Hard Drive Dump

[Bliesveld]

I recently purchased a Laptop and installed a used hard
drive. I then purchased a copy of Window xp Home and
installed it on the laptop and registered the software
with MS. Now the hard drive craped out, it's only been a
month. I can't even read it from another source. Got a new
hard drive for the laptop and tried installing the windows
xp, it say that the software is already registered. My
question is what are my options? Do I have to contact
Microsoft or am I just out of luck?

Thanks

 

[Tony]

YES! TO save money, you can call MS, give them your
situation, and they will help you get it activated again.
The reason it says it is already registered, is because
it looks at the hardware configuration, sees that it is
different from what it was the last time that it was
registered, and thinks that someone else has it or it is
a fake copy.

 

[Bob Knowlden]

Use the telephone activation option.

If the automated 'phone activation is denied (likely), you'll have to speak
to a Microsoft rep. (It's a toll-free call in the US.) There's a fair amount
of typing involved, but the process only takes about 5 minutes.

Be clear that you're running the copy of XP on a single machine, and there
should be no trouble. The same should apply even if your license is an OEM
version, as you're repairing the original machine, not installing it on a
different system.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;302806

"Description of Microsoft Product Activation"

It's an annoyance, but not completely absurd.

HTH.

Bob Knowlden

Address may be scrambled. Replace nkbob with bobkn.