At work I use a ThinkPad (T40),
at home I also have a ThinkPad (R40)

I want to avoid lugging the work TP back & forth.
So I've been thinking : if I can just pull out the HDD from work TP and pop
it into home TP.

Is this idea workable ?

"spicoli" <nosuchuser_at_gmail_dot_com> wrote in message
news:12ki457h1a4coca@corp.supernews.com
> At work I use a ThinkPad (T40),
> at home I also have a ThinkPad (R40)
>
> I want to avoid lugging the work TP back & forth.
> So I've been thinking : if I can just pull out the HDD from work TP
> and pop it into home TP.
>
> Is this idea workable ?

Why not use a flash drive or an external HD?

--
Bill

"spicoli" <nosuchuser_at_gmail_dot_com> wrote in message
news:12ki457h1a4coca@corp.supernews.com...
>
> At work I use a ThinkPad (T40),
> at home I also have a ThinkPad (R40)
>
> I want to avoid lugging the work TP back & forth.
> So I've been thinking : if I can just pull out the HDD from work TP
> and pop it into home TP.
>
> Is this idea workable ?

Maybe - some software is/can be linked to a hardware serial number.
If they were both T40's I think it would work but I suspect that there
are SOME differences between the two. How about making 2 hardware
profiles and select at boot time ? one for the R40 and one for T40. But
be prepared to have different drivers ready to load.

Right-click my computer - hardware - hardware profiles then copy the
existing one twice. Leave one original and rename the others to T40 and
R40.

It's workable if the two Thinkpads are the exact same model and
configuration and if you use a PC Card network card that you carry with
you also (and disable any on-motherboard network card).

[The reason for the network card is that it's MAC address has special
significance to Windows XP's "Product Activation" and if the MAC address
changes, you may trigger a series of activation requests which end with
the invalidation of your Windows Product Key. The memory size and all
other configuration matters should be the same also, for the same reason
(although no other single factor is "triple weighted" like the network
interface MAC address)].


spicoli wrote:

> At work I use a ThinkPad (T40),
> at home I also have a ThinkPad (R40)
>
> I want to avoid lugging the work TP back & forth.
> So I've been thinking : if I can just pull out the HDD from work TP and pop
> it into home TP.
>
> Is this idea workable ?
>
>

"Barry Watzman" <WatzmanNOSPAM@neo.rr.com> wrote in message
news:454949C7.6090400@neo.rr.com...
> It's workable if the two Thinkpads are the exact same model and
> configuration and if you use a PC Card network card that you carry with
> you also (and disable any on-motherboard network card).
>
> [The reason for the network card is that it's MAC address has special
> significance to Windows XP's "Product Activation" and if the MAC address
> changes, you may trigger a series of activation requests which end with
> the invalidation of your Windows Product Key. The memory size and all
> other configuration matters should be the same also, for the same reason
> (although no other single factor is "triple weighted" like the network
> interface MAC address)].
>

Only an on board network card's MAC address is considered for activation
purposes (even if disabled). An ethernet network interface on a PC card is
not considered part of the base hardware and so goes unchecked.

I just googled it and found
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/pro...e/xpactiv.mspx
and
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/...1151564,00.asp
and although the nic has a high rating it didn't say it would trigger
activation.
I'm not disputing what you say, but couldn't find that online.
I thought disabled in BIOS = disabled. You guys sound like you know from
experience - is that right ?

From the second link I did read this advice (for everyone) :
"One key tip is to back up the C:\WINDOWS\system32\WPA.DBL file before
making any changes. If you make hardware changes during testing of
various products under development, and want to roll back, you just copy
the WPA.DBL file back to the drive, rather than having to reactivate
with the old configuration."


"M.I.5¾" <no.one@no.where.NO_SPAM.co.uk> wrote in message
news:4549e192$1_1@glkas0286.greenlnk.net...
>
> "Barry Watzman" <WatzmanNOSPAM@neo.rr.com> wrote in message
> news:454949C7.6090400@neo.rr.com...
>> It's workable if the two Thinkpads are the exact same model and
>> configuration and if you use a PC Card network card that you carry
>> with you also (and disable any on-motherboard network card).
>>
>> [The reason for the network card is that it's MAC address has special
>> significance to Windows XP's "Product Activation" and if the MAC
>> address changes, you may trigger a series of activation requests
>> which end with the invalidation of your Windows Product Key. The
>> memory size and all other configuration matters should be the same
>> also, for the same reason (although no other single factor is "triple
>> weighted" like the network interface MAC address)].
>>
>
> Only an on board network card's MAC address is considered for
> activation purposes (even if disabled). An ethernet network interface
> on a PC card is not considered part of the base hardware and so goes
> unchecked.

"M.I.5¾" <no.one@no.where.NO_SPAM.co.uk> wrote in message
news:4549e192$1_1@glkas0286.greenlnk.net...
>
> "Barry Watzman" <WatzmanNOSPAM@neo.rr.com> wrote in message
> news:454949C7.6090400@neo.rr.com...
>> It's workable if the two Thinkpads are the exact same model and
>> configuration and if you use a PC Card network card that you carry with
>> you also (and disable any on-motherboard network card).
>>
>> [The reason for the network card is that it's MAC address has special
>> significance to Windows XP's "Product Activation" and if the MAC address
>> changes, you may trigger a series of activation requests which end with
>> the invalidation of your Windows Product Key. The memory size and all
>> other configuration matters should be the same also, for the same reason
>> (although no other single factor is "triple weighted" like the network
>> interface MAC address)].
>>
>
> Only an on board network card's MAC address is considered for activation
> purposes (even if disabled). An ethernet network interface on a PC card
> is not considered part of the base hardware and so goes unchecked.

For the record the stored hardware activation parameters are:

Processor Type
Processor Serial Number
Primary Master Hard drive type
Primary Hard drive Volume Serial Number
CD/DVD drive type
Network card MAC address (counts as 3)
Primary IDE Interface Type
SCSI Interface Card Type
Display Adaptor Size.
RAM size (in ranges)

In addition one byte of the stored hashed 8 byte number signals if a laptop
is dockable (in a docking station). This allows a limited amount of
hardware that is part of the docking station to dissappear without
triggering reactivation.

6 or more changes* (4 if the Network card is changed) of the above hardware
must change for reactivation to occur within a specified timescale. No-one
knows what this timescale is and opinions vary, though 120 days seems to be
the most frequently quoted figure. Microsoft's literature on Product
Activation doesn't even mention it, or if it is mentioned, does not state
the time period. It is known that the On line Activation information stored
on Microsoft's servers are flushed after a(n unknown) period of time, making
it possible to install the same Windows XP disk on a different PC after this
period has expired (But who would want to do that?).

One parameter can be changed multiple times. For example changing the
CD/DVD rom drive from type A to type B is one change. Changing the type B
to a type C does not further increment the change count. Microsoft now
claim that on line activation can be performed on substantially (but not
completely) different hardware up to 4 times in any one year. I have not
exercised this last feature.

*9 changes (7 if Network card is changed) must occur if the laptop is
flagged as dockable.

I think that's wrong ... and, if the onboard port is disabled in the
BIOS, it won't be seen by Windows at all, and can't be taken into
account of by Product Activation.

There is a setting somewhere in Windows (and I cannot remember where) in
which you tell Windows if the computer is a Desktop, Laptop or Server.
This setting changes how Product Activation "weights" some of the
components (including the MAC address). For laptop, it's assumed that
the network card may be a PC Card and may be subject to frequent changes.


M.I.5¾ wrote:

>
> Only an on board network card's MAC address is considered for activation
> purposes (even if disabled). An ethernet network interface on a PC card is
> not considered part of the base hardware and so goes unchecked.
>
>

"- Bobb -" <bobb@noemail.123> wrote in message
news:KrOdnWHcKfGcdtTYnZ2dnUVZ_tCdnZ2d@comcast.com. ..
>I just googled it and found
> http://www.microsoft.com/technet/pro...e/xpactiv.mspx
> and
> http://www.extremetech.com/article2/...1151564,00.asp
> and although the nic has a high rating it didn't say it would trigger
> activation.
> I'm not disputing what you say, but couldn't find that online.
> I thought disabled in BIOS = disabled. You guys sound like you know from
> experience - is that right ?
>
> From the second link I did read this advice (for everyone) :
> "One key tip is to back up the C:\WINDOWS\system32\WPA.DBL file before
> making any changes. If you make hardware changes during testing of various
> products under development, and want to roll back, you just copy the
> WPA.DBL file back to the drive, rather than having to reactivate with the
> old configuration."
>

Correct. The configuration info is stored there. It has been suggested
that it may be a good idea to treat the WPA.BAK file the same way.

"Barry Watzman" <WatzmanNOSPAM@neo.rr.com> wrote in message
news:4549EEF6.1000302@neo.rr.com...
>I think that's wrong ... and, if the onboard port is disabled in the BIOS,
>it won't be seen by Windows at all, and can't be taken into account of by
>Product Activation.
>
> There is a setting somewhere in Windows (and I cannot remember where) in
> which you tell Windows if the computer is a Desktop, Laptop or Server.
> This setting changes how Product Activation "weights" some of the
> components (including the MAC address). For laptop, it's assumed that the
> network card may be a PC Card and may be subject to frequent changes.
>

After a little research, I found this point discussed in a Microsoft
bulletin. It seems that the presence of a PCMCIA port (their description)
causes the laptop to be classed as dockable. It also transpires that a
network card inserted in the PCMCIA port (and any other qualifying card)
does get its details included in the hardware hash. This seems to be the
only parameter that affects the hardware changes required (increases by 3)
to trip reactivation. The hardware hash does not include any indicator of
the type of PC beyond 'dockable', and AFAIKT, this is the only factor
affecting the number of hardware changes required.

I should also note that if the Windows XP installation is a version that is
locked to a BIOS signature, then there is no hardware hash stored, and
everything can be changed provided the BIOS signature remains unaltered.

spicoli <nosuchuser_at_gmail_dot_com> wrote:

> At work I use a ThinkPad (T40),
> at home I also have a ThinkPad (R40)

> I want to avoid lugging the work TP back & forth.
> So I've been thinking : if I can just pull out the HDD from work TP and pop
> it into home TP.

> Is this idea workable ?

Depends, are you using windows? Usually windows craps itself
down both legs if you yank the hard drive and stick it in another
machine even with a slight chipset or HDD controller difference. You
said one is an R40 and the other T40, might not work.

The other thing you should think about is this: The internal
HDD connectors aren't really designed for constant swapping in/out and
you may eventually trash them. If you could install and boot completely
from a drive in the UltraBay might solve this problem. Even better yet,
why not just install an OS inside of VMWare on a USB (a bit slow) or
Ultrabay attached drive? When you go from one place to other just boot
them virtual machine image and use that to do your work? That solves
problem of the hardware changing (it always looks the same to the OS
under VMWare).