Windows 30 Day Activation Problem

Bouncy

Bouncy

Bouncy

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6 Feb 2004
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My Friend has a Dell PC which came with Windows XP Home Edition inc SP1a and CD to Reinstall if Necessary, The machine needed formatted and reinstalled so i knew my XP Home CD had SP2 included so i used it along with his Product Key and everything was fine, then i clicked on the 30 Day activation Keys bottom right hand corner and selected Already Registered, Just Activate but when i do this it prompts me that i need to change my Product Key, I phoned Microsoft who asked me had the gentleman changed any hardware etc and how many machines this product key had been used on and the answer is only 1, eventually they did something at their end to allow the product key to work but i don't want this hassle everytime i goto reformat his machine, Is there an easier way round this?

Many Thanks
 
It happened to me also, the product key had been used to activate windows too many times, and it tells me to ring microsoft up to change the product key... i believe there are a certain amount of times you can use the product key before you have to ring them and change it again, this is probably for security and protection against piracy i guess.

Seeing as you have just changed the product key, you probably could use it a good few more times if his pc ever needs to be reformatted again.
 
i know there's a file i can copy that will take away the activation once pasted back into a reformatted system but this file is different for every machine, just wondered if it was possible to bypass the activation from now on to cut out the nonsense of before.
 
not that i know of, but i believe corporate editions of Windows doesn't have the activation....
 
You could also get around this by activating XP and then making an image of your C: drive.

Edit: Your friend could! :)
 
You indicate the Dell come with an XP CDs or product recovery media. If so I would recommend reinstalling from those and then installing SP2 and the updates afterwards and you shouldn't have a problem. The media supplied by Dell should be pre-activated and avoid this problem. I understand what you are trying to do but it may be easier in the long run.

Sparky :)
 
TrialSoftware.jpg


heh you think your having problems
 
its not the end of the world is it?

so what you had to ring em up and do an over the phone activation? big deal.

when our internet went down at work and i saw doing a 100 pc order and each one had to be done over the phone. THEN you can complain ;)
 
Just from my personal experience all the older XP keys are requiring telephone activation when a couple of years ago they would work over the internet. MS seems to have had a crackdown.
 
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