unsure about the drivers' installation, but that wasn't bad at all. Excellent guide.

 

I'm glad the guide has been useful for everyone.

Also, thanks to everyone for the rep points!

 

What controls the clicking noises associated with volume changes? Everything else is working fine except for the clicks.

I reinstalled QuickPlay and the Quick Launch Buttons from my SwSetup folder, and nothing changed. I tried to get the newest version of QLB off HP's site, but something's wrong with the link they have. I installed the Microsoft Intellitype software to get the volume display, could that be affecting the clicks?

 

There is an option in the BIOS that enables the clicks, but some have reported that it doesn't help. Also make sure you install the Realtek audio driver. If that doesn't help, I'm not sure Maybe someone else knows. For me, I want them quiet, which is why I never figured it out.

 

How long did it take to get the CompUSA WAU disk? I ordered mine on the 17th and got a shipping confirmation on the 18th but nothing has showed up.

 

I ordered mine the 16th, and got it the 24th.

 

Does this work if I'm going for a new HDD & don't want to activate?

 

I ordered from them and it took about two weeks. The disks are not shipped from CompUSA, but from the manufacturer.

There's a whole thread on CompUSA WAU orders...
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=175829

 

Orev, I finally had a chance last night to complete this process - your instructions made everything flawless (especially the partitioning information you gave ... thank you!). However, I have two very minor issues that I can't seem to fix that thought you could lend assistance:

I have a Compaq C714 and after reinstalling all drivers (even the audio drivers and QuickPlay buttons) my keyboard volume controls do not work. Any way to regain use of these? I'm not sure what I'm missing to have those working.

Also, at the very end of the guide you mention running Windows Experience to regain Aero and all that good stuff ... I searched but couldn't find any program to run that would enable Aero (for all I know it might be working, I'm still not 100 percent positive what 'Aero' is specifically referring to).

I look forward to your response. Thank you again for this wonderful guide!

 

Thanks for the help!

 

Besides, "SWSetup", Is there any other driver's folder that you'd reccomend to burn in a DVD before re-installing the OS?

I saw a WINDOWS/SYSTEM32/DRIVERS folder that made me doubt.

 

sppunk- aero has to do with making the windows look like glass (showing through to whats behind them) and giving you a preview of what's in a program when you mouse over a tab. just goto microsoft's website to find out exactly what it does.
the windows experience thing is under start-control panel-system and maintenance-performance information and tools
clicking on update my score will run it

for the quickplay you have to install the drivers and the program. qwp and qlb folders i think they were.


manuplon- it never hurts to add more files since the swsetup folder won't take up much room on the blank dvd anyway, but i'm not sure if you need them. i didn't. going to the hp support site and downloading the drivers will get you newer versions anyway, i used the swsetup folder for quickplay, my fingerprint scanner stuff and as a backup in case the downloaded drivers caused problems.

 

Thanks, Dragon. As it turns out, the QuickPlay buttons were working! I just wasn't pushing the function key to active the QP part.

I'm a bit bummed my C714 doesn't have onscreen volume meters (like a TV) but a minor complaint for a computer that is absolutely FLYING with Vista Home Premium (boots in 40 secs, getting a 5.1 performance reading).

Thanks, everyone!

 

This is probably a different type of question, but....

I just replaced my Compaq F500 Series with another exact same model. Can I use the backup dvd's from my first laptop and restore everything to the new one?

 

well, I guess it all depends on when you made the backup dvd's........ , but yes, they should work fine.

 

Hey Guys,

Has anyone been able to find the WAU folder on the HP Pavillion Laptops?

 

no problem
actually, theres an updated driver to download that does show a volume bar. it appeared on my computer after i installed the downloaded drivers. not sure whether its quickplay or the realtek audio, though.

 

I followed this Guide and got it working perfectly for HP dv2620us laptop.

I want to build a Home Theater PC (HTPC) using Vista Home Premium OEM (not retail version). After building and installing Vista for the first time, it should be activated with Microsoft via Internet without calling Microsoft.

For some reason in the near future, I want to re-install Vista on the same HTPC, will I be able to use this Guide without calling Microsoft? Can I use the ABR utility before reformating and then re-install Vista? Then use ABR to activate HTPC without calling Microsoft?

The main reason I don't want to call Microsoft is because I am deaf and cannot use the telephone.

Thanks,
Peter

 

YOU BET

thats just what it's for

ann

 

I am also wondering this.

Is it the one full of registries C:/HP/HPQWare/WAU_Reg ?

 

yes, that's exactly what's it's for. orev did a great job developing the abr tool for us.

ann

 

Hi,

I have a HP DV9630ED. Wher can I find the anwser file for the orignal HP image?

Regards,

Kingb33

 

As of now, ABR does not handle this situation. It can only back up the activation for OEM:SLP keys, which are already preinstalled when you buy the system. You type of OEM key you would have is called OEM:NONSLP, because you are building it yourself, which ABR cannot handle. I have plans to support this type of key, but as of now it does not.

 

Hi HP friends,

Check out this link:

hxxp://www.mydigitallife.info/2007/05/08/windows-vista-free-direct-download-link/

Regards,

KingB33