can't activate XP home

[Nomen Nescio]

I was given a PC without a hard disk, that was purportedly
lying in a storeroom for 18 months. It has a COA for XP Home
(not OEM). I put a hard disk in installed XP Home on it.
Before this, I installed linux and run several diagnostics.
I had also found the ethernet port to be good and accessed
the internet.
Then I try to activate XP by internet, it says (after a few
seconds) that it can't and I must activate by telephone.
What is up? If the key on the COA has been used in the last
120 days, will it give this error?

 

[Mark Adams]

I was given a PC without a hard disk, that was purportedly
lying in a storeroom for 18 months. It has a COA for XP Home
(not OEM). I put a hard disk in installed XP Home on it.
Before this, I installed linux and run several diagnostics.
I had also found the ethernet port to be good and accessed
the internet.
Then I try to activate XP by internet, it says (after a few
seconds) that it can't and I must activate by telephone.
What is up? If the key on the COA has been used in the last
120 days, will it give this error?

.

Yes.

 

[Peter Taylor]

I was given a PC without a hard disk, that was purportedly
lying in a storeroom for 18 months. It has a COA for XP Home
(not OEM). I put a hard disk in installed XP Home on it.
Before this, I installed linux and run several diagnostics.
I had also found the ethernet port to be good and accessed
the internet.
Then I try to activate XP by internet, it says (after a few
seconds) that it can't and I must activate by telephone.
What is up? If the key on the COA has been used in the last
120 days, will it give this error?

Yes. Use the phone option.

 

[Doum]

I was given a PC without a hard disk, that was purportedly
lying in a storeroom for 18 months. It has a COA for XP Home
(not OEM). I put a hard disk in installed XP Home on it.
Before this, I installed linux and run several diagnostics.
I had also found the ethernet port to be good and accessed
the internet.
Then I try to activate XP by internet, it says (after a few
seconds) that it can't and I must activate by telephone.
What is up? If the key on the COA has been used in the last
120 days, will it give this error?

COA stickers applied on a computer case (if that's your case) are all OEMs,
branded or generic. The keys for RETAIL packages are inside the cardboard
CD holder that's in the box.

What type of CD did you use to install XP Home?

OEM keys don't work with RETAIL CDs and RETAIL keys don't work with OEM
CDs.

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

When in doubt, follow the directions.