could not set offline locale information. 0x80FE0000

[schommes]

I am trying to install Vista Home Premium on an Acer Aspire One from a self made bootable USB stick. I have obtained the vista files from here: Windows Vista Direct Download Links. I have turned them into an ISO with Imageburn and then used WinSetupFromUSB-1-4 to create the stick.
The system previously ran on XP. I have merged all partitions on C: and then formatted C:.
I have checked the BIOS: The SATA-Mode is set to AHCI.
I ran checkdsk on the Harddrive and it did not report any errors.
However whenever the installation process switches from expanding the files to installing them I will get the “could not set offline locale information. 0x80FE0000″ Error.
I have also tried Vista files from a different source (older, but original Microsoft-Website) but to no avail.
Could it be that this happens because the product key I am using comes from another notebook and is a OEM version? (In Germany doing so is legal though, as the German Federal Civil Court ruled that OEM licences are tradeable regardless of MS Terms and Conditions) If not, what other reason could this have?
I would really appreciate your response. Thanks a bunch in advance.

 

[richc46]

It is against the MS rules to use an OEM key on a different computer. Although, as you say, it is legal in your Country, it is also legal for MS to impose its own rules and enforce them. MS will have this right until your Courts declare it illegal to do so.

 

[schommes]

MS will have this right until your Courts declare it illegal to do so.

Well, that's exactly what the German Federal Civil Court (Highest Court for Civil Law) did. As of that those licenses are freely tradeable in Germany and technical Barriers are illegal.

But back to my question: Do you think that the error I described roots in Microsofts Policy to make OEM licenses untradeable? In that case I could buy a "full" version and it should work, right?

 

[richc46]

Since I am not in Germany I find it difficult to give you a definitive answer. I think that your best course of action would be to contact the MS activation center in Germany
Microsoft Volume Licensing - Activation Centers
I do think that even if tradable, they can only be used on one machine, and no others. If I am correct a full version should help.
Ithink that tradable means you can sell to another and not that you can use it on two machines, even if it is no longer on the first. That is what OEM means. The Courts cannot say that an OEM can be used on multiple machines. An OEM is much cheaper because it can be used only once.

 

[schommes]

Since I am not in Germany I find it difficult to give you a definitive answer. I think that your best course of action would be to contact the MS activation center in Germany
Microsoft Volume Licensing - Activation Centers
I do think that even if tradable, they can only be used on one machine, and no others. If I am correct a full version should help.
Ithink that tradable means you can sell to another and not that you can use it on two machines, even if it is no longer on the first. That is what OEM means. The Courts cannot say that an OEM can be used on multiple machines. An OEM is much cheaper because it can be used only once.

Thanx for your info. I still believe that tradeable means making it run on different machines, as long as it is only one machine per time. Because otherwise trading OEMs would be pointless.

However, I don't want to focus to much on this. There might be other solutions I have overlooked. I am a lawyer not a techie. So any further suggestions would be welcome. :-)

 

[richc46]

Why is an OEM cheaper than full version, then?

 

[schommes]

Why is an OEM cheaper than full version, then?

Because Microsoft intended it to be something less, than the full version, but the highest German court disregarded this.
Could we now pls close this matter, I was really hoping somebody could use this thread to give me some hints about solving 0x80FE0000