Can't Activate after hard drive change

  • Thread starter Thread starter BillM
  • Start date Start date
B

BillM

Hi,

I Activated my WinXP Home shortly after buying it - 2 years ago? - anyway I
just got a new much larger
hard drive and copied the boot drive to it. When I boot up I got the message
that because there were
significant hardware changes XP needed to be activated again.

The little keys showed up in the tray. I clicked on it and nother happened.
I tried Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools/Activate Windows and got the
same result.
I even tried clicking on C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\oobe\msoobe.exe - no joy.

I get the message at every bootup and it keeps reminding me I have 3 days
left.
I don't want to experience XP getting disabled because Activate doesn't
work.

What can I do? Who at MS do I contact so I don't loose my XP installation.
I do not want to re-install. I'll switch to Linux or get a MAC before I do
that.

Thanks for any help,

Bill Mudd
 
You need to select the "activate by telephone" option.

How to Activate Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;307890&Product=winxp

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

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

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


| Hi,
|
| I Activated my WinXP Home shortly after buying it - 2 years ago? - anyway I
| just got a new much larger
| hard drive and copied the boot drive to it. When I boot up I got the message
| that because there were
| significant hardware changes XP needed to be activated again.
|
| The little keys showed up in the tray. I clicked on it and nother happened.
| I tried Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools/Activate Windows and got the
| same result.
| I even tried clicking on C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\oobe\msoobe.exe - no joy.
|
| I get the message at every bootup and it keeps reminding me I have 3 days
| left.
| I don't want to experience XP getting disabled because Activate doesn't
| work.
|
| What can I do? Who at MS do I contact so I don't loose my XP installation.
| I do not want to re-install. I'll switch to Linux or get a MAC before I do
| that.
|
| Thanks for any help,
|
| Bill Mudd
 
BillM said:
I Activated my WinXP Home shortly after buying it - 2 years ago? -
anyway I just got a new much larger
hard drive and copied the boot drive to it. When I boot up I got the
message that because there were
significant hardware changes XP needed to be activated again.

The little keys showed up in the tray. I clicked on it and nother
happened. I tried Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools/Activate
Windows and got the same result.
I even tried clicking on C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\oobe\msoobe.exe - no joy.

I get the message at every bootup and it keeps reminding me I have 3
days left.
I don't want to experience XP getting disabled because Activate
doesn't work.

What can I do? Who at MS do I contact so I don't loose my XP
installation. I do not want to re-install. I'll switch to Linux or
get a MAC before I do that.
Click to expand...

Information on Activation:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=307890

You also may want to look here:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=295539

Switch to MAC or Linux before re-installing Windows XP would be pretty much
NOT solving your problem, but creating new ones you have less knowledge of
how to solve. hah
 
None of the options on this page (below) will work because "Activate
Windows" is not working.
The "How to Activate Windows XP by Phone" options assumes that
Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools/Activate Windows - works.
But I get nothing - no customer service wizzard or any other program
results when I click on it.

Maybe this is the wrong NG for this?
Is there a more technical NG where my question will get answered ?

Thanks.
 
BillM said:
None of the options on this page (below) will work because "Activate
Windows" is not working.
The "How to Activate Windows XP by Phone" options assumes that
Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools/Activate Windows - works.
But I get nothing - no customer service wizzard or any other program
results when I click on it.

Maybe this is the wrong NG for this?
Is there a more technical NG where my question will get answered ?
Click to expand...

This is a Technical newsgroup. It is not posted to (as often) by Microsoft
employees - but normally the questions are answered by people like myself -
those with more experience with Windows Operating Systems than they likely
ever thought they would want/have.


I suppose you have read my post:


Information on Activation:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=307890

You also may want to look here:
(There is a PHONE NUMBER here..)
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=295539


And I would like to add the following to it:


I suppose you tried clicking Start, then Run, and type in "oobe/msoobe /a".
If you will notice, it adds the "/a" to the end, something I do not see you
trying in your original post (although it is what the built in Windows XP
Help and Support tells you to do.)


Perhaps you have an illegal product key? Check here:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=326904

If you do(even if you don't, this process may bring back the functionality
you need), try this:
http://techrepublic.com.com/5100-6270-5034890.html


And.. If all of that fails.. You can do an "in-place upgrade"
(Non-Destructive Reinstall):
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=315341

PLEASE, if you do the last thing, Disconnect from the net and turn on your
firewall before reconnecting to it WHILE doing it. Once the firewall is on,
then activate, update, patch and get that antivirus working.
 
Thank you for your many suggestions and links. I will probably have to use
that phone number.
The WinXP "Product Activation Wizard" just is not working with or without
the /a switch in the commandline.
I suppose you have read my post:
Yes.

And.. If all of that fails.. You can do an "in-place upgrade"
(Non-Destructive Reinstall):
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=315341
Click to expand...

Does "Non-Destructive Reinstall" mean that all the drivers & support .dlls
for all my programs & all the WinXP updates will not be
destroyed? Because I'm not going to spend hours - more like days -
re-installing all my programs and downloading all the updates
again.

Thanks,

Bill Mudd
 
BillM said:
Thank you for your many suggestions and links. I will probably have
to use that phone number.
The WinXP "Product Activation Wizard" just is not working with or
without the /a switch in the commandline.
Does "Non-Destructive Reinstall" mean that all the drivers & support
.dlls for all my programs & all the WinXP updates will not be
destroyed? Because I'm not going to spend hours - more like days -
re-installing all my programs and downloading all the updates
again.
Click to expand...

You WOULD have to re-update from the point that the original CD puts you.
If it does not have any integrated service packs (SP1) or integrates
post-sp1 patches, then yes - you would have to get those.

If you have high speed, you can get a majority (LARGE majority) of these
patches with TWO downloads burned to CD..

Download the Windows XP SP1a for Windows XP Network Install from here:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...79-fa3a-48bf-ade5-023443e29d78&displaylang=en
Short Link: http://tinyurl.com/5svk

Save it somewhere safe.

Download the Update Rollup 1 for Microsoft Windows XP from here:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...00-d7be-48e3-abcc-961602bd72c2&displaylang=en
Short Link: http://tinyurl.com/r4lh

Save it somewhere safe.

If you have a CD burner, burn these to CD later - in case you ever need to
re-install. That way you can patch your computer fairly well before ever
having to hook the machine to the Internet.

Now, run the SP1a file. Follow the directions, let it install and reboot
when it is done. It will take some time. After you reboot, run the second
file and follow the directions and let it install - reboot again.

That would get you all the way to MS03-039 in two swift installs. The
Network Install of SP1 is about 128MB in size.. The other is about 9-10MB in
size. Most of the drivers for your hardware should stay the same - except
for maybe your video. Some programs could be affected as well. As you can
see by the other articles referenced in the instructions:

After you perform an in-place upgrade or repair installation, you must
reinstall all updates to Windows. To reinstall Windows updates, visit the
following Microsoft Web site:
http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com

For additional information about how to troubleshoot specific Windows XP
Setup issues, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the
Microsoft Knowledge Base:

312369 You May Lose Data or Program Settings After Reinstalling, Repairing,
or Upgrading Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=312369

312368 Data Loss May Occur After Reinstalling, Repairing, or Upgrading
Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=312368

301224 System Restore "Restore Points" Are Missing or Deleted
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=301224
 
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