Unstable XP pro

[=?iso-8859-1?B?UPNs?=]

Hi I have XP pro loaded on my PC and it is becoming quite
unstablle. It will not accept SP1 and says that the
licence is false. The OS I have installed is on an old
work PC that was installed by my employer. So the licence
is real but my copy of Office 2000 has been removed and
the whole system has just about given up.
My question is, I have another copy(unused) private
version of XP pro can I install this over my current copy?
will I get licence conflicts and or will I lose my
settings and or any software that is currently on my hard-
drive?
Any help will be appreciated, I realy don't want to go
through the whole back-up,format,install routine.

Thanks in advance Pol

 

[Mike Brannigan [MSFT]]

Hi I have XP pro loaded on my PC and it is becoming quite
unstablle. It will not accept SP1 and says that the
licence is false. The OS I have installed is on an old
work PC that was installed by my employer. So the licence
is real but my copy of Office 2000 has been removed and
the whole system has just about given up.
My question is, I have another copy(unused) private
version of XP pro can I install this over my current copy?
will I get licence conflicts and or will I lose my
settings and or any software that is currently on my hard-
drive?
Any help will be appreciated, I realy don't want to go
through the whole back-up,format,install routine.

Contact the IT department at your employer.
If they are using or installing copies of Windows XP that will not accept
SP1 due to "licensing issue" there is a good possibility that they are using
improperly licensed software.


--
Regards,

Mike
--
Mike Brannigan [Microsoft]

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights

Please note I cannot respond to e-mailed questions, please use these
newsgroups

 

[Bill Crocker]

It may be that you just need to activate/register, your XP, on-line, with
Microsoft. You should be able to activate your current installation, using
your other key, provided it is installed on only one system. Call
Microsoft.

Bill Crocker

 

[Guest]

The system that was/is installed on my PC is a company
one with a multi user licence but SP1 will not load says
the key is invalid or a pirate!!.
How do I go about getting the new key onto my PC, do I
need to install the OS again from the CD?

Cheers

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

If you are getting the following error message when attempting to update to SP1:

Error Message: The Product Key Used to Install Windows Is Invalid
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;326904&Product=winxp

You'll have to purchase a new "Full Version" of Windows XP Professional
and perform a "Repair Install" using the new Windows XP Pro CD and Product Key
that comes with it. (You cannot simply change the Product Key)

How to Perform a Windows XP Repair Install
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm


--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User

Be Smart! Protect your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------


| Hi I have XP pro loaded on my PC and it is becoming quite
| unstablle. It will not accept SP1 and says that the
| licence is false. The OS I have installed is on an old
| work PC that was installed by my employer. So the licence
| is real but my copy of Office 2000 has been removed and
| the whole system has just about given up.
| My question is, I have another copy(unused) private
| version of XP pro can I install this over my current copy?
| will I get licence conflicts and or will I lose my
| settings and or any software that is currently on my hard-
| drive?
| Any help will be appreciated, I realy don't want to go
| through the whole back-up,format,install routine.
|
| Thanks in advance Pol

 

[Malke]

Hi I have XP pro loaded on my PC and it is becoming quite
unstablle. It will not accept SP1 and says that the
licence is false. The OS I have installed is on an old
work PC that was installed by my employer. So the licence
is real but my copy of Office 2000 has been removed and
the whole system has just about given up.
My question is, I have another copy(unused) private
version of XP pro can I install this over my current copy?
will I get licence conflicts and or will I lose my
settings and or any software that is currently on my hard-
drive?
Any help will be appreciated, I realy don't want to go
through the whole back-up,format,install routine.

If your installation is unstable, loading another operating system on
top of the faulty one is a Bad Idea. Either address and fix the
underlying problems or back up your data, format, and clean install. I
understand that you don't want to do the latter, but sometimes that is
the best solution. Without knowing any of the details about your
computer's instability, I can't be more specific. Here are some generic
troubleshooting steps that might help, though:

1) scan with current antivirus ("current" means a version not earlier
than 2002 but using updated virus definitions); 2) remove spyware with
Spybot Search & Destroy (www.safer-networking.org) and Ad-aware
(www.lavasoftusa.com). These programs are free, so use them both since
they complement each other. Be sure to update these programs before
running, and it is a good idea to do virus/spyware scans in Safe Mode;
3) delete temporary and Temporary Internet Files; 4) stop unnecessary
services/programs from starting with Windows - see www.blackviper.com
for services info and www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_index.htm for
programs info - 5) look in Event Viewer for clues.

Malke

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

If you are trying to install Service Pack 1a and getting the
following:

The Product Key Used to Install Windows Is Invalid
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q326904

You need to purchase and use a _legitimate_ full retail copy of
WinXP Pro to perform a repair (a.k.a. in-place upgrade) installation,
using the new CD and Product Key.

How to Perform an In-Place Upgrade of Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/directory/article.asp?ID=KB;EN-US;Q315341


Bruce Chambers

--
Help us help you:




You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having both at once. -- RAH

 

[Alex Nichol]

Hi I have XP pro loaded on my PC and it is becoming quite
unstablle. It will not accept SP1 and says that the
licence is false.

A lot of copies have been put out by unscrupulous parties - often
selling to innocent people - which have used one of a couple of pirated
keys, with no payments going back to Microsoft. Microsoft has
explicitly prevented machines that were installed with these keys from
installing SP1. Check in Control Panel - System for the Product ID
number under your name - if it fits

XXXXX-640-0000356-23XXX
or
XXXXX-640-2001765-23XXX

Where X represents any digit, you have one of these keys.

The OS I have installed is on an old
work PC that was installed by my employer. So the licence
is real

but see above

but my copy of Office 2000 has been removed and
the whole system has just about given up.
My question is, I have another copy(unused) private
version of XP pro can I install this over my current copy?
will I get licence conflicts and or will I lose my
settings and or any software that is currently on my hard-
drive?

I would in the first instance back up important data, just in case, then
do a repair reinstall. Set the BIOS to boot CD before Hard disk, then
boot the XP CD, start Setup (do not take 'Repair' at this stage), then
after the license agreement take 'Repair Installation'. This will
retain your existing software installations and most settings. But
Updates will have to be run again, especially SP1; I suggest before
starting you get the consolidated security update - free CD at
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/default.asp

and Download the patch against the Sasser worm - linked as fifth OS
affected at
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms04-011.mspx

If you do not have those already so you can run them before connecting,
is Vital to activate the basic XP Firewall before you ever connect to
the net to get patches, so as to be protected against things like the
BLAST and new Sasser worms.