Activation error Home Premium UG over Win XP Prof

[Bob]

I purchased Home Premium upgrade to install on my WinXP Prof.
computer. When I started installation, my only option was a clean
install. So I did a clean install dual boot. All went well and Vista
seems to be working, so I decided to activate it. When I entered the
product key, I got an error message that a clean install was not
allowed with that key. The error Code ox c004F061 is not in MS list.
MS does not seem to allow any contact with them prior to activation.

Please help.

PS I posted this on the General group before I found this one.

 

[Rick Rogers]

Hi Bob,

Reinstall HP as an upgrade to the clean install, and use the Product Key at
that point. There's no circumventing this, the PK won't be accepted as long
as the installation thinks it was clean. Instead of booting from the DVD to
install, you should have used a custom install from within XP Pro as Vista
HP is not an upgrade option for XP Pro (only Business or Ultimate).

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
My thoughts http://rick-mvp.blogspot.com

 

[Bob]

Thanks for your response. I did as you suggested and all went well
until the end. I then got an error message "Windows could not
configure one or more system components. To install restart."

When I restarted, Vista restored my previous configuration. I
rechecked the Vista advisor program and it did not identify any
software or hardware problem. I do not have much software yet. I
disconnected USB scanner and printer. I reinstalled again with the
same results.

Any idea whether the problem is software or hardware? Any suggestion
as to what to do?

 

[Rick Rogers]

Hi Bob,

Might check the setuperr.log under windows\logs

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
My thoughts http://rick-mvp.blogspot.com

 

[Seth]

I purchased Home Premium upgrade to install on my WinXP Prof.
computer. When I started installation, my only option was a clean
install. So I did a clean install dual boot. All went well and Vista
seems to be working, so I decided to activate it. When I entered the
product key, I got an error message that a clean install was not
allowed with that key. The error Code ox c004F061 is not in MS list.
MS does not seem to allow any contact with them prior to activation.

Please help.

PS I posted this on the General group before I found this one.

It sounds like you did your installation by booting from the media which is
not the proper way to install the "upgrade" version. You are supposed to be
in the OS you are going to upgrade from and launch setup from within there.

If that's what happened to you, you need to reinstall in this particular
order...
-Do another clean install, DO NOT enter your product key.
-From within this latest installation, do an upgrade, this time entering
your product key
-Activate

 

[Bob]

I did the upgrade from within Vista. I guess I will have to try what
you suggest and do another new clean install. It is just a lot of
trouble.

 

[Seth]

I did the upgrade from within Vista. I guess I will have to try what
you suggest and do another new clean install. It is just a lot of
trouble.

You mean once you had already done the clean install using the product key?
Cause you indicate in your original post that you started with XP and when
you started your install it ONLY offered clean install. That indicates that
installation was done by booting from the disk.

 

[Bob]

Sorry I did not make it clear. I have a Vista Home Premium Upgrade. I
originally did a dual boot XP Prof and a clean install Vista Home
Premium (the only option), with CD boot and without product key.
After running Vista for several days, I tried to activate and got
message that my version could not do a clean install. I asked for help
and tried upgrading from within Vista, both with and without the
product key. Got error message "windows could not configure one or
more, etc." for both. Tried disabling startup items and unplugging
usbs, etc. same error message.

Finally, as suggested, started over.
Did a dual boot clean Vista install with CD boot and no key.
Downloaded updates and immediately did upgrade from within Vista. Put
in Key and selected internet activation. Vista upgraded properly and
said I had 2 days to activate and offered an option to do that, I did
and it ACTIVATED.

So all is well. Thanks for everyone's help. It is hard to understand
why MS makes it harder to upgrade the more expensive XP Prof than XP
Home. Or tell you how to do it.

Thanks again.