My father-in-law has an HP PC, and he'd got the obligatory HP restore CD. I would prefer to install a clean version of XP Home SP2, rather than the image on the restore disk. (The restore disk will dictate partitions, doesn't have any service packs pre-loaded, plus lots of other resource-hogging software we don't want.)My question, is can I make a note of the current HP XP product key, reforamt and re-install using a new retail XP Home SP2 disk, and then simply change the product key before activation to reflect the orginal HP product key so as not to waste a new retail XP Home license on the already-licensed HP machine?
I just noticed, when trying to do my daughters homework, that I no longer have the Office Folder or Short Cut. It must have disappeared as a result of my work done on this machine after it was impacted by Malware VX2. That is the only thing I can think of. I cant locate the Office discs so I cant reload. If I find a WORD document, I can open it and use WORD. HOW CAN I RESTORE THE TOOL BAR in Windows XP without the Office disc?
My son moved out of town and now wants his copy of Windows XP Pro that he left behind. I have two copies that are idententical except for the product keys. Is there somewhere in Windows that would tell me which copy to send and which to keep? will he be able to reuse this disk to put on a new HD in a new computer? Can he put his old HD in a new computer?
there is a GENUINE XP PROFESSIONAL CD with it's case. But neither the case nor the CD has the product key on it. So I am not able to install it on my new HD. Is there any way to install this XP PROFESSIONAL without the product key or get the product key somehow?
I need to reinstall windows on my computer. I have windows xp pro right now, but I lost the cd. I have the cd key and my friends xp home cd. Will my product key work with if I install his copy of xp home?
working on a dell dimension 4600 with the product key reading "Windows XP Professional 1-2CPU" i am re-installing widows xp pro on there and its saying the product key is not valid.
My Friend got an old laptop, it has a XP Product Key on the bottom of it. But he didn't have a XP CD. So I let him use mine CD. But the key didn't work. So we tryed 2 more copies of XP CDs, still no luck. we ended up just installing Windows 7 Beta so he could have a temporary solution. (And he wanted to try it out). Any ways I am getting really annoyed, to have a license key and not be able to use it. Any suggestions? Oyeah is there a way to know if a key is going to work with a CD with out having to waste 15-20 minuets for the CD to load all of the files. Spending hours putting XP CD in and typing 25 charters only to get "The Key you ended is invalid" got really boring.
As you all know the new updat eis here as we all thought it would be I have a client with a license key which is not original I have now purchased a copy for her but how do i change the product key to a new one
am trying to reformat a Dell Dimension on Windows XP Home, and have never had a problem like this, don't know what I am missing, the machine was purchased with XP home on it, and there is a reinstall disk. When you do the reformatt when it comes back up and runs through the process it does not ask for the product key? It reformats and when machine is supposedly all set up and ready to go half the information such as ethernet card, audio drivers etc is not there. If you are doing a complete reinstall should it not ask for the product key??? This really has me puzzled, I have reformatted 3 times, and am not coming up with the proper setup.
I was trying to in win xp on the computer, however, the product key did not work. So, I am trying cancel the setup, but the win xp is keep trying to set up. I was trying to upgrade my xp from xp media center to xp pro. how can I stop the setup?
The sellers I've been talking to tell me that the little sticker they include with the case is the product code necessary to use XP Pro. Is this the actual product key that I use when installing XP pro? I realize that Microsoft is now using an online product registration for XP, and I'm ok with that, since I'm buying the license with the machine.
I've just been round to help my neighbour with her laptop... she's 80 (Bless!) Anyway, when booting up a message appears to say that before windows can log on the product (XP Home) needs to be activated. No problem, so I press OK. But then, in the Product Activation window it says, This product has already been activated, press OK. Which I do but then it shuts down. It's just a continual circle that I can't seem to get out of. By the way, it boots up okay in safe Mode.
Well, I want to go to the registry to find my 25 digit CD Key for windows. I understand there are programs for it, and I have used them. Im just wondering if anyone knows where it is in the registry... and yes I do understand it will be encoded, probably in hexadecimal.
I have been reading alot about changin WinXP product key but have had problems with OEM machines. The best way to do it is as followed. Make a search in Windows/System32 folder for WPA. You should come up with a few files. Now you want to cut/paste the next two files to a new folder: wpa.dbl wpabaln.exe Once these files have been removed from the system32 folder you want to activate your copy by doing the following. Click on Start then Run and enter the following line: %systemroot%system32oobemsoobe.exe /a Then click on Activate by phone and hit the Change Product Key. You should now be able to change an OEM Product Key to another one.
I am installing XP Pro on to a machine. I am using a SP3 CD (as that is what I have). When I am asked to put the key in it says "Product ID you entered is invalid". Is this because it is a SP3 cd and not the original OEM disk? Also, it isn't giving me any option to call in.
I reinstalled windows xp and used the product key on the sticker at the bottom of the laptop but it is saying CD key you entered is not valid. Who do I need to call and what information do I need to know?
I have a copy of Windows XP that was meant for only one computer use at a time. I reformatted my computer a few months ago and when I had tried to install XP again with my discs, it had told me the product key could not be activated because it had already been used. I was able to use a friend's, but now I plan to reformat again and I wish to use my own key. I was wondering what I should do because I've been told that I should be able to use my own product key when I reformat my computer.
so after finally getting a massive virus off of my sister's computer i've had to re-install everything, msn, anti-virus stuff etc. but now i have two problems that i can't seem to find the answer for anywhere! first, windows (xp home edition) keeps asking me to activate it everytime i log on, i click on the bubble and follow the steps, i go onto "activate through the internet" and then "no don't register just get activated", i put in the product key that's on the side of her desktop and it says it's invalid, so i tried a keyfinder and it came up with a different one, so i entered that in instead and that didn't work either. it may be relevant to mention that the operating system cd might be from my parent's laptop or my sister's computer, i could only find one so i used that. any help on this would be greatly appreciated.
secondly the sound card driver isnt working i don't think. the log on music works but there's no icon on the bottom of the screen with the picture of a speaker. i go on the internet and click a random Internet video and that doesn't have any sound. there's nothing wrong with the speakers (because i unplugged them and put them into my laptop and they work fine).
I have a used copy of XP upgrade and would like to know if it is being used before installing it. Is there a MS site one can go to and put in product key to see if it is already in use?
Getting right to it I have a Dell Dimension 4300 that I am fixing up for my daughter adding memory and a larger hard drive. It has Win Xp home installed on it and I have gotten the CD Key # off of it using an extractor. Now my question is because I do not have the upgrade CD (which came with it) for reinstalling it can I use my other (legal) XP upgrade cd to reistall it, using the Key # retrieved from the Dell to verify it with MS for upgrades/downloads, etc. or will I have to use the CD key # which came with my disc.
I have to reinstall my XP Pro OS on my work PC. The XP CD for that is fairly old and only has SP1. I recently got a laptop with XP Pro SP2. Can I Install the OS using the laptop XP CD that has SP2 and type in the product Key for the older XP machine so I don't have to spend hours updating the SP1 install to SP2. I've done this with MS Office in the past when the silver coating on the CD got scraped off and I just installed with an Office CD from another machine and used the Product Key from the broken CD license. These are DELL machines if that makes any difference. The last time I reinstalled the laptop OS using the CD, I can't remember typing in the product key and I don't want to have any issues with licensing and activation.
As part of my on-going saga, I'm at the point of re-installing XP. I haven't tracked down the CDs that came with the machine, yet, but I borrowed a XP Home Edition CD (upgrade) from my mom. I booted from the CD-ROM and started the Windows installation process. I'm at the point where it wants me to enter the product key and I enter the key on the Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition label that's taped on the side of the case (it's a HP Pavilion box) and Windows tells me the product key is invalid. Is this due to some kind of upgrade CD vs OEM CD kind of thing?
Friend has an upgraded PC with XP with a HD that is going bad. He has CD but has lost product key. Does MS put some ID on HD that can be used in replacing HD ? Could I copy/ clone present HD and install on new HD? Can you move OP XP to new PC? He also lost key for MS office CD.
I got a HP Vectra420 with P4 with 512MB RAM and XP license on it. Whats confusing me is the sticker "Windows XP Proffessional 1-2 CPU"?. It also syas "One Time Choice Only". Whats does this mean?.
I installed previous version of the product..now i am installing the updated version of this product...so installation of updated version removes the previous version.If i want to install this previous version during the uninstallation of the updated version how can i do this?
Microsoft Word came with my Dell laptop. Now, I have had to reload Word on another one of my computers, and it won't let me open Word with out putting in the "product Key". I can not find the product key anywhere. I know it is supposed to be on the outside sleeve of the CD package, but it is not. Microsoft said to contact Dell, and Dell said to contact Microsoft.
