Incorrect Product Key

[Pete]

I am trying to help my cousin who has an illegitimate WinXP Home SP2
installation. I purchased an OEM WinXP Home SP2 CD, and was originally
going to do a repair install to preserve settings and apps. The repair
option when booting from the CD does not appear (despite a few
recommended changes /registry tweaks).

So I subsequently discovered I could change the Product Key by rendering
the current key invalid through another registry change and
reactivating Windows. Seemed simple enough, but when I launched the
Product Activation Wizard and selected to Change Product Key, I get
"Incorrect Product Key". I've tried it a couple of times and I'm quite
sure I entered the key on the label with the new disk.

Is this an issue with the OEM CD vendor, or have I done something to
cause this?

Thanks

 

[Claggy]

I am trying to help my cousin who has an illegitimate WinXP Home SP2
installation. I purchased an OEM WinXP Home SP2 CD, and was originally
going to do a repair install to preserve settings and apps. The repair
option when booting from the CD does not appear (despite a few recommended
changes /registry tweaks).

So I subsequently discovered I could change the Product Key by rendering
the current key invalid through another registry change and reactivating
Windows. Seemed simple enough, but when I launched the Product Activation
Wizard and selected to Change Product Key, I get "Incorrect Product Key".
I've tried it a couple of times and I'm quite sure I entered the key on
the label with the new disk.

Is this an issue with the OEM CD vendor, or have I done something to cause
this?

Thanks

Keys are specific to the version of XP you use. A key for a OEM version of
XP will only work if the XP on your friends computer is also OEM.

 

[neil]

You would need a retail version to do what you are trying to do. You will
need to backup the personal files and reformat the drive to install an OEM
version of XP.
Neil