Reactivate Windows XP Home - Activate screen has no fields

[Guest]

Three years after activating my copy of Windows XP I have suddenly been asked
to reactivate it due to a major change in hardware. I have not of course
changed anything but regardless I was quite happy to refill in the form and
reactivate but when I click the icon I get the Activate screen with no fields
or text just a blue background with some 'x's where I guess graphics should
be.
So I can't reactivate and it repeatedly tells me I have 2 days left in which
to activate my copy!
Can someone tell me how I can fix this and get myself reactivated?
I only have a Recovery disc that came with my PC so I don't think I can
repair it ?
All help would be gratefully received.

 

[Matija Hrovat]

Try:
Blank Activate Windows Page in the Windows Product Activation Wizard
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=314935

Did you install/uninstall any new software lately ?
Try checking your computer for spyware, viruses,...
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm
http://housecall.trendmicro.com

 

[R. C. White]

Hi, Gormless.

A few things in your post raise questions.

First, a major hardware change - even installing WinXP onto a completely
different computer - should not trigger a need to reactivate if it has been
more than 120 days since the last activation of this Product Key.

I only have a Recovery disc that came with my PC so I don't think I can
repair it ?

Second, if WinXP came pre-installed on your PC, then you should not need to
activate it. BUT you would not be able to install it on a different
computer, either. Each such OEM copy of WinXP is licensed only to the
computer on which it was originally installed. Even if that computer is
destroyed, that copy of WinXP cannot be installed on any other computer.

What is "the same computer"? Simply adding a hard drive or swapping a CD
for a DVD should not make WinXP think that you have a different computer,
but a new motherboard probably would. A combination of multiple hardware
changes might make the computer no longer be "the same computer".

Since your WinXP was pre-installed, support for it was assumed by the OEM
who bought WinXP from Microsoft and customized it to fit the OEM's hardware.
Have you discussed this with the maker or vendor of your computer?

Third, you said, "I have not of course changed anything", but you still got
this notice. Are you SURE it came from Microsoft? Or could it be a forgery
from some scammer?

For the official word from Microsoft, go here:
Windows XP Product Activation
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/evaluation/features/activation.mspx

RC

 

[Guest]

Many thanks guys. Your replies pointed me in the direction of the OOBE
folder. I replaced the more 'modern' version with an older set of files from
disc and it allowed me to re-activate with no problems (albeit the screen was
still a bit 'dodgy' looking) I didn't know where to look otherwise. You put
me at ease after 2 days of fretting.
Cheers.

 

[Alex Nichol]

Three years after activating my copy of Windows XP I have suddenly been asked
to reactivate it due to a major change in hardware. I have not of course
changed anything but regardless I was quite happy to refill in the form and
reactivate but when I click the icon I get the Activate screen with no fields
or text just a blue background with some 'x's where I guess graphics should
be.
So I can't reactivate and it repeatedly tells me I have 2 days left in which
to activate my copy!

Start - Run the two lines
regsvr32 licdll.dll
regsvr32 regwizc.dll

Then get on the net, go to
Start - All Programs - Accessories - System Tools - Activate Windows
and you should have 'Activate on the internet' available

This sort of thing can happen BTW if you disable one of the pieces of
hardware concerned and reboot with it not around. The 'vote' concerned
is then permanently lost: I had this happen after disabling my NIC when
experimenting with a WiFi card