Custom settings in the Oobeinfo.ini file are lost after you upgrade a computer to Windows XP Service Pack 3

The Windows OEM Preinstallation Kit (OPK) tools can be used by an OEM customer to customize the settings for the Windows Welcome Screen. These custom settings are saved in the Oobeinfo.ini file, and they are loaded when Windows XP starts for the first time. After you upgrade a computer to Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3), these custom settings may be lost. You can use these custom settings to customize the Windows Welcome page so that it:

• Includes a company name.
• Includes a custom hardware tutorial.
• Contains personalized text.
• Pre-populates the user information fields on the registration page.

You can also use the Oobeinfo.ini file to change the following settings:

• The option to preserve the OEM Pre-Activation status
• The option to prevent the Out of Box Experience (OOBE) Wizard from changing the time zone
• The option to configure settings for user registration
• The option to put reminders on the desktop for registration and for the Internet service provider (ISP) sign-up offer
• The option to configure the settings for dial-up networking that are used when the system collects user registration information

Note When you change these settings, the associated functionality may be lost.

This issue occurs because Windows XP SP3 replaces the Oobeinfo.ini file in the %windir%\system32\oobe directory.

To resolve this issue and to keep any changes that you have made to the Oobeinfo.ini file, follow these steps when you upgrade to Windows XP SP3:

1. Make a backup copy of the existing Oobeinfo.ini file that contains your custom settings. This file is located in the %windir%\system32\oobe directory.
2. Install Windows XP SP3.
3. Copy the Oobeinfo.ini file that you backed up in step 1 to the %windir%\system32\oobe directory.

For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: