XP wont activate with a genuine key!! Reinstalled windows and now wont work? Help me - Tech Support Forums

a1whitey · December 5th, 2006, 08:24 PM

hi, bought a computer whole from ebay, nice spec..

got genuine windows on and was all working fine, it passed all the validation tests so was workin, i got a bad trojan and other crap and decided to reinstall windows.

i didnt get the original install cd so i used my friends windows xp service pack 1 install disc for a hp laptop.

i have a hp compaq desktop, could it be i have used thw wrong disc?

well i put in the key during installation and it accepted it but when i went to validate it, it fails and says i have 30 days to register xp.

Please help me, yesterday i had stuff like media player 11 installed but now i cant because it wont pass validation.

i have the oem sticker on the case with the key.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

outlaw2001it · December 6th, 2006, 04:38 AM

Hello,
The HP System Restore Disk is only for the HP Laptop, and can not be used on any other computer. What you need is a Windows XP Disk with or without Service Pack 2. I hope that this helped. Take Care.

pullmyfoot · December 6th, 2006, 05:28 AM

no, what you need is a validation code for an actual copy of XP. cuz what he has now wil only work with his HP computer. you can use someone elses CD but you need a valid CD key. try calling up microsoft, you might get your thing activated that way.

sr71000 · December 6th, 2006, 07:49 AM

Hey. Try using the option to call and activate. I have to do that all the time for mine and my customers computers. Not really sure why but it's not that uncommon!

vick.x6 · December 6th, 2006, 08:57 AM

Yeah everytime I reformat my computer, I have to call them so they activate it.

dzee · December 6th, 2006, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vick.x6

Yeah everytime I reformat my computer, I have to call them so they activate it.

is there a limit to how many times you can do it like that?

radio1_mike · December 6th, 2006, 11:00 AM

There is a number of times you can 'go over' when the activation key mated to your product key. This started to happen to me a few years back.

I build my own computer(s) and I tend to upgrade more than the average bear ( according to MS, at least)-- now when I reinstall I had to do phone activation and then code will last for certain amount of times.

JPMiller · December 6th, 2006, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pullmyfoot

no, what you need is a validation code for an actual copy of XP. cuz what he has now wil only work with his HP computer. you can use someone elses CD but you need a valid CD key. try calling up microsoft, you might get your thing activated that way.

NO...
He needs the correct DISK...
Any "branded" disk from something as proprietary as a laptop will have very special setups, preinstalled apps, drivers etc, that will NOT work with a standard system, whether its the same brand or not...
He needs an OEM or Retail disk of the same family.... I.E. Home or Pro...
Outlaw was correct,... once he has a generic disk to install from, he should have no problem activating it either automatically over the "series of tubes", or by calling it in to microsoft...

and as a sidenote....
Save yourself 15 min of torture and just say "blah- blah- blah" during the automated section of the call so that they will transfer you to an actual human right away....
What they do is make you recite the whole serial code and then transfer you to a person who make you do it all over again...

pullmyfoot · December 6th, 2006, 12:20 PM

no, radio1 mike if you call and ask them, as in talk to the customer service guy, they really dont care and cant find out. you just have to answer the questions correctly

. how many computers are you using it on (say 1). have you changed your hardware (say no). simple. i have 3 copies so its ok. but one of em is a really old copy of XP pro, (from year 2000 or something) so i must have used that one like 30-40 times or something, on different computers but i always keep to one computer so its still within the limits. i just call the customer service whenever the activation thing tells me my code is invalid and i answer the questions "correctly".

i mean its not wrong right? i have a legal copy

radio1_mike · December 7th, 2006, 07:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pullmyfoot

no, radio1 mike if you call and ask them, as in talk to the customer service guy, they really dont care and cant find out. you just have to answer the questions correctly

. how many computers are you using it on (say 1). have you changed your hardware (say no). simple. i have 3 copies so its ok. but one of em is a really old copy of XP pro, (from year 2000 or something) so i must have used that one like 30-40 times or something, on different computers but i always keep to one computer so its still within the limits. i just call the customer service whenever the activation thing tells me my code is invalid and i answer the questions "correctly".

i mean its not wrong right? i have a legal copy

Oh. Yah. I know that.
It's just a PIA to go through it, especially since my copy of XP is truly legit and I have it only on one computer. Of course, that computer has gone through maybe 20 revisions, since my original install.

I just don't like the game- that's all!