"Genuine -Validation " issue

[- Bobb -]

Any pointers to details of "what gets hosed when it is disabled ? How to
recover - easily ?

Background:
I got a panic call today from family - they "updated XP " to see if maybe
that's why she had IPOD problem - and now XP reports license error - won't
boot. Once she ran updates and it prompted for 'XP License key', she
entered the Dell OEM "license key" on the box. Failed a few times with
error message to call MSFT at ' phonenumber". She spent 45 minutes with
MSFT, then an hour with Dell - they each said the other is the problem.
Since she can't logon, remote support can't connect to "help her"- she
called me. I brought another desktop PC and a spare disk drive. I thought
worst case I'd restore XP to this spare - add her disk as second - recover
her data to my drive, then wipe her original disk by reinstalling with XP
CD. BUT what I found: Disk Mgmt shows one partition on her "bad drive"- no
Dell partition ! Right-click on disk and "assign drive letter" not an
option. While troubleshooting, I installed Norton Ghost on my box to run
backup - I chose "entire drive" ( since no folders) and it shows the image
file will be 0mb. ???

Her husband came home and after interrogation he told me that he had a
problem last year and a friend helped him 'get it going'. I suspect :
his friend wiped the drive, installed XP using HIS full version. Friend
had / has registered that license on his PC already. MSFT shows - already
used - sorry. I suspect I could do full reinstall using their Dell XP CD
but will those their data - quicken, lots of business docs etc .... I told
them it'll cost $100 to buy a copy of XP and even then that still doesn't
recover their data - quickest way is to get a valid license. I put the
drive back into the original PC and it boots to login screen and in the
lower right there's a box that shows "requires validation". Click on it
and get the "go online " or call MSFT " option screen ( that's what she'd
done earlier.)

Questions now:
1. to get it going quickly, could they just call MSFT back and BUY a
license ?? ( Lots the cost of his friend "helping him" previously.) What
does an XP Home license cost - anyone know ?

2. This issue 'did something' to the original hard drive to make it
unmountable/unreadable so can't assign a drive letter to it. What
exactly does it do - to make it boot XP yet show as 0mb in size ?

3. Genuine Validation... If I then reinstall using the Dell OEM XP CD
back onto a drive in the Dell PC, does OEM XP ask for validation updates
in the future - or once OEM license is it never an issue again ?

Thanks very much

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

Have your son-in-law's friend fix the problem.

 

[- Bobb -]

Have your son-in-law's friend fix the problem.

That's exactly how I left it last night. I drove there with "basic stuff"
and not geared up for what the problem really turned out to be. " The
friend " is going there tomorrow.

But ... if he can't fix it - can she just call msft to get buy a license
code to enter (have the "friend " pay the $$$ !) and then her drive is
instantly "usable" ? ( She needs the Quickbooks info by month end )

This is the first time I'd ever seen a license issue - is this "normal"
that you cannot access anything on the hard drive ? ( Don't want to start
another license thread - just an observation I could see how MSFT would
have the right to not allow "windows to work", but no right to prevent the
entire drive from being accessed ( getting access to non-msft data files).

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

Start here: http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/default.aspx

Also see Related Links section at bottom of
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/howtotell/content.aspx.

It'd probably be best (and certainly less expensive, if not cost-free) to
reinstall Windows using the Dell (Recovery?) CD, Bobb.

Whatever the problem was, I'd bet he has similar problems again.

 

[- Bobb -]

Start here: http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/default.aspx

Also see Related Links section at bottom of
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/howtotell/content.aspx.

It'd probably be best (and certainly less expensive, if not cost-free)
to reinstall Windows using the Dell (Recovery?) CD, Bobb.

Yeah, but she uses Quickbooks for a small business and it's not backed up,
so $100-200 - or whatever a license costs - isn't the problem ! She did
buy a USB drive a few months ago to back it up, but "never got around to
it" (it was still in blister pack !) After data recovery , I told her to
use the Dell CD to wipe PC/ get Windows back to the "way it should be",
then reinstall her apps, then run windowsupdate ( PC is ~5 years old so
not sure if XP SP2 etc came with original image.)

Thanks for the pointers - I couldn't find the right terminology on msft
site - from your link, I can see what they now need is called :
"Windows Genuine Advantage Kit "
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/932301
Cost either $99 (home) or $149 (pro)

Thanks,
Bobb

 

[- Bobb -]

as a general FYI .... bump in the road - From Msft website:
"The WGA Kit includes Service Pack 2 (SP2). You can also purchase a WGA
legalization kit. To do this, visit the following Web site, and then start
the validation process:
http://www.microsoft.com/genuine
After you receive the notification that the validation is unsuccessful,
click Buy Now. "

Ahhhh, maybe that was once there ( I didn't see it until now) , but now
user gets to a screen that you can enter a 25 digit code, but "Buy Now" is
never an option. Once it fails, you either "try again" or XP logs user off
and back at login screen. So no chance to go to any website. And it's a
bit strange that the validation failure/check must be done on the PC that
NEEDS the license , since one cannot get to a desktop !

I think we're done here: I'll have her call msft directly.
Thanks for the help.

 

[abbottfk]

Have your son-in-law's friend fix the problem.

 

[abbottfk]

Have your son-in-law's friend fix the problem.
--
~PA Bear



Use a USB drive for backing up stuff like Quicken files. Doesn't help at the moment, but saves in the long run.

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

...After data recovery , I
That's probably her best bet. She may need to download/install SP2 manually
before she'll be able to install any other Windows Updates. The following
might come in handy, too:

Updates are not installed successfully from Windows Update, from Microsoft
Update, or by using Automatic Updates after you repair a Windows XP
installation:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/943144

NB: Also applies to clean installs, upgrade installs, and Recovery installs.

You're welcome, Bobb, and thanks for your feedback. Best of luck to you &
yours. Let us know how things work out, please.

 

[- Bobb -]

I got it copying to their external drive by booting Linux CD - left it
copying . Will then have them confirm data is good on another PC. If data
Ok, then boot Dell CD.
Thanks for the advice.