Windows XP setting
 

A question about windows XP setting. I sometime ago, left a job. As part of the deal, I was allowed to take away the company laptop with me as a 'gift'. After a while, I found a problem. The laptop setting is still the previous employer's and I cannot change anything such as password, install software, etc. It keeps as 'you need to log-in company network first....'.
I would like to know if there is any thing I can do to get rid of such thing. I do not have the XP software CD and all other stuff. So re-format is not an option.

Let me cut things short, how can I gain the full control of this 'gift'?

Thanks in advance!

Re: Windows XP setting
 

Have a look on the bottom or side for the Xp serial, or use jellybean to find it, borrow or download a copy of the Xp version it's running and use the serial you have.

All the other stuff! should be easy to find if you give us a hint.

Apart from that, then, err no.

Re: Windows XP setting
 

You mean reinstll XP?
Other stuff are the softwares such as office 2007, project, etc. Reinstall XP would wipe out them all?

Re: Windows XP setting
 

even if you get to be a local admin on the machine, it will always be part of the work domain, which may cause issues in the future, especially if there are a number of group policies set on the machine and you are not confident in GP management on the machine. to remove the machine from the domain, it will need to be attached to it, and you'll then also need credentials of an account that has permissions to remove the machine.

imo, reformat is the best option to completely remove anything the company may have done in one easy, relatively quick step. as wayfair said, there should be a serial for XP on the underside of the machone. being company (or ex-company) it will likely be XP professional. get yourself an OEM copy of that and away you go (provided the serial on the underside is for OEM - usually this is the case as the machine will have been supplied by the manufacturer with an OS on to start with). get the drivers off the net, job done. will take you no more than a couple of hours to have it rebuilt to your own specifications!

the office app that is on there will likely be a VL copy, so you are not actually authorised to use it if you don't work for the company anyway. you could always contact the company and ask about their licensing for products, but if you were allowed to use it, they should have supplied you with the code.... dowload 'Open Office'. it's free and does a great job for it!

Re: Windows XP setting
 

Thanks for the part of XP, very clear. I do have the XP tag at the bottom.
About the software such as Office 2007, it is not VL copy as ex-company uses office-2003. My laptop is the only one computer uses 2007 so I guess the license goes with the machine and that is the reason I asked for this computer because I am dealing with customers using 2007. Any hints to sort it out?
About Open Office, does it work with Ofice 2007 and Project 2007?

Re: Windows XP setting
 

you was allowed to take the laptop home as a "gift" and its still all set up with company details hmmmmmm . Long live hooky street ,viva hooky street ,say magnifique hooky street ;)

Re: Windows XP setting
 

Zing, have you ever experienced a company shut-down? And you expected the IT to set up something for you when he was looking for job? That is a bit insane, isn't it?

Re: Windows XP setting
 

The license doesn't go with the machine as far as office is concerned, if they purchased it seperately you may well find they have already installed it and used the key again on another computer. Unless you have the packaging and receipt for the license it doesn't belong to you.
At best you will have to just accept you have to boot from an install CD and reload the laptop from scratch. Best hope they haven't BIOS locked it too, weird that you cannot log in locally to the unit, we do at work when they screw up on the network.

Re: Windows XP setting
 

you never mentioned anything about a company shut down all you said is you left a job and then you put "gift" which when read the user assumes you meant something else lol

if you worked IT how come you do not know the score anyway?

Can you create a new user?if you do is that locked down the same way ?

Re: Windows XP setting
 

he didnt say he worked in IT.
he said !

Re: Windows XP setting
 

Zing, you definitely did not experience such things before. The company handed over the computer to me as, legally named as 'ex-gratia'. If it is a gift, I probably need to pay tax on it. Sorry, I did not know in this website 'gift' has very different meaning.

I did not work for IT before otherwise I would not ask such question. I never said I worked in IT in this thread. What I said was in such dreadful situation, you would never ever ask company's IT people to reinstall anything for your 'ex-gratia'. That would be insane :(

I cannot create a new user, tried and failed.
I cannot log-on to local as well, although I rememered I did it before.
Anyway, I am quite clear of what I can do. I probably use it as is and being the last employee for ever. :)

Re: Windows XP setting
 

To be fair to Zing, when I read "gift" earlier I thought the same as zing, anyway.....

Re: Windows XP setting
 

Were I worked they gave you the option to buy on a "1st come 1st service" to buy all the office furniture & electrical stuff.

If I had had the room I would have bought the A3 colour laser, all PCs & laptop would have been provided without an OS, so I guess the OP was a jammy bugger :D

Re: Windows XP setting
 

you are right I have not experienced these things before

Why dont you try a live linux disc then you can see if open office is compt with all your office files,then if it is you can format and use open office on the new format

I am sorry I got it wrong but it was the way you highlighted gift with the tags that in type makes imo the reader assume you meant something else and tbh it did look fishy to me. Well my bad and I apoligise for that

Re: Windows XP setting
 

Most companies have a Microsoft Volume License agreement for their Servers, PC's and Laptops. This normally covers both the OS installed and any other Microsoft software used, however it is dependant on the specific license agreement the company has, if it is in the agreement you can normally use a newer version of the software. You may find that your IT people settled on Office 2003 as a standard for the company.

Although you have been allowed to have you laptop as a gift, you are not legally allowed to use the installed software under the Volume License Agreement as the license cannot be transferred to you. This will include the OS and any other Microsoft software installed. Volume Licenses cannot be transferred to individuals.

When anyone in my company leaves and gets to keep their laptop, IT reload the default factory configuration that the laptop had when it was purchased i.e. Windows XP Pro or whatever and no Office. This is why we keep images of each model of machine that is purchased to enable the machine to be put back to factory settings.

I am afraid you are between a rock and a hard place on this.

As stated before your best option is to obtain an OEM CD of the OS that is mentioned on your CAL on the bottom of the laptop and install it.

As for Office 2007, Project, etc I would suggest trying Open Office and Open Proj as these will do what you need unless you use a lot of Macros in Microsoft Office then you will have issues.

If you absolutely must have Microsoft Office, Project, etc then I am afraid your only choice is to buy them... which is quite expensive.



Berkut

Re: Windows XP setting
 

No need for apology :)
Well, if you insist, I will take it :)

Re: Windows XP setting
 

If the company shut down then surely the laptop would be part of their assets and under the control of the liquidator? *sigh*
Anyway, Sysprep will alow you to change the domain but it may break everything in process if you don't know what you're doing - working in an IT dept you should (which you didn't because I've just re-read the thread). Find someone who does know what they're doing and get them to run through Sysprep.

Re: Windows XP setting
 

Not necessarily, my company closed the UK office and moved it to Belgium.

Re: Windows XP setting
 

Right, it is necessary for a clear statement now. Otherwise, I would be a thief.
The company was anounced shut down last year because the mother company decided to trasfer whole lines to far east. We were made redundency but were asked by mother company (in your sense, the creditor) to help the transfer. As the result, we would receive the ex-gratia because, by law, we had no responsibility for such work (do not argue with me about it, we were told by company boss, well, under the table).
A few of you kindly suggested I should ask IT to reload default before I left company. That is true in general but false in my case. The IT people who can do it left company before we carried out transfer. I had to take this laptop with me to the far east and when we came back after a good few weeks, we did not even have the access to the office because it was rented out already. If the IT guy reloaded the default, I would have no chance to use the laptop in mother company's intranet in far east.

Even in an extreme case like an independent creditor (in another word, asset stripper), they have to hire us to do the transfer/stripping as they need professional.

If you are the creditor and I ask for a laptop for what you ask me to do, would you give me a two-finger to let the millions of pounds of equipment rusted in field or you just hand over this bloody £200 laptop to make me happy working? You judge it!

Right, please please please let us stop here now because I had enough and I had enough help from those big hand. I know what I will do. Thanks!

Re: Windows XP setting
 

I am going to make the assumption that the notebook may not have been secured fully, if it has, then there will be additional steps to take, but since it's easily overlooked I will assume the local administrator password is blank.

When you get the login screen, it should list the username, have a space for the password, and below that list the domain. Try the following

Username - Administrator
Password - Blank
Domain - Local logon or whatever it's called.

If it lets you in let us know and we will tell you how to leave the domain.

Re: Windows XP setting
 

You might consider buying second-hand, e.g. 290436091302 in eBay.

Re: Windows XP setting
 

No luck. It seems the admin is password locked at local (it is called 'this computer') because the computer said 'make sure your username and paswork are correct, etc....'