Windows XP XP re-install / Activation problem

[DaveAK]

Working on a Toshiba laptop that won't boot into XP Home, not even safe mode.

Decided to do a reinstall, but first copied wpa.dbl to floppy, (booted from a Linux CD to do this). No wpa.bak found so didn't copy it.

Reinstalled without too much problem. Missing an ALi audio driver and catsrv.dll, (don't know what this does).

Skipped activation, rebooted in safe mode, copied wpa.dbl from floppy to system32 folder. Rebooted, but can't log in because of missing files required for Windows Program Activation.

Decided to reinstall again, but this time would go through the activation process. Got to that point but it said it couldn't connect to the internet when I tried to activate. Same problem when I try to log in as a user, administrator or in safe mode, just won't do it.

What's the next thing I can try short of reformatting? It's not my laptop so I don't know what the critical data is, if any. I can probably boot from my Linux CD again and copy files to another PC, but I'd rather try the reinstall one more time, if there's another step or two that I need to do to get it to work.

Any ideas guys n gals?

 

[ChristopherP]

Just re-install XP, and activate over the internet or telephone. No need to mess with the WPA file.

 

[DaveAK]

Just re-install XP, and activate over the internet or telephone. No need to mess with the WPA file.

It wouldn't let me activate via the internet. Don't know why, I'm on a LAN, so I'm guessing I needed to get in to the OS to set up the network, but I couldn't get past the activation phase. (Zero days left.)

Any way, against my will, I decided to call the dreaded Microsoft Help Line. Easier than I thought!

Thanks for your reply.

 

[Canes Venatici]

Indeed, the MS Helpline for activation procedures cannot be moaned at! - A two second job and you're all done and good to go!

 

[ChristopherP]

Absolutely.

If the robotic voice wont let you activate, all you do is talk to a REAL person and hey presto its done.

 

[ThaiAm]

Absolutely.

If the robotic voice wont let you activate, all you do is talk to a REAL person and hey presto its done.

Easier said than done someplaces. I know living in remote Thailand was a choice I made for my retirement and therefore am stuck with the joy and consequences of that choice.
I bought XP Pro directly from Microsoft and was able to install and activate it with no problems at all. For various reasons it has been necessary for me to reinstall several times. Power outage gave me disk crash, bought new disk later on, tried the pre release of VISTA and crashed my xp. In any event the last reinstall and activate forced me to alternative telephone support activation because I had activated too many times. I am legitimate in every way and trying desperately to stay that way and have gone through a lot of trouble to that end.
Telephone support does not work because our land line is and has been out of order for two months because someone stole 200 meters of the telephone lines to our village and the telephone company is reluctant to install again fearing that someone will steal the lines again, so I have no land line.
Cell phone activation is out of the question because big fingers and bi-focals are prone to errors in input and thus several attempts have failed to successfully input the 54 digits needed to get through the activation. So I had Satellite dish installed and tried to use Internet phone to call the activation hot line only to have both Skype and Yahoo fail to connect to the Singapore number provided.
When I originally purchased the xp pro from Microsoft direct I was provided with the necessary ID numbers by email and am trying to find a way to that as a solution for my current problem. It is urgent in that I now have 6 days left or I will be bitten by the "You have not Activation Bug" and have no idea the consequences of that, nor do I wish to find out.
So as things now stand I have but one option left and that is to install a copy of windows that I purchased from a street vendor when I was lucky enough to be in the big city for a day.
Anyone have any suggestions on the best way to proceed and stay legal with my installation. The system I am worried about is one that I keep for the local kids to use to do their homework and I sure don't want to remove that resource from their very limited set of tools to try to learn something.
Thanks in advance for any advice you can provide.

 

[Anon_F]

ThaiAm, i suggest you post a new thread for help, this thread has not been answered in 10 months.
This will also help you to get your problem looked at by others quicker.