goodfinder
asked on
windows xp activation
got a windows xp workstation, hard drive corrupted.
had a sticker on the box, but it is xp home
we have a couple of workstations that we had to load xp pro after we put in our win server 2003 5 years ago.
now after ghosted to a new hard drive, ran a repair with xp pro xp3, it is saying it needs to be activated before windows can log in.
i don't even know if the networking of the desktop is working after the repairs but it won't let me log in to change the license key if I put in a wrong one.
thanks for your assistance.
Best
had a sticker on the box, but it is xp home
we have a couple of workstations that we had to load xp pro after we put in our win server 2003 5 years ago.
now after ghosted to a new hard drive, ran a repair with xp pro xp3, it is saying it needs to be activated before windows can log in.
i don't even know if the networking of the desktop is working after the repairs but it won't let me log in to change the license key if I put in a wrong one.
thanks for your assistance.
Best
tjc123
So, you're trying to load XP Pro on a system that was originally activated with XP Home and you don't have a valid XP Pro license key? You need a valid license key for the XP Pro image you are using. Ghosting can cause problems since the key Microsoft has on file is assigned to a MAC address, and since that is obviously changed here, you will need to do the phone based activation on the menu or find a valid key. Just call the 800 number and follow the prompts.
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ASKER
a few years back, we reformt this computer and put in xp pro.
today it got corrupted with the hard drive making the ticking noise.
i ghosted to a new hard drive so we don't have to load all the pgms back, i thought
after ghosted, it didn't work so i ran windows repair and put in a xp pro product key that was activated before, of course.
now the computer won't boot to windows unless it is activated.
i will try safe mode without networking.
today it got corrupted with the hard drive making the ticking noise.
i ghosted to a new hard drive so we don't have to load all the pgms back, i thought
after ghosted, it didn't work so i ran windows repair and put in a xp pro product key that was activated before, of course.
now the computer won't boot to windows unless it is activated.
i will try safe mode without networking.
ASKER
n2fc, you are amazing!!
thanks.
it is booting up now and, last question, if i put in the wrong product key, how do i change it to the right one.
we don't have a very good tracking system.
thanks.
thanks.
it is booting up now and, last question, if i put in the wrong product key, how do i change it to the right one.
we don't have a very good tracking system.
thanks.
Changing the key is a bit complicated, but definitely doable.
You should PROBABLY back up your registry (just in case) before proceeding, though!
Here's How:
1. Click on Start and then Run.
2. In the text box in the Run window, type regedit and click OK. This will open the Registry Editor program.
3. Locate the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE folder under My Computer and click on the (+) sign next the folder name to expand the folder.
4. Continue to expand folders until you reach the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Softwar
5. Click on the WPAEvents folder.
6. In the results that appear in the window on the right, locate OOBETimer.
7. Right-click on the OOBETimer entry and choose Modify from the resulting menu.
8. Change at least one digit in the Value data text box and click OK. This will deactivate Windows XP.
Feel free to close Registry Editor at this point.
9. Click on Start and then Run.
10. In the text box in the Run window, type the following command and click OK.
%systemroot%\system32\oobe
11. When the Let's activate Windows window appears, choose Yes, I want to telephone a customer service representative to activate Windows and then click Next.
12. Click the Change Product Key button at the bottom of the window.
Don't worry about filling anything out on this screen.
13. Type your new, valid Windows XP product key in the New key: text boxes and then click the Update button.
14. You should now reactivate Windows XP by following the instructions on the Activate Windows by phone window which you should now be seeing or via the Internet by clicking the Back button and following the instructions on that screen.
If you'd rather postpone activating Windows XP until a later date, you can click the Remind me later button.
15. After activating Windows XP, you can verify that activation was successful by repeating steps 9 and 10 above.
The Windows Product Activation window that appears should say "Windows is already activated. Click OK to exit."
You should PROBABLY back up your registry (just in case) before proceeding, though!
Here's How:
1. Click on Start and then Run.
2. In the text box in the Run window, type regedit and click OK. This will open the Registry Editor program.
3. Locate the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE folder under My Computer and click on the (+) sign next the folder name to expand the folder.
4. Continue to expand folders until you reach the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Softwar
5. Click on the WPAEvents folder.
6. In the results that appear in the window on the right, locate OOBETimer.
7. Right-click on the OOBETimer entry and choose Modify from the resulting menu.
8. Change at least one digit in the Value data text box and click OK. This will deactivate Windows XP.
Feel free to close Registry Editor at this point.
9. Click on Start and then Run.
10. In the text box in the Run window, type the following command and click OK.
%systemroot%\system32\oobe
11. When the Let's activate Windows window appears, choose Yes, I want to telephone a customer service representative to activate Windows and then click Next.
12. Click the Change Product Key button at the bottom of the window.
Don't worry about filling anything out on this screen.
13. Type your new, valid Windows XP product key in the New key: text boxes and then click the Update button.
14. You should now reactivate Windows XP by following the instructions on the Activate Windows by phone window which you should now be seeing or via the Internet by clicking the Back button and following the instructions on that screen.
If you'd rather postpone activating Windows XP until a later date, you can click the Remind me later button.
15. After activating Windows XP, you can verify that activation was successful by repeating steps 9 and 10 above.
The Windows Product Activation window that appears should say "Windows is already activated. Click OK to exit."
ASKER
so knowledgeable!! amazing.