How to identify Windows version? : Microsoft, Windows XP, Any

May 16, 2008 08:24pm pdt

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02.12.2008 at 09:16AM PST, ID: 23156809

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7.2

How to identify Windows version?

Zones: Microsoft Operating Systems, Windows XP Operating System, Microsoft Windows Operating Systems

Tags: Microsoft, Windows XP, Any

Is there a way, by looking at the file structure or files on a Windows XP disk to identify what version it is? There are so many different version of Windows XP and so many different activation key types to go with (and likewise with Vista) how do you know if this is a: Student/Teacher version, Retail, OEM, Home Edition, Vender Proprietary or otherwise. I am asking this on the basis that there is not any identifying marking on the face of the CD.

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Question Stats

Zone: OS

Question Asked By: Beach_Boy

Solution Provided By: SunBow

Participating Experts: 6

Solution Grade: A

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02.12.2008 at 09:17AM PST, ID: 20876745

Ryan_Kempt:

Click Start, and then click Run. In the Open box, type winver.exe, and then click OK. The version will be displayed in the About Windows box.

02.12.2008 at 09:23AM PST, ID: 20876804

Artellos:

He means the Windows XP Disk not the actual windows version.
I'm affraid I personally don't know the awnser to this question.
However i'll start a search for the awnser and report it if i find it :) (Unless someone beat me to it ;))

02.12.2008 at 09:35AM PST, ID: 20876908

Ryan_Kempt:

It should mention it in winver.exe I would think ( http://www.wellesley.edu/Computing/ResNet/images/winver.jpg ); it mentions whether or not it's Home, Professional, etc... for sure.

If you want to know if it's OEM click Start, goto Control Panel, click on Performance and Maintenance, and then click System. Under Registered to, if the characters OEM are in the Product ID number, it's obviously OEM.

02.12.2008 at 09:38AM PST, ID: 20876926

Artellos:

Read: "Without installing the windows version on the disk, how do you figure out which version it is?" :)
It would be a pain installing 5 diffrent disks just to figure out their versions.

Regards,
Olrik

02.12.2008 at 10:01AM PST, ID: 20877093

Rank: Sage

leew:

I can feel reasonably safe saying there is no known way - I had an SBS system that I needed to track down the Key on but couldn't and Microsoft could only track it down by the CD Part Number.

02.12.2008 at 10:04AM PST, ID: 20877114

Artellos:

Ok, Just like i thought then.
Well as leew said you can always contact microsoft.

Regards,
Olrik

02.12.2008 at 10:19AM PST, ID: 20877238

SunBow:

> It should mention it in winver

That was my first thought, but simpler is that it mentions it during the boot process, no need for a command after installed.

But to figure out what a CD is - can be problematic since there are so many versions and images delivered with computers. The simplest approach is, that if it is a certified Microsoft created disk then all you have to do is read the disk itself, it will tell you plain and simple.

If it is an OEM disk, the odds are highly favorable that it is the XP home edition, unless you just purchsased it this week, for they are more often coming with a Vista build off the shelf - but the CD of even OEM will have written on it whether it is XP or another. If edition other than XP home you'll be given the real disk made by Microsoft and it will be labelled.

If this is a backup image of a system then there is no answer since a system can be loaded with several operating systems, and all of them will be on the image. The obvious thing to do then, is when making copies, write on the CD what the contents are, just like the vendors do.

Accepted Solution

02.12.2008 at 10:21AM PST, ID: 20877247

SunBow:

> there is not any identifying marking on the face of the CD.

That means it may not even have operating system files without use of imagination.

02.12.2008 at 11:27AM PST, ID: 20877847

Beach_Boy:

The winver file on the disk is an .exe file and can't be ran FROM the disk as a 'stand alone' file unless Windows has been installed already. It appears that the census is that there isn't any known way to identify what version a CD is from the file structure short of installing it or calling Microsoft. Although, calling Microsoft and actually talking to someone is like calling and talking to the President - and thats if you call the right 'department' to begin with.

Thanks for the feed back.

yanivyon

04.15.2008 at 03:51PM PDT, ID: 21363473

You can get some Information from the PRODSPEC.INI in the I386 folder

but still no information about corporate edition (this should be one)

         
             [SMS Inventory Identification]
Version=1.0
 
[Product Specification]
Product=Windows XP Professional
 
Version=5.0
Localization=German
ServicePackNumber=0
BitVersion=40 
[Version]
DriverVer=07/01/2001,5.1.2600.0

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yanivyon

04.15.2008 at 04:19PM PDT, ID: 21363602

http://wiki.djlizard.net/Product_IDs
to compare your PID from the SETUPP.INI file in I386

faranrao

05.06.2008 at 10:12PM PDT, ID: 21513315

Hello
I think its very simply install windows then there are many way to check.
Without installation you can find but its hard and in every version they make security changes.

20080236-EE-VQP-29 / EE_QW_2_20070628