This week's first Q&A comes from a reader wondering why our slipstreaming guide is not working for him.

Q: Ok guys, whats the deal on this slipstreaming stuff? I followed the instructions to the letter and the created disk works like any other windows CD and starts the install process until it gets to the section about putting in your CD key then it doesn't want to take my original numbers... The disk is useless because it won't continue installing without the CD key. waiting on a response.

A: The most likely answer here is that you are using an original 'corporate' Windows XP licence key. These were special XP licenses sold to business users and did not require activation. Due to widespread software piracy, Microsoft pulled support for most of the original 'no activation' licenses in their first Service Pack for Windows XP. Users who tried to upgrade with these keys suddenly found that their XP installations no longer worked.

Since the slipstreaming process integrates both Service Packs with your original files on a new CD, you need a legitimate CD key that will work with both SP1 and 2.