I was given a PC without a hard disk, that was purportedly
lying in a storeroom for 18 months. It has a COA for XP Home
(not OEM). I put a hard disk in installed XP Home on it.
Before this, I installed linux and run several diagnostics.
I had also found the ethernet port to be good and accessed
the internet.
Then I try to activate XP by internet, it says (after a few
seconds) that it can't and I must activate by telephone.
What is up? If the key on the COA has been used in the last
120 days, will it give this error?

"Nomen Nescio" wrote:

> I was given a PC without a hard disk, that was purportedly
> lying in a storeroom for 18 months. It has a COA for XP Home
> (not OEM). I put a hard disk in installed XP Home on it.
> Before this, I installed linux and run several diagnostics.
> I had also found the ethernet port to be good and accessed
> the internet.
> Then I try to activate XP by internet, it says (after a few
> seconds) that it can't and I must activate by telephone.
> What is up? If the key on the COA has been used in the last
> 120 days, will it give this error?
>
> .
>

Yes.

On 08/19/2010 03:25 PM, Nomen Nescio wrote:
> I was given a PC without a hard disk, that was purportedly
> lying in a storeroom for 18 months. It has a COA for XP Home
> (not OEM). I put a hard disk in installed XP Home on it.
> Before this, I installed linux and run several diagnostics.
> I had also found the ethernet port to be good and accessed
> the internet.
> Then I try to activate XP by internet, it says (after a few
> seconds) that it can't and I must activate by telephone.
> What is up? If the key on the COA has been used in the last
> 120 days, will it give this error?
>

Yes. Use the phone option.

--
Peter Taylor

Nomen Nescio <(E-Mail Removed)> écrivait
news:(E-Mail Removed):

> I was given a PC without a hard disk, that was purportedly
> lying in a storeroom for 18 months. It has a COA for XP Home
> (not OEM). I put a hard disk in installed XP Home on it.
> Before this, I installed linux and run several diagnostics.
> I had also found the ethernet port to be good and accessed
> the internet.
> Then I try to activate XP by internet, it says (after a few
> seconds) that it can't and I must activate by telephone.
> What is up? If the key on the COA has been used in the last
> 120 days, will it give this error?
>

COA stickers applied on a computer case (if that's your case) are all OEMs,
branded or generic. The keys for RETAIL packages are inside the cardboard
CD holder that's in the box.

What type of CD did you use to install XP Home?

OEM keys don't work with RETAIL CDs and RETAIL keys don't work with OEM
CDs.

When in doubt, follow the directions.

Nomen Nescio wrote:
> I was given a PC without a hard disk, that was purportedly
> lying in a storeroom for 18 months. It has a COA for XP Home
> (not OEM). I put a hard disk in installed XP Home on it.
> Before this, I installed linux and run several diagnostics.
> I had also found the ethernet port to be good and accessed
> the internet.
> Then I try to activate XP by internet, it says (after a few
> seconds) that it can't and I must activate by telephone.
> What is up? If the key on the COA has been used in the last
> 120 days, will it give this error?