Windows XP Activation problem

[Raydee]

Ok I have a friends Dell computer that she asked me to get running for her. She previously had the computer in a shop and they reinstalled windows for her not using the original Dell discs that came with the computer. Now she gets a pop up that asks to register windows every day. I have the numbers off the side of the computer put there by Dell but everytime I put them in I get a invalid key error. What can I do now???? After 30 days it says I wil no longer be able to use windows.

[photolady]

You need the original disks from Dell. The install done from the computer shop using a non Dell disk, won't activate because the numbers don't match. If she has the original disks, just reinstall with those.

[Raydee]

Thanks Photlady I will have to do that.

[104456]

An overinstall to the same directory with the DEll CDs if they allow it will also suirfice and save losing files.

[venom96737]

what this shop has done has given you a different type of xp example: xp pro when you had home or home sp 2 when you had sp 1 pre integrated you could A:reinstall the previous disc over what they have done there by erasing the mix up or B: contact the store and discovering which type of OS they installed and find the correct key for it

[ginky4]

I recently had the exact same problem. Even though the Product Key took when reinstalling Windows XP Home the activation of Windows didn't. I did the option for activating by phone since it wouldn't activate over the internet. I called the microsoft number that was provided and told them that I had to reinstall windows because of a bad hard drive. They asked me for the product key from the sticker on the machine.

They also asked me the make of the computer and where it was purchased. I told them HP, I forget the model number, and I told them it was purchased from Best Buy. The girl then proceeded to give me a new activation number. The whole process took about 5 minutes. They even stayed on the phone with me to make sure that the activation took ok.


Just make sure when you do this that you are using the exact product key from the sticker of the computer that you are fixing. It was very simple to do and they were very nice on the phone about it.

[104456]

Just had a thought......on another site there was mention that OEM XP installs will no longer register via internet and require phone activation.I`ll hunt down the actual quote for you...............

The current batch of OEM discs won't install the same way the retail one does. Like, you start to install it, it goes, blah blah, enter product key, INVALID PRODUCT KEY. Like,.. ??? I purchased this !! Yeah,.. invalid because they want you to PREINSTALL it. . But that's pretty much the deal on OEM.

Basically you just do the following steps:

1> Format the drive using Fdisk (fat32 or whatever,.. it really doesn't matter).
2> Reboot to a bootable Windows 98 floppy that has "smartdrv.exe" on it.
3> At the floppy prompt, run the smartdrv app. The change drive over to the cd rom drive. Run winnt.exe.
4> Run through the process like normal. Basically at this point you will be partioning and formatting the drive in NTFS format and proceeding with the install.

More info on this blog OEM Microsoft Windows (including XP Pro and XP Home) Licensing Changes You Need To Know About!

"When you distribute an individual software license for a desktop operating system or application software, you must preinstall it on the fully assembled computer system’s hard drive using the OEM Preinstallation Kit ("OPK") provided in this package or otherwise made available by us. This preinstallation requirement does not apply to server software."

So in addition to having to sell an OEM Desktop Operating System license with a fully assembled computer system, it must also be preinstalled on the fully assembled computer system that it is being sold with. Again, loophole closed. These same restrictions would also apply to any OEM Office license as well. OEM Office must be sold with a fully assembled computer system and must also be preinstalled on the fully assembled computer system that it is being sold with. OEM Server licenses must also be sold with a fully assembled computer system; however, the preinstallation requirement clause does not apply to OEM server licenses as you can see in section 6 above.

[usil]

Thats news to me. I have installed OEM licenses on a few new computers in the last couple of months and activated them over the internet with no problems.

[Raydee]

Thanks for all the input guys and gals! I ended up just reinstalling the original Dell discs that came with the computer and had no problems with the activation at that point. I personally have never owned a dell, hp or compac computer and have always built all my own so I never ran into a problem like this. However I did buy a Dell notebook from a friend that was so infested with Virus' that it wouldn't even run. I had no problems wiping the system clean and reinstalling MY version of XP on it.

[hansmax]

What I had heard was that OEM versions used by the eight or ten largest builders of computers would have to be activated over the phone. The rest would still activate the old way, which I have found to be true on both the OEM versions that I have purchased.