Windows CD key and activation... help!

[Bleek]

Before I rip my head off someone please help me!

Yesterday I rebuilt my home PC, hard disk failed early in the week.

All went fine, CD key accepted, finished install and booted in to windows.

Tried to activate via internet, tells me the CD key is invalid?

So I tried my old laptop serial key, fished it out of the cupboard and used a tool to extract... same problem 'invalid'.

Now what's frustrating me is I have an original XP Pro retail copy, blue box, orange disc from yeeears ago - the problem is the disc no longer boots/reads properly.

So I've got a copy from work to install, using MY serial key.

So today I got an old SP1 CD from work to try that and here I am, same problem, cannot activate!

Is there a problem with SP1 & SP2 and my original un-service packed XP serial i.e they 'updated' *** serials for SP1 & SP2?

Someone help me here before I rip my hair out.

 

[Bleek]

Have you tried calling the activation line and doing it manually?

Burnsy

Yep and it says invalid which is just wrong.

I've even called on of my techies at work to test a key and that does't work! Obviously that was merely to test... regardless, it failed.

I just can't get my head around this.

I can buy a new key and activate online for ~£95 but I can just see it not working and me being high-and-dry. I might just have to take the plunge, completely unfair.