Activating XP if I can't find my product key

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Hi all. Several years ago I bought two copies of XP Home w/SP1 for computers
that I built for myself and my wife. Over the past weekend I had to reload
both machines for various reasons. I could only find one of the CDs, and one
of the product keys, so I went ahead and used the same CD and product key to
reload both. I found the second CD later, but the little piece of cellophane
with the second 25-character key is nowhere to be found--through a move, a
baby, and many life changes, it was a miracle enough to find the CDs! But
since it worked, I didn't think anything else about it (I thought I heard
somewhere they weren't worrying about activation anymore anyway?), installed
SP2 and all the upgrades, and we went on our merry way.

So yesterday, when I installed some DVD-ROM software on my wife's machine,
XP yelled at me saying that I needed to re-activate because I changed
hardware (which I *hadn't* since the initial activation Sunday) and that I
had to use a new product key. So now I'm stuck. I can't find the second
product key, it says it won't let me use the first one again, and the clock's
ticking. I can't use a utility to extract the product key on my wife's
because I used the same CD and product key on both machines, so I'm not sure
what to do. And I really don't want to have to spend well over $100 on
something *that I already have*, which is XP Home.

Has my losing that tiny piece of paper doomed me to spend money on another
license, or is there a way to get around this?

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Lewis Gregory
Richmond, VA
 
How to replace lost, broken, or missing Microsoft software or hardware
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/326246/en-us

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows - Shell/User
Microsoft Community Newsgroups
news://msnews.microsoft.com/

---------------------------------------------------------------------------­----------------

:

| Hi all. Several years ago I bought two copies of XP Home w/SP1 for computers
| that I built for myself and my wife. Over the past weekend I had to reload
| both machines for various reasons. I could only find one of the CDs, and one
| of the product keys, so I went ahead and used the same CD and product key to
| reload both. I found the second CD later, but the little piece of cellophane
| with the second 25-character key is nowhere to be found--through a move, a
| baby, and many life changes, it was a miracle enough to find the CDs! But
| since it worked, I didn't think anything else about it (I thought I heard
| somewhere they weren't worrying about activation anymore anyway?), installed
| SP2 and all the upgrades, and we went on our merry way.
|
| So yesterday, when I installed some DVD-ROM software on my wife's machine,
| XP yelled at me saying that I needed to re-activate because I changed
| hardware (which I *hadn't* since the initial activation Sunday) and that I
| had to use a new product key. So now I'm stuck. I can't find the second
| product key, it says it won't let me use the first one again, and the clock's
| ticking. I can't use a utility to extract the product key on my wife's
| because I used the same CD and product key on both machines, so I'm not sure
| what to do. And I really don't want to have to spend well over $100 on
| something *that I already have*, which is XP Home.
|
| Has my losing that tiny piece of paper doomed me to spend money on another
| license, or is there a way to get around this?
|
| Thanks for any help you can provide.
|
| Lewis Gregory
| Richmond, VA
 
Wow, thanks for the fast response. Of course, finding proof of purchase for
something that I bought a good 3 1/2 years ago might be a bit tough...may
well be easier to tear the office apart looking for that piece of cellophane.
:/ Maybe if I took a picture of me waving around my two XP CDs or
something... :)

If worse comes to worse and I do have to purchase another license, would an
"upgrade" package/license work or would I have to spend the $150+ on a full
XP Home install? Seems pretty ridiculous if it'd require a full version, but
that's neither here nor there. I could've sworn I read something a while
back about MS not worrying about activation anymore, but maybe that was for
OEM copies, and these were both purchased from Newegg when I built our
matching systems.

Guess that'll teach me to write this stuff down.
 
Not worrying about activation? It is being enforced more strictly than ever
on all versions.

An upgrade version will not work if you ever have to do a clean install--it
will ask you for the qualifying previous version during install.

PS: you were supposed to stick those cd keys on the computers. That way they
don't get lost <G>


--
Larry Samuels Associate Expert
MS-MVP (2001-2005)
Unofficial FAQ for Windows Server 2003 at
http://pelos.us/SERVER.htm
Expert Zone-
 
I know, I know, lesson learned. :) I called Microsoft tonight and after a
bit of a phone runaround, explained the situation to a customer service rep
and they set me up with a new product key, so all ends well.
 
Larry Samuels said:
Not worrying about activation? It is being enforced more strictly than
ever on all versions.

An upgrade version will not work if you ever have to do a clean
install--it will ask you for the qualifying previous version during
install.
Click to expand...

But it doesn't ask you for the product key of the previous version. I just
recently reinstalled an upgrade version, and since I didn't have the
previous Windows CD handy, I gave it an old Windows NT 4.0 CD to look at.
It was happy with it. I did not have to type in the Windows NT 4.0 product
key. (If indeed it even had one.)
 
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