Can't get to desktop after reactivating XP Pro

[Guest]

Has anyone seen this problem? What did you do to resolve it?

Background: The firm purchased 60 new Gateway computers, all completely identical. Because many preinstalled programs needed to be removed plus numerous programs we use needed to be installed I created a base image. I then clone a hard drive, run sysprep on it, activate windows, create user accounts, etc. and finish customizing the computer for the user. This has generally worked great. However, now had two systems (after 30 to 45 days use) that boot up and say windows has to be activated. Course it won't let you do anything until that's completed. So I activate and it tells me activated too many times. Have to make phone call and do the procedure. Problem is, after reactivating it drops me to a blank desktop with no taskbar, no nothing! Twice now. The first instance I just rebuilt everything from scratch, no cloning, etc. Now a second machine. Don't want to rebuild.

What's going on here? What can I do to prevent this situation in the future?

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

The problem you have is you must use the individual OEM
Product Key assigned to each computer. Sounds like you
are attempting to use just one Product Key for each installation
which is contrary to OEM licensing. This is one reason why
Volume Licensing (VL) is recommnded when using sysprep.

Whoever ordered your Gateway PCs should have requested
Volume Licensing instead of OEM licensing, but I sense someone
did not do a little research into this area.

How to Prepare Images for Disk Duplication with Sysprep
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/deploy/duplication.mspx

How to Use Sysprep with Windows Product Activation or Volume License Media to Deploy Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;299840&Product=winxp

Summary of the limitations of the System Preparation tool
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;830958&Product=winxp

Microsoft Volume Licensing Program
http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/default.mspx

How to Acquire Microsoft Product Licenses Through Microsoft's Volume Licensing Programs
http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/howtoacquire.mspx

Microsoft Volume Licensing FAQ
http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/resources/faq.mspx

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User

Be Smart! Protect your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/

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| Has anyone seen this problem? What did you do to resolve it?
|
| Background: The firm purchased 60 new Gateway computers, all completely identical. Because many preinstalled
programs needed to be removed plus numerous programs we use needed to be installed I created a base image. I
then clone a hard drive, run sysprep on it, activate windows, create user accounts, etc. and finish
customizing the computer for the user. This has generally worked great. However, now had two systems (after 30
to 45 days use) that boot up and say windows has to be activated. Course it won't let you do anything until
that's completed. So I activate and it tells me activated too many times. Have to make phone call and do the
procedure. Problem is, after reactivating it drops me to a blank desktop with no taskbar, no nothing! Twice
now. The first instance I just rebuilt everything from scratch, no cloning, etc. Now a second machine. Don't
want to rebuild.
|
| What's going on here? What can I do to prevent this situation in the future?

 

[Guest]

I created a new user account then logged in. All I get is the default Gateway wallpaper...nothing else. Gonna go for the system restore and see if that resolves the issue. I will report back. Thanks for your very helpful suggestions. The company just moved to XP Pro from Windows98 so I have very little experience supporting XP. If nothing else I'm learning new things because of this issue.

 

[hermes]

OK bad news. The only system restore point available appeared to have been created right when the system

crapped out. After restoring I have the exact same problem. I suppose
moral is I need to go set a restore point
on all the other new machines before something else goes south.

Any other suggestions, or an explanation for why the reactivation thing might have happened? Oh by the way,

NO hardware has been changed on any of the computers.

I'm sorry you had such extreme difficulties. WinXP with PA you will
find is really a bloated piece of sh*t os. Gateway hardware is not much
better, I'm sorry to say. Doesn't sound like your boss (if s/he is the
one who made the poor purchasing decisions) did not do any research
about it either. Good luck, seems you might need it.

:

go for the system restore and see if that resolves the issue. I will
report back. Thanks for your very helpful
suggestions. The company just moved to XP Pro from Windows98 so I have
very little experience supporting XP. If
nothing else I'm learning new things because of this issue.new user and see if that user works ok, if it does then try removing the
ntuser.dat from one of the other users
%userprofile% folder and then log in with them and see if that works, if
it does it looks like the default shell
for the user is to pot. You may also want to try last know good /
default profile or using recovery to back you
up to a time before you had to reactivate.However, after logging out or rebooting it goes back to the same blank
desktops for the administrator account
and the 2 user accounts I have tested so far.preinstalled programs needed to be removed plus numerous programs we use
needed to be installed I created a
base image. I then clone a hard drive, run sysprep on it, activate
windows, create user accounts, etc. and
finish customizing the computer for the user. This has generally worked
great. However, now had two systems (
after 30 to 45 days use) that boot up and say windows has to be
activated. Course it won't let you do anything
until that's completed. So I activate and it tells me activated too many
times. Have to make phone call and do
the procedure. Problem is, after reactivating it drops me to a blank
desktop with no taskbar, no nothing! Twice
now. The first instance I just rebuilt everything from scratch, no
cloning, etc. Now a second machine. Don't
want to rebuild.

--
hermes
DRM sux! Treacherous Computing kills our virtual civil liberties!
http://www.redrival.com/protectfreedom/
http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~rja14/tcpa-faq.html
http://anti-dmca.org/
http://www.eff.org/IP/DMCA/unintended_consequences.php

Windows XP crashed.
I am the Blue Screen of Death.
No one hears your screams.

 

[Guest]

Hmm, anoying.

You could try sysprep'ing it again and seeing if that gets you back to a point in the OS where you can start afresh. Also have you tried F8'ing it at boot and selecting the last known good config, allthough I would think it's a bit late for that.

Other things to try, Try re-installing SP1a, that may reconfigure some of the settings that are causing problems you never know.

The problem seems to be that the default shell has been changed (probably to the activate windows application) and it then has not been set back to explorer.exe (as this is the default windows shell as you've seen from running explorer.exe from task manager

 

[Alex Nichol]

Background: The firm purchased 60 new Gateway computers, all completely identical. Because many preinstalled programs needed to be removed plus numerous programs we use needed to be installed I created a base image. I then clone a hard drive, run sysprep on it, activate windows, create user accounts, etc. and finish customizing the computer for the user. This has generally worked great. However, now had two systems (after 30 to 45 days use) that boot up and say windows has to be activated. Course it won't let you do anything until that's completed. So I activate and it tells me activated too many times.

You used some product key in making the image that you cloned, and
activated that before cloning. Each machine needs its own individual
key, that came with it, and that should be on a label on the case and
used in the new installation if ever one is needed. You are I think
trying to use that original key over again. You need to keep each
machines key to itself: if you reinstall and need activation, start on
the 'activate by Phone' method, and a little way in there is an
opportunity to change Product Key; use it to change to the key unique to
that machine

 

[Guest]

Ashleigh,
Had skipped Last Known Good intentionally, but haven't heard of SP1a. Where can I find this? Will do some registry hunting to see if I can change the shell back. Thanks for the idea.

If all else fails I will run sysprep again rather than building it from scratch. but that will be last resort