Windows Activation Key used too many times?

[Guest]

Hi there,

I have had a computer for 4 years and it came with Windows XP installed with
COA and license on bottom. I have had many problems with it (its as Time pc)
so I have had to re-install windows xp lots of times but each time i have
activated it. This time I had to re-install after my windows xp corrupted so
I installed with the license it came with and it installed. When i tried to
activate it it said that I had used this key too many times! By their records
it was used too many times so i couldnt use it to active my computer.

Can anyone help me with this problem. I had a look at the microsoft help and
support center by my computer is not compatible for the free of charge
support so i have to pay for help! Outrageous! I also dont want to call Time
because they want me to pay a £1 a minute for help which they wont give. Is
there anyway to reset my key because I want to sell my computer with windows
key but having an expired key is no good.

Thanks if you can help!

Joshua

 

[Gordon]

Hi there,

I have had a computer for 4 years and it came with Windows XP installed
with
COA and license on bottom. I have had many problems with it (its as Time
pc)
so I have had to re-install windows xp lots of times but each time i have
activated it. This time I had to re-install after my windows xp corrupted
so
I installed with the license it came with and it installed. When i tried
to
activate it it said that I had used this key too many times! By their
records
it was used too many times so i couldnt use it to active my computer.

You have to activate by phone. It's a toll-free number.
It's a new policy (unannounced I might add) that MS now demand that ANY
version of Windows XP is only activated ONCE over the internet. Any
activation after that once, it's a phone call. I don't know the purpose of
this other than to piss-off legitimate customers as I've re-installed the
same copy on the same computer three times in the last month and every time
the phone activation has been put through with out any query whatsoever. So
there seems to be NO point in it at all other than to piss people off.

 

[Dave B.]

Maybe their phone people weren't busy enough?

You have to activate by phone. It's a toll-free number.
It's a new policy (unannounced I might add) that MS now demand that ANY
version of Windows XP is only activated ONCE over the internet. Any
activation after that once, it's a phone call. I don't know the purpose of
this other than to piss-off legitimate customers as I've re-installed the
same copy on the same computer three times in the last month and every
time the phone activation has been put through with out any query
whatsoever. So there seems to be NO point in it at all other than to piss
people off.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Hi there,

I have had a computer for 4 years and it came with Windows XP
installed with COA and license on bottom. I have had many problems
with it (its as Time pc) so I have had to re-install windows xp lots
of times but each time i have activated it. This time I had to
re-install after my windows xp corrupted so I installed with the
license it came with and it installed. When i tried to activate it it
said that I had used this key too many times! By their records it was
used too many times so i couldnt use it to active my computer.

When that happens you are also given a toll-free number to call. Just do so
and activate by phone. It's quick and easy.

 

[Gordon]

Maybe their phone people weren't busy enough?

 

[Guest]

Yeah thanks for all your advice, but what I was thinking of was microsoft
kind of reseting my key so that it can be activated again, because I dont
want to sell a computer with windows xp which has to be activated via phone,
its a bit of a bother. Any ideas?

Thanks

Joshua

 

[Shenan Stanley]

You have to activate by phone. It's a toll-free number.

It's a new policy (unannounced I might add) that MS now demand that
ANY version of Windows XP is only activated ONCE over the internet.
Any activation after that once, it's a phone call. I don't know the
purpose of this other than to piss-off legitimate customers as I've
re-installed the same copy on the same computer three times in the
last month and every time the phone activation has been put through
with out any query whatsoever. So there seems to be NO point in it
at all other than to piss people off.

I do not believe that is correct.

The policy (I hesitate to call it that - more of a "the way it is"...) has
been - and still is as far as I know - if the product in question was
activated in the last 180 days by Internet, you cannot activate it by
Internet again until after 180 days has passed.

 

[Yves Leclerc]

OEM versions (COA stickers) can not activate by the Internet. A lot of
branded OEM versions were sold separate from qualifying hardware and several
"demo PCs" had their XP COA code lifted while the PCs were out on the store
floor.

 

[Boris]

After installing XP and SP2, plus the remaining updates, a phone call
is a piece of cake. I don't understand what the big deal is.

 

[Gordon]

I do not believe that is correct.

The policy (I hesitate to call it that - more of a "the way it is"...) has
been - and still is as far as I know - if the product in question was
activated in the last 180 days by Internet, you cannot activate it by
Internet again until after 180 days has passed.

I re-installed the retail copy I have of XP the other day. It's the first
time it's been re-installed (on the SAME machine) for about two years. It
failed the Internet activation. It failed the automatic phone activation and
I was forced to speak to a representative. he told me that it is now MS
policy that ANY version of XP is only allowed ONE internet activation in its
lifetime. Any more have to be done by phone. Otherwise, why would a RETAIL
copy fail the internet activation after TWO years and being re-installed on
the very machine it's been on for TWO years? And it used to be 120 days -
that's an unannounced change......

 

[Kerry Brown]

I re-installed the retail copy I have of XP the other day. It's the
first time it's been re-installed (on the SAME machine) for about two
years. It failed the Internet activation. It failed the automatic
phone activation and I was forced to speak to a representative. he
told me that it is now MS policy that ANY version of XP is only
allowed ONE internet activation in its lifetime. Any more have to be
done by phone. Otherwise, why would a RETAIL copy fail the internet
activation after TWO years and being re-installed on the very machine
it's been on for TWO years? And it used to be 120 days - that's an
unannounced change......

I just activated two OEM XP Home computers today after repairs. Both had
several parts replaced causing "You must activate within 3 days to pop up".
Both activated via the Internet no problem. I know at least one of them was
activated via the Internet when it was new because I sold it and activated
it at the customer's site.

There was never any official announcement about 120 days that I have ever
seen. Many people have assumed it, wrote it in newsgroup posts, forums, and
blogs until it became accepted knowledge. It fits into the urban legend
category.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Hi there,

I have had a computer for 4 years and it came with Windows XP installed with
COA and license on bottom. I have had many problems with it (its as Time pc)
so I have had to re-install windows xp lots of times but each time i have
activated it. This time I had to re-install after my windows xp corrupted so
I installed with the license it came with and it installed. When i tried to
activate it it said that I had used this key too many times! By their records
it was used too many times so i couldnt use it to active my computer.

Can anyone help me with this problem. I had a look at the microsoft help and
support center by my computer is not compatible for the free of charge
support so i have to pay for help! Outrageous! I also dont want to call Time
because they want me to pay a £1 a minute for help which they wont give. Is
there anyway to reset my key because I want to sell my computer with windows
key but having an expired key is no good.

Thanks if you can help!

Joshua

The error message you received is somewhat misleading. What it
really means is that you've activated "via the Internet too many times
within the last 120 days." Because there is usually no sound technical
reason for reinstalling and re-activating WinXP so frequently, the
automatic presumption is that the OS is being installed on multiple
machines. I think Microsoft should fix this message, but it is, in
reality, a relatively minor "cosmetic" issue, so they're probably giving
more weight to some silly cost-benefit analysis more than they are their
customers' occasional confusion.

In actuality, there's no limit to the number of times you can
reinstall and activate the same WinXP license on the same PC. Nor is
there ever a charge. Nor does a Product Key (so long as it's not an
evaluation license) ever expire. If it's been more than 120 days since
you last activated that specific Product Key, you'll most likely be able
to activate via the Internet without problem. If it's been less, you
might have to make a 5 minute phone call.

Here are the facts pertaining to activation:

Piracy Basics - Microsoft Product Activation
http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/basics/activation/

Windows Product Activation (WPA)
http://www.aumha.org/a/wpa.htm


--

Bruce Chambers

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[Guest]

Ah i see now, thanks very much for your help Bruce and everyone. So it means
that I can install windows xp and activate it in 120 days time now. Thanks!

Joshua